[BroJoeK]

Pontiac: "The end of the Cold War was the worst thing to ever happen to the Military Industrial Complex.
The 'Peace Dividend' meant a massive loss of expected profits and a huge loss of stock valuation."

All that kind of talk is babbling nonsense.
Here's the truth of it:

1. Cold War, 1947-1991, US military spending averaged ~6.5% of GDP per year, including the Korean War, Vietnam War and Reagan's 1980s military buildup.
   The Cold War peaked at ~12% in 1953 (Korean War)
   The War On Terror peaked in 2010 at ~4.5% of GDP.

2. "Peace Dividend" 1992-today, reduced military spending to 3.5% of GDP on average, including the War on Terror.
   The "Peace Dividend" bottomed at 2.8% under Clinton and again at 2.9% under Biden.

3. Pres. Trump's 2026 budget was around 3.1% of GDP.
   Pres. Trump's 2027 budget is projected at ~4.5% of GDP.

4. The 1990s "Peace Dividend" destroyed the US military industrial base, reducing major contractors by 90%, employment by over 50% (2 million), the Navy's ship production and fleet by 50%, aircraft & armored vehicles by well over 50%.

The results we can see today, including:

1. China outproduces the US Navy by many-to-one.
   The US Navy struggles with ships that used to be easy to make -- frigates (Constellation), corvettes (LCS), a new destroyer (Zumwalt), new systems on aircraft carriers (i.e., EMALS), the list goes on.

   

2. US ammunition stockpiles are deeply depleted by minor operations such as Iran and Ukraine.

3. US military deterrence and containment of aggressive powers like Russia and China is woefully short of what's required.

4. US responses to new tech such as drones is unconvincing so far.

Yes, there is a serious upside to forcing our allies to carry more of the military burden (and buy more of our hardware), but in the end, World Peace since 1945 has depended on a strong-enough US military, and without that, there will be no peace, ever again.

[Pontiac]

"Peace Dividend" 1992-today, reduced military spending to 3.5% of GDP on average, including the War on Terror

There is a bigger issue on the near horizon that will impact the budget more than the Peace Dividend.

The all consuming interest on the national debt. Every year our budget deficit requires more and more borrowing. Every year recently fewer and fewer countries are willing to buy US securities. Recently the cost of borrowing has risen for the US.

Default is looking more likely all the time. Hyper inflation is certainly a possibility.

Every country that has ever used fiat currency eventually fails.