Rob Stallard on the impact of withdrawing from Afghanistan on the U.S. defense budget

We doubt if the end in Afghanistan will have any more impact on the US psyche than the withdrawal from Iraq.

We see the conclusion of the longest war in US history as dovetailing with the shift from counter terrorism to containing China, and an increased aversion in the West to open ended military expeditions. 

~ Rob Stallard, Vertical Research Partners defense analyst, "7 Defense Stocks That Still Offer Value Now That the U.S. Has Left Afghanistan," Barron's, September 1, 2021

(Barron's: The Afghan war stretched over 20 years, so the exit is a quite a milestone for the U.S..  Yet the implications for the military budget aren’t significant.  Afghanistan was due to consume about $9 billion in fiscal year 2022 spending, according to Stallard.   The total defense-funding request from President Joe Biden tops $750 billion. compared with the $741 billion spent in the current fiscal year.)