Eli5: Why is it that whenever we hear about “defense spending” it’s always on offensive things like weapons? Is there not a way to make actual defense the priority instead of offense?

Question

I could be missing the point about military spending, and the five-year-old in my head asking the question does just want forcefields over every country in the end.

In: Technology

Answer 1

Short answer, we do but offensive measures are flashier and get more press while being less classified.

Nixon also signed an absolutely boneheaded treaty with Russia that we could only have one hundred Anti Ballistic Missile emplacements to protect a single target. I don’t honestly believe that either side honored that treaty, but just signing it was stupid

We also have defensive emplacements in every NATO country to catch and kill attacks on us and out allies.