Preparation is the second requirement for deterrence. Armed forces need the training, equipment, and size appropriate to the task. Deterrence ordinarily requires less force than fighting the war it is meant to prevent, but underfunding readiness transfers a much larger bill into wartime. The necessary expenditure is not fixed: deterring a peer or superpower demands more than deterring an equally small neighboring state, even when alliances share the burden. Defense planning therefore follows the scale of the threat and the desired effect rather than a universal spending target. Force structure and peacetime readiness are central to the economic logic of deterrence.
Notable Point · 3:04-4:19
Prepared forces make deterrence cheaper than war
The economic case for readiness is that maintaining trained, equipped forces costs less than fighting a war that underfunded deterrence fails to prevent.