The US spends more on healthcare than arms. You could argue for lower defense spending, but there’s a hard lower limit (which is unknown) and if you cross that

The US spends more on healthcare than arms. You could argue for lower defense spending, but there’s a hard lower limit (which is unknown) and if you cross that threshold, the world changes for the worse very quickly. The rules-based order is underpinned by tanks and planes and nukes. Diplomacy is a layer of abstraction over violence and potential violence.