Eli5: Why does the US spend so much money on military?
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I’m really not qualified to answer this question, but this is my take.
As a superpower with a lot of resources, the us is capable of a lot if influence. Some of that influence comes in the form of bases in remote areas of the world, which remain far longer than the original propose. They get entrenched in the local area, exercise influence with local leaders. There is a perceived diplomatic and strategic benefit in the deployment of personnel around the world.
Additionally, there are powerful defence contractors who strategically enjoy workers in Congressional districts so that their projects can’t be discontinued without some congressional leaders losing votes (loss of jobs, etc). The prototypical example for this is the F22 raptor (not saying it’s a bad program, just commenting about the arrangement with Northrop Grumman and Lockheed) This arrangement is known as the military industrial complex, and it has upward pressure on military spending.
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