By our treaty commitments, the US massively subsidizes the defense of other countries which are then able to have lower taxes than they would if they paid full freight for their own defense, and thereby better compete against us economically.
Who knows the accuracy of the above World Bank link but assuming it is about right:
The US spends 4.2% of GDP on defense. Yet Latvia, right in the line of fire for an expanding Russia, spends 0.9%. Poland makes a much bigger commitment to its own defense at 1.9%, but still less than half of what we spend. South Korea, which has a madman on its border and a capital within rocket range, spends 2.8%. I am tired of promising American blood and treasure to countries that do not take their own defense at least as seriously as we do. By contrast, Israel spends 5.7%
The Estonian FM has been very vocal about the need to spend more on defense. They know. Now let’s see if you do it.
Amen!!!