Are you sure that your first sentence is a reasonable assumption? Is it not better to be clearly stronger, so as to be able to negotiate from a position of str

Are you sure that your first sentence is a reasonable assumption? Is it not better to be clearly stronger, so as to be able to negotiate from a position of strength? And again, to be clear, these are good-faith questions. What is it that we lose, as a society, by spending as we do on our military? What is it that we gain? There are solid points in both columns. How does China's spend of ~228 billion compare in purchasing power to the US's 610? How does Russia's? What can we do to de-escalate the otherwise runaway cost of defense, while still maintaining a position of strength? I think Eisenhower's Military-Industrial Complex speech* from 1961 was exceptionally prescient, and we've done a poor job heeding the warnings. I also think that the general disdain I see on HN for most anything defense-related is an outlook only possible when one hasn't experienced living in actual conflict zones. We need to be able to talk about defense needs with clear, rational heads. * http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/eisenhower001.asp http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/eisenhower001.asp