Mr. Wheeler talked about his book The Wastrels of Defense: How Congress Sabotages U.S. Security, published by Naval Institute Press. He spoke about his experiences as a Congressional staff member and described the process of defense budgeting. He asserted that “pork barrel” spending harms the U.S. by increasing budget deficits and decreasing efficiency. He noted that many politicians feel that legislative “pork” generates jobs, but Mr. Wheeler argued that this is often not the case.