The level of American military spending comes up a lot, because it IS a lot; more than any other country. Let's turn our focus to military spending in another country: Costa Rica.
There's very little, because Costa Rica disbanded its permanent military decades ago, in favor of spending the money on improving the quality of life.
The situation is summed up in the documentary film "A Bold Peace," produced by Matthew Eddy and Michael Dreiling. Dreiling is a sociology professor at the University of Oregon; we visit with him prior to a screening of the film on campus (April 27).