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Hmmm, interesting question...a valid one, too.
Two ways of answering, long or short. I usually prefer short and end up being long...
I dont want to pigeon hole your argument to just North Korea, as I am sure youre just using it as a (good) example.
So I'll pretend instead that there is an external threat from any and all countries.
In my mind, the American military's sole purpose is defense of the homeland. Not spreading democracy, protecting American interests abroad or assisting our handicapped "allies" up the staircase of foreign relations.
In the make-believe world I just created (because it will never happen), there are no international treaties like NATO. We absolve ourselves of the World Police responsibility and leave it (in its entirety) to the broken, defunct organizations like the UN. Let the bluehats figure out whats best for Europe, less involved we are, the better.
The UN is no tool of the United States. Yes, it absolutely caves to the demands of the USA, but thats only because we basically finance it at this moment. We'd still keep our veto vote, just as Russia and China keep theirs right now even though they dont do -on-a-stick with the UN.
We pull our financing in totality and overnight the UN becomes what it has always been...Europe's first foray into unilateral, continental decision-making.
We Americans do not have Europe's inherent disadvantages in that regard. We havent had a continental equal since... ...I really cant name a time. Whereas Europe is literally brimming with equals at every border (at varying times...Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Britain, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, etc), all vying for the same resources, all distrustful of the other, all looking to advance beyond reproach, but sadly unable.
The US? Been there, did that. Came to preeminence quickly by any historical standard (if not the quickest). That mostly had to do with geography and origination...this has gone way off track...let me get back to point.
Ahem (short, my ass).
How many military bases/logistical locations should the US keep in an attempt to be able to resoind to global threats?
None. Zero.
I dont care that most of our bases are wanted by the natives. Wouldnt you, too? If your broke-ass, pre-20th century hole of a nation was offered protectorate status to the most powerful nation to ever walk the planet at the minimal cost of resource and real estate, you'd be a fool to say no.
Which is why every "little guy" says yes to someone. Most of the time, the offer is accepted from the USA...other times in the past, the Soviet Union...but now, its exclusively the United States making and taking offers.
In the event that some dumbass country gets a wild hair up their ass to attack for whatever reason, we would just go to war with our checkbooks instead of an IOU list.
We'd pay (or conquer if need be) all the way to the enemy, making it expensive, risky and dangerous.
Which is exactly what war should be for Americans. When our nation is mobilized, it should take War Bonds to pay for it. Which means the entire country would have to be behind it, which means war would become a necessity, not a luxury.
Say what you will about WW2, Pearl Harbor, etc. Details are distracting at times. Bottom line: it was a war the American people believed in with every fiber of their flags. War Bonds sold like hotcakes. Some Americans were cutting into their food supplies to help the effort. A volunteer army of nearly one million sprang up literally overnight, recruiter centers around the country were overwhelmed.
Does it make WW2 more glamorous? No, it does not. But it does make it more justifiable when every American (ok 98%) were contributing directly to the war effort, at home and abroad.
What about Iraq? Afghanistan? Vietnam? Korea? Do you believe the American people would have so quickly done the same? I do not...and for good reason.
$1 trillion dollars is absolutely too much. How much was our GDP last year? Like $13 trillion, or something? That means $0.077 of every gross dollar made in this country was being spent on our military.
Too much. Too much, too much, too much. An outside threat, even under my scenario, stands no chance against us. None. They could never conquer, the could never hold territory, they could only strike, never kill.
And if its a war of "Who can hit the hardest the fastest", then they admitted defeat before they declared war. All the same, history will remember them with the Ottomans, Persia and the Soviet Union.
