[imtringued]

It makes sense to compare the costs to a single plane but to the whole fleet is just stupid. You can't defend a country with scientific projects.

The thing is every time someone proposes the idea to slash the military budget to fund something else there are at least a hundred other people with a different idea on what to use the funds on. If the funds were spread over so many different projects you end up with an insignificant sum in each of them. Spending the money on military might be actually be advantageous because of large investments in new military technology end up benefiting the civilian sector. (Isn't that the point of the F-35?)

[acqq]

It’s the opposite: most of the military money goes to the stuff which, if actually used, ends the human civilisation as we know it.

The same goals that US has could be achieved with orders of magnitude less military spending, while also reducing the risks for the whole humanity.

So every alternative to the current practices is infinitely better.