At the beginning of the 20th Century, the U.S. Navy budget was 60% of the entire federal budget. I think we need to put things in perspective.
But at the turn of the 20th century, how big was the federal government? Did it have a Department of Education, a Department of Energy, etc…? What about HUD, Social Security, or Medicare offices?
The US will continually increase military spending and war until it is forced to stop.