[FH] GNP and defense budget

According to Jim Dunnigan's _How to Make War_ 1988 edition, the US GNP
is (or was at that time) $6 trillion dollars, with an overall defense budget
of approximately 7% GNP, with a world average = 5%, USSR high at 14%
(obviously not a long-term good idea).  Dividing 6 trillion by a
population of approximately 250 million, we come up with a per capita GNP of
$24,000.
An average 5% to defense means $1200 per person. Multiply by, say, an Alarishi
population of 15 million, and you get a defense budget of $18 billion
(somewhat more becuase the Alarishi spend a bit higher than average on
defense).

Page 509 of the same book says that aircraft cost $1000/pound, armored
vehicles $20/pd and ships $60/pd.  Over a lifetime of 10-20 years, they
cost
2-4 times their acquisition cost, which works out to 20% of purchase
cost per year.

(Also says a modern task force, 9 ships (one a CVA), 90 aircraft, 9000 men,
costs $11 billion.)

$18 billion divided by $120,000 / ton = 150,000 tons, which is the most
we can purchase per year (with zero maintenance, 100% of the defense budget
spent on new construction). We could in theory maintain 750,000 tons, if we
put everything into maintenance instead of construction. And ignored the army
and fixed defenses, R&D, logistics, etc. Which is the sort of thing you hope
your enemies do.