US Military posture & spending is solely based on deterrence.
Unfortunately, US Political posture no longer thinks this way.
$10 Billion aircraft carriers, $15 Billion SSBNs, and $2 Billion B-2 Bombers have prevented major wars which would lead to enormous loss of life... much of it civilian life.
The wonderful benefit of nuclear weapons is that they put the politicians and arms manufacturers in the same danger as that faced by front line troops.
As Heinlein famously said, “An armed society is a polite society!”
“US Military posture & spending is solely based on deterrence.”
Sure, but we are failing in that as we seem to think the same tools that won the Cold War will work today.
Russia is laughing at our deterrence as they happily hack into our government and corporations.
China is totally unconcerned as each year they reduce our economic might and increase their own.