The military power of the United States is even greater than its economic power. It spends more on defence than the next 15 to 20 biggest spenders combined. The United States defence budget could grow to be greater than that of the all other countries in the world combined.

The United States has overwhelming nuclear superiority, the world’s dominant air force, the only true, blue-water navy and military bases all over the world. It leads the world in exploiting the military applications of advanced communications and information technology.

Listening devices allow military planners to monitor enemy communications. Satellite technology allows them to observe a battlefield in detail. Commanders are linked by an intranet that gives precise information about battle formations. American unmanned planes and guided missiles are becoming increasingly sophisticated. These developments give unrivalled ability to co-ordinate and process information about the battlefield and destroy targets from afar with extraordinary precision.

The British Empire at its peak had about 35 bases in foreign countries. The United States has over a thousand bases all over the world. This superiority gives the United States a unique capability to project power around the world.

The United States is making it hard for any other country to catch up. It spends far more on military research and development than any other military powers. In the next decade, advanced technology will cause an enormous leap forward in military capability, so the military power of the United States will continue to increase dramatically.

Compared with earlier empires, like Rome, Eygpt and Babylon, the reach of American power is absolutely immense. Those ancient empires only controlled a small part of the world and their economic power and military forces were feeble by comparison to the United States.