November 5, 2007: This year, the United States will spend $462 billion on defense. All of Europe will spend $266 billion, and two countries (Britain and France) account for about half of that. What does this disparity in spending mean? Well, the U.S. gets the largest and most powerful fleet on the planet, an air force that dominates any air space it cares to enter, and the most powerful ground force on the planet. Although American ground forces (army and marines) are only forth in terms of numbers (China, India and North Korea are larger), no other nation has so many well equipped, trained and combat experienced ground troops. It's more expensive to be the first to have new weapons and equipment, and being first in most categories is another reason why about half the money spent, worldwide, on defense, is spent by the United States. Most Americans don't notice the extent of this military power, but many more people in the rest of the world do.