Can the United States defend its allies and interests from military aggression and remain a republic at the same time? On the surface, those two goals would seem perfectly consistent, even reinforcing. But a tension is coming into view.

The problem is that U.S. interests — such as the independence of Taiwan, the openness of the Strait of Hormuz and the security of NATO countries, to name a few — are extensive and increasingly under threat. Credibly upholding all of them at the same time would require a gigantic military, significantly larger than the one the U.S. has now.

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