The American Defense budget is excessive

Thank you for accepting. Before we start this debate, i want to begin by introducing some tough questions. -What is unique about the American Military, compared to other countries? -Why is our budget so large, and where does this money go? -And most importantly, do we benefit from this budget more than we are hurt by it? I hope to prove my argument, by answering these questions, and others like it. One thing I've always found interesting, when i researched any data on the US military is how unique the American Navy and Air force are compared to other countries. For instance if we compare the US, China, and Russia's capabilities, to each other we get some interesting numbers. Fighter jets by country [1] Russia-806 China-1,271 USA- 2,296 The US has more than both countries combined. We see similar numbers with nearly every aspect of Naval/Air warfare Destroyers by country [1] Russia- 15 China- 35 USA- 63 Aircraft Carriers by country [1] Russia-1 China-1 USA- 19 However something interesting happens when you look at land systems... Tanks by country [1] USA-5,884 China-6,457 Russia- 20,216 Russia has almost 4 times as many as America. Self propelled artillery by country [1]- China-1,710 USA-1,934 Russia- 5,972 I would like to encourage you to look at my source [1]. In this source i think it is clear the United States prefers to have very specific capabilities, when it comes to the military. The United States dominates our adversaries in nearly every category of Naval, and Air warfare. There are only a few areas where are adversaries beat us, and that is mostly in frigates, mine warfare, coastal patrol craft, and corvettes. However it should be noted that all of these ships are designed specifically to operate near coastlines, and the United States has intentionally chosen to invest very little in these types of ships. Regardless it is clear that a large bulk of American defense spending goes to these branches. The reason you see these differences is simple. The United States hopes to have something called "Command of the Commons". This is effectively when one country has substantial control, and influence over the worlds trade and economic areas. This also explains why the United States has such a large international presence. While this is also very controversial, it is well known the United States has a substantial number of overseas bases. [2] [3] What's interesting to think about though, is that there are only two types of countries that have any significant number of American Soldiers. 1.) Bases in Countries we frequently trade with, such as Germany Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, United Kingdom various Eastern European Countries, etc. 2.) Countries near "Naval Choke points" such as Turkey, Bahrain, Italy Spain, Japan, South Korea, etc. When you think about it .... the United States doesn't have a substantial military presence in poor countries. (Other than Iraq/Afghanistan for obvious reasons.) We do have some soldiers in various African and South American countries, but this presence is very small. This is because we want to protect our trade partners. After all if our trade partners are attacked... would that not hurt us? Economically speaking in our increasingly globalized world, we need to protect our trade partners. Now you may be wondering why do we have bases in areas with Naval choke points? The answer to this is also tied in with trade. 90% of the worlds trade is done by ship. Cargo Ships are easily the cheapest form of transportation available offering many cheap goods. However, Naval choke points often have very high levels of ship traffic. By controlling these areas, we can better defend our economic interest on a global scale, and in times of war, hamper our enemies trade. [4] This is precisely the reason the United States invests so heavily in our Naval, and Air Force. (Especially our Navy). So we posses the ability to strike, and defend our economic areas anywhere in the world. Anywhere that posses a large quantity of trade, you can be sure the United States has a presence there. (Obviously China/Russia are the exception to the rule, as they are our adversaries) During the Iran-Iraq war only a few decades ago, numerous merchant ships from various countries were attacked and sunk by both sides. This had such an effect on the American economy, that US warships were sent to the Persian gulf to escort Allied merchant ships. This was known as "The Tanker War". By the end of the conflict hundreds of ships were sunk including two American ships. [5] Another good example could be the German U-Boats which threatened to cripple the UK, simply due to their attack on Britain's cargo ships. You see countries like Russia, and China do not have these global capabilities. They simply can't afford them. China's GDP is half the size of America's and Russia has a GDP smaller than California. This puts them at a significant disadvantage. If such a conflict such as the Tanker War were to happen again, they would struggle to do anything about it. Especially if it was far away from their own country, or against a powerful Navy such as the US. Now i know you may be thinking that i spent too much time talking about where our military is, or why we do what we do, and not enough about money itself. But that's also my point. Our military logistics capabilities far exceed that of any other country, allowing us to protect our economic interest on a global scale. But we also have to be able to pay the bill. Because defending the United States doesn't always mean protecting our soil. It also means protecting our assets . It means protecting our economy. The United States and our Allies have collectively put ourselves in a very powerful position. A position to safeguard our economic interests for many many years. It is expensive... yes. But honestly ask... can we afford NOT too? [1] http://www.globalfirepower.com... [2] http://edition.cnn.com... [3] https://en.wikipedia.org... [4] https://business.un.org... [5] https://www.usni.org...