What sustained higher US defense spending might buy

What might the US military build if it received a larger share of GDP from 1996 onward?

After fixing healthcare and accommodation, it could field new cruisers, more guided-missile submarines, and sustain carrier production.

The spending sequence begins with military health care, barracks, and other neglected personnel infrastructure rather than treating every extra dollar as a new weapon. A larger budget first has to repair the force that recruits live and work in. Once those obligations are addressed, the naval payoff includes sustained carrier production and a new generation of large missile cruisers. Additional SSGNs would expand long-range strike capacity without displacing the carrier force.