If you want peace, you have to be prepared for war. We're currently the better part of a century into The Long Peace, something that has never happened before in human history, and it came about in part because of weapons development.

The same tools that provide the means for evil also provide the means for subjugating evil.

That said obviously we get into a lot of unnecessary war where a lot of people die who didn't need to. Still, you'd be a fool to sit on your hands while Russia and China race ahead in weapons development, with lower regard for human rights than the rest of us. You don't want them knocking on the door.