Eisenhower abjured these drastic swings in spending; they suggested an unwillingness to think ahead and stay prepared for future conflict. In his time in office defense outlays remained remarkably steady and substantial, averaging $46.5 billion a year. This was a huge sum, representing roughly 50 percent of annual federal budget outlays during his administration. Put another way, the United States consistently spent 10 percent or more of its GDP each year on defense during the Eisenhower years, a higher percentage than any peacetime administration in U.S. history, before or since.
