Miriam Pemberton

Miriam Pemberton is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. She directs its Peace Economy Transitions Project which focuses on helping to build the foundations of a postwar economy at the federal, state and local levels. She co-chairs the Budget Priorities Working Group, the principal information-sharing collaboration of U.S. NGOs working on reducing Pentagon spending.

In addition to articles and opeds, her publications include two report series. “Military vs. Climate Security” compares federal spending on the two security domains, and argues for a shift of security resources toward mitigating climate change. “A Unified Security Budget for the United States” examined the balance of spending on military forces, homeland security and non-military foreign engagement and argues for a rebalanced security budget.

With William Hartung of the New America Foundation, she is co-editor of the book Lessons from Iraq: Avoiding the Next War (Paradigm Publishers, 2008). Formerly she was editor, researcher and finally director of the National Commission for Economic Conversion and Disarmament. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.

Latest

China Might Be Bugging US Subways — But There’s a Bigger Problem

Miriam Pemberton | January 22, 2019

Years of neglecting public infrastructure has undercut the U.S. manufacturing base.

Something We Can Agree On: Close Some Overseas Bases

Miriam Pemberton | November 29, 2018

A group of national security experts from left, right, and center says cutting some of America’s 800 far-flung outposts will save money and make us safer.

Plan to Cut Pentagon Waste Eliminates an Office Designed to Do Just That

Miriam Pemberton | April 26, 2018

Rather than returning the savings to the taxpayers, the plan means to plow those savings back into the Pentagon budget.

Google Employees are Rejecting Militarism. That's a Great Sign.

Miriam Pemberton | April 20, 2018

Techies who've come of age in a country perpetually at war are saying they don't want their talents used to kill people.

The Pentagon Can't Keep Track of the Billions it Already Gets

Miriam Pemberton | March 30, 2018

For years, it has been the only federal agency that can't pass an audit.

The Little Agency That Could Have Tamed the Military-Industrial Complex

Miriam Pemberton | March 7, 2018

The Pentagon’s Office of Economic Adjustment mostly missed its chance to wean communities off America’s dependence on defense economics.

Congress Just Agreed to Completely Out of Control Pentagon Spending

Miriam Pemberton | February 9, 2018

Military spending will reach $700 billion under the deal to reopen the government, despite reports of hundreds of billions in Pentagon waste.

Huge Military Budgets Make Us Broke, Not Safe

Miriam Pemberton | January 31, 2018

Backing down from nuclear war would make us a lot safer than piling more money into the Pentagon.

Climate Change is a Bigger Threat Than Any Military — Our Budget Should Reflect That

Miriam Pemberton | September 5, 2017

Facing financial ruin and the ruins of South Texas, some hawks want to throw more money at the military. That's ludicrous.

Trump's Insecurity Budget

Miriam Pemberton | March 9, 2017

Throwing money at the Pentagon while gutting other programs that protect Americans shouldn't make anyone feel safer.

Trump’s Phony Populism on Military Spending

Miriam Pemberton | February 8, 2017

The president says he'll protect our interests against the boondoggle weapons makers. Don't believe him.

This Could Be the Year to Close America's Surplus Military Bases

Miriam Pemberton | February 4, 2017

If Congress gets out of the way.

The Pentagon’s $125 Billion Cover-up

Miriam Pemberton | December 14, 2016

The brass asked for a report on eliminating waste. When investigators found some, the military buried it.

U.S. Military Names Climate Change an Urgent Threat, But Where's the Money?

Miriam Pemberton | October 6, 2016

As our climate crisis plays out in increased refugee flows and natural disasters, the government is still wasting money on ineffective, traditional military security.

Help Spread the Word: #CombatVsClimate

Miriam Pemberton | October 5, 2016

Help us spread the word about our latest report, "Combat Vs. Climate: The Military and Climate Security Budgets Compared"

Report: Combat Vs. Climate

Ellen Powell, Miriam Pemberton, Nathan Doctor | October 5, 2016

The Military and Climate Security Budgets Compared

Burning Issues: Is Our Military Big Enough?

Miriam Pemberton | March 21, 2016

IPS defense expert Miriam Pemberton explains that the United States military remains the most powerful on earth by far in this segment of Campaign for America's Future “Burning Issues” video series.

The People’s Budget: Pushing Us Toward a Peace Economy

Miriam Pemberton | March 11, 2016

Hundreds of thousands of jobs are tied to the fortunes of Pentagon spending, but the People's Budget has the means to overcome this dependency.

Where Would Bernie Make His Big Budget Cuts?

Miriam Pemberton | March 1, 2016

Sanders would find plenty to get rid of in America's bloated defense budget.

6 Reasons Not to Reboot the Cold War

Miriam Pemberton | February 11, 2016

The Obama administration's final Pentagon budget calls for quadrupling spending on efforts to counter Russia.