In the Hong Kong film ‘Ip Man,’ there is a classic line: ‘I want to fight ten!’ In reality, there is a country that pours money in amounts that even other major nations cannot match. That country is the United States, situated on the other side of the Earth. Whether in times of global peace and stability or during the COVID-19 pandemic that heavily impacted American society and economy in 2020, the Pentagon remains steadfast in increasing expenditures to expand military capabilities, pushing its military spending to unprecedented levels in human history.
The latest data on global military expenditures released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reveals that in 2023, the United States spent a staggering $916 billion on its military, equivalent to $25 billion per day or $1.74 million per minute. This accounted for roughly 37% of the total global military spending that year, more than the combined spending of the following nine countries! Many are left wondering: If United States’ military budget is solely for national defense, why squander so much of its resources? Is the entire world targeting the United States, posing such severe threats that necessitate such heavily armed defenses?
It is widely known that the United States allocates a significant portion of its military resources overseas, aiming to exert control over other nations through establishing a global network of military bases or direct involvement in wars. A study by the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft in 2021 revealed that the United States maintains 750 military bases in 80 countries and regions worldwide, nearly three times the number of its foreign embassies and consulates, with estimated annual operational costs reaching $55 billion. Since 2001, these overseas military bases have supported United States’ engagements in warfare or military actions in at least 25 countries, resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of lives and vast resources and wealth. Walter Russell Mead, a professor at Bard College, once stated: ‘The United States is the most dangerous military power in world history.’ If the United States wishes to be as great as the “Grandmaster” Ip Man, it must no longer resort to bullying the weak, acting aggressively towards others, and lacking in martial virtue.