> It would be ideal if US allies would spend more on their militaries, but the last time a US President insisted on that he was mocked mercilessly. I think the

> It would be ideal if US allies would spend more on their militaries, but the last time a US President insisted on that he was mocked mercilessly. I think the mockery was over how he transactionally framed it rather than the principle itself. But TBH do we really want European countries to rearm? After centuries of fighting they quieted down after outsourcing it to the US. And since they weren't fighting that outsourcing wasn't even that expensive. I am sure it was cheaper to have all those US troops supporting NATO countries than to get drawn into yet another war over there. > Staying ready for war like this is actually a wise course of action - it would be catastrophic to have to ramp up in the next emergency like in WW2. It's like insurance -- you hope that it's a deadweight loss but pay for it because it's cheaper than holding the risk yourself. And I do think the western countries overdid it in regards to downsizing after the end of the cold war.