WAR and Waste of Defense Budget
The United States operates more than 750 military bases worldwide and spends $886 billion annually on defense. It is the world's largest military spender.
Over the past 50 years, the U.S. has engaged in numerous wars around the world, pouring an enormous amount of money into conflicts. War is not just a military operation; it requires an overwhelming amount of financial resources.
Looking at history, the biggest reason for the downfall of past empires was territorial expansion, endless wars, and the increasing cost of warfare.
The Roman Empire, Spain, and Britain all followed the same pattern. They continuously fought wars, drained their national resources, and eventually collapsed.
When looking at America's recent wars, it seems to be heading in a similar direction.
U.S. War Spending Over the Last 50 Years
Gulf War (1990–1991): $61 billion
Somalia Civil War Intervention (1992–1994): $1.4 billion
Bosnian War Intervention (1995): $3 billion
Kosovo War Intervention (1999): $5 billion
Afghanistan War (2001–2021): $2.3 trillion
Iraq War (2003–2011): $1.9 trillion
Libya Military Intervention (2011): $1 billion
Syria Civil War Intervention (2014–present): $54 billion
Yemen Civil War Support (2015–present): $5 billion
Ukraine War Support (2022–present): $113 billion (as of 2024)
This is all the money the U.S. has spent on wars in recent years.
Considering that the Soviet Union collapsed after just one war in Afghanistan, it's quite remarkable that the U.S. has been able to engage in multiple wars and still sustain itself.
In the past, the U.S. was considered the world's police force. However, when looking at the wars listed above, not many of them resulted in positive outcomes.
Of course, if the U.S. had not actively intervened, there would have been far more ethnic conflicts, ideological wars, and massacres around the world.
In fact, the free trade system that emerged after World War II was only possible because of U.S. naval dominance.
Just like how we take the air we breathe for granted, if the U.S. had not been a dominant global power, international trade would have faced numerous problems and economic inefficiencies.
However, over the past 50 years, has the U.S's war campaigns wasn't successfully
Looking at wars like Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, the U.S. spent enormous amounts of money, but the results were far from satisfactory.
They justified these wars by claiming to spread democracy and overthrow dictatorships, yet despite the sacrifices of many American soldiers, the post-war situations in these countries remained chaotic.
What’s Next for the U.S.?
Trump’s main goal seems to be reducing war spending.
This is an unfortunate news for Ukraine, but for the U.S., it is a strategic move to prevent itself from collapsing like Britain or the Roman Empire due to excessive military spending.
From my perspective, Trump is not aiming to not really reduce U.S. military presence around the world, but rather to maintain influence while making other countries pay more.
And eventually, the U.S. may choose not to engage in future wars.
His push for increased defense spending from NATO and Asian allies is part of this strategy.
The United States operates more than 750 military bases worldwide and spends $886 billion annually on defense. It is the world's largest military spender.
Over the past 50 years, the U.S. has engaged in numerous wars around the world, pouring an enormous amount of money into conflicts. War is not just a military operation; it requires an overwhelming amount of financial resources.
Looking at history, the biggest reason for the downfall of past empires was territorial expansion, endless wars, and the increasing cost of warfare.
The Roman Empire, Spain, and Britain all followed the same pattern. They continuously fought wars, drained their national resources, and eventually collapsed.
When looking at America's recent wars, it seems to be heading in a similar direction.
U.S. War Spending Over the Last 50 Years
Gulf War (1990–1991): $61 billion
Somalia Civil War Intervention (1992–1994): $1.4 billion
Bosnian War Intervention (1995): $3 billion
Kosovo War Intervention (1999): $5 billion
Afghanistan War (2001–2021): $2.3 trillion
Iraq War (2003–2011): $1.9 trillion
Libya Military Intervention (2011): $1 billion
Syria Civil War Intervention (2014–present): $54 billion
Yemen Civil War Support (2015–present): $5 billion
Ukraine War Support (2022–present): $113 billion (as of 2024)
This is all the money the U.S. has spent on wars in recent years.
Considering that the Soviet Union collapsed after just one war in Afghanistan, it's quite remarkable that the U.S. has been able to engage in multiple wars and still sustain itself.
In the past, the U.S. was considered the world's police force. However, when looking at the wars listed above, not many of them resulted in positive outcomes.
Of course, if the U.S. had not actively intervened, there would have been far more ethnic conflicts, ideological wars, and massacres around the world.
In fact, the free trade system that emerged after World War II was only possible because of U.S. naval dominance.
Just like how we take the air we breathe for granted, if the U.S. had not been a dominant global power, international trade would have faced numerous problems and economic inefficiencies.
However, over the past 50 years, has the U.S's war campaigns wasn't successfully
Looking at wars like Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, the U.S. spent enormous amounts of money, but the results were far from satisfactory.
They justified these wars by claiming to spread democracy and overthrow dictatorships, yet despite the sacrifices of many American soldiers, the post-war situations in these countries remained chaotic.
What’s Next for the U.S.?
Trump’s main goal seems to be reducing war spending.
This is an unfortunate news for Ukraine, but for the U.S., it is a strategic move to prevent itself from collapsing like Britain or the Roman Empire due to excessive military spending.
From my perspective, Trump is not aiming to not really reduce U.S. military presence around the world, but rather to maintain influence while making other countries pay more.
And eventually, the U.S. may choose not to engage in future wars.
His push for increased defense spending from NATO and Asian allies is part of this strategy.
Disclaimer
The information and publications are not meant to be, and do not constitute, financial, investment, trading, or other types of advice or recommendations supplied or endorsed by TradingView. Read more in the Terms of Use.
Disclaimer
The information and publications are not meant to be, and do not constitute, financial, investment, trading, or other types of advice or recommendations supplied or endorsed by TradingView. Read more in the Terms of Use.