Defense money is deliberately scattered across the country to lock in political support, and the gap between what voters want and what Washington does raises hard questions about American democracy.

• The Pentagon budget runs about $1.5 trillion a year, before other national security costs are counted.
• Weapons factories and defense contracts are spread into nearly every congressional district on purpose, giving lawmakers a local reason to keep funding the military.
• That makes the economy tied to foreign policy, not the other way around.
• Foreign policy barely registers with most voters, except in moments like right after 9/11, so there is little pressure to change course.
• When the big things government does — the tax code, sending troops — clash with what the public wants for generations, it stops looking like a democracy.

Outlook: With defense jobs woven into local economies nationwide, military spending is unlikely to shrink no matter who is in power.