Why is the U.S.’s military so high and why is it so hard to bring it down to numbers similar to other counties?
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1) Because it’s not as high as people believe it is. The US is the biggest economy of the world and is spending around 3 and 3.5% of their GDP on their military, while the average is 2.2% world wide. Russia spend 3.9% for comparaison. Don’t get me wrong, the US is spending more than the average country, but we are talking about 60% more in relative term, while most people just look at the total numbers and consider that the US is spending 3 times more than the 2nd (china) or 10 times more than the 3rd (India).
2) The US have more military responsibility than most other countries. The US have a lot of troops in Japan, South Korea and Europe. In Europe, it’s a remnant from the Cold war, but also a strategic position, while in Japan and Korea it’s to counter balance China and protect South Korea. Basically, the US have strategic allies to protect and stationning troops there is important.
3) The US is a superpower and the military is one way to keep that status. By stationning troops and having access to bases around the world, they can act all around the world to impose or push different situation toward an outcome that serve them best and keep their diplomatic power. As a country, you might listen to the oppinion of the US more than a country with no military power outside of their border. The British were important is a lot of international decision worldwide in the past and now the US fill that role.
4) Politically, it’s hard to reduce the military. The US public have a high view of their military and the military standing of the US worldwide. On top of that, reducing military spending mean closing jobs in some states and that is something that might hurt a politician in an election.
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