Military expenditure is more about being ready "just in case" than actually using the things you buy and showing of to others so they don't mess with you.
> Military expenditure is more about being ready "just in case"
A rule of thumb I've found to be useful is that if you make a weapon you'll find a use for it. Being ready "just in case" is some of the most homicidal thought patterns in history.
A great counter-example is nukes, but I suspect it's just a matter of time until one either accidentally fires or our insane assumption that states are rational actors collapses.
The last several decades says otherwise about nukes, to the point that I'm starting to believe that there are time travellers actively preventing any spark to go off.
