“You think I’m exaggerating,” Takahashi said. “That even with double our public budget, we could have never gotten this far ahead of you. What you don’t understand is that it’s not about budget.”

“It’s not?”

Takahashi shook his head. “The problem you have is that the purpose of the US military isn’t to win wars.”

“I think that would come as a surprise to the Joint Chiefs.”

“You’ll have to excuse my English, Mr. President. Perhaps ‘purpose’ was the wrong word. Let me change it to ‘priority.’ First and foremost, the US military is used to bolster employment through active military, support personnel, and so on. It enriches defense contracting companies. It gets politicians reelected through the acquisition and protection of projects in their districts. And admittedly, it strokes the egos and nostalgia of aging generals like myself. With all due respect, sir, you’ve pumped trillions into a military that hasn’t been able to deliver a clear win since you defeated us. Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam, Korea, Somalia. Your soldiers are courageous and well trained, but the motto of the US military-industrial complex seems to be, ‘If it hasn’t worked in the past, make it more expensive.’”

“But that’s not your motto.”

Takahashi shrugged noncommittally. “The US completely destroyed my country’s military capability during World War Two. It created a blank slate for us to work from. You, though, had created a massive military by the end of that war and it was in many people’s best interest to maintain and grow it. Your F-35 program is an interesting example. A trillion dollars for a fighter that has no clear mission, is nothing more than an incremental improvement over prior planes, and is so complex that it doesn’t even reliably fly. And then there are the billions in weapons that go straight from the factory into long-term storage because your military has no use for them. I’m buffeted by no such winds.”

Castilla picked up his tea, warming hands that had gone cold while listening to the man across from him. “Can I assume you’ll be publicly announcing what you’ve just told me and perhaps giving the world a demonstration? I suspect that you’d see a very quick change in attitude from the Chinese. And that’s your goal, right? Peace?”

Takahashi watched the man in front of him drink from his cup. He was surprisingly formidable, this politician. A worthy ally. Or a very dangerous enemy. “I’m not sure that would be in my country’s best interest, Mr. President.”

Castilla had obviously been prepared for this response, and no emotion showed on his face. “You want this war.”