Rather than spend approximately $680 billion per year (and rising) on defense spending, slowly diminish that amount and reinvest it into programs to fix our crumbling infrastructure and make America's schools more competitive with other world powers.
Examples of infrastructure improvements include, but are not limited to: repair of roads, construction of new schools, creation of a national wireless internet network, repair of water and sewage systems, creation of "smart" power grids, and investment in renewable energy technology.
Examples of education improvements include, but are not limited to: updating classrooms to take advantage of new technologies, hiring of more teachers, and expansion of after-school programs.