Why do we work harder than Germans?

[SixthSense]

41. A lot of spending is fungible

and money being spent in one place may be for another place... e.g. the US patrols the Med, but non-Med countries benefit from the trade routes being safe, even ones that aren't seafaring

Given the number of US bases in Europe and the expense of operating there, it would not terribly surprise me if US citizens paid more per capita to defend Germany specifically than Germans do. But yes these are guesses since coming up with hard numbers on these things is not likely to even be possible.

E.g. think of a single plane that spends X months in Germany, Y months in Bahrain, Z months in Japan over the course of a year. How do you calculate which of the expenses relating to the craft belong to which theatre? Once you figure in amortization you end up with a formula so complex that you're just as likely to get a number you can work with by guessing as by calculating.