“A defense budget larger than any in the world and bigger than most major parties combined and the first suggestion this very wordy essay is, THERE IS NOT ENOUGH MONEY? “
That’s the irony. Kyeyune is correct that the current budget is far too small to maintain the current size of fleet, current airframes, 750 overseas bases etc.
And we know that because Navy ships in port for maintenance get the minimum, long term repairs are skipped over - because they can’t afford it.
Same with the F35s. Half available at any time because of the colossal cost of maintenance and parts.
If the US military wants to cut costs. It needs to downsize the overseas Imperial committments. And reduce the big ticket high cost weapons.
For carrier cost. You are just not being realistic about the price of these. For example the Stennis is in port doing a reactor change which was budgeted at 3.5 billion just for that one item.
M198 cost. You are right to look at the finished cost per ton. But you have to separate out the cost of the structure vs cost of components (eg gun optics, electronics). If an artillery gun was made out of hot rolled at $500/ton like some industrial machine, that would be one thing. But it is not. Titanium costs ~$7000/ton and the specialty high strength steels cost 10x times hot rolled (or more).
And the finished cost scales right up from the cost of the raw material.
I only see your arguments as acceptance and excuses.
I have had titanium tubes made at the same plant these gun tubes came from. We got ours much cheaper than gun tubes.