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At least in the US, every 2 years. Congress funds the military and determines its size.

Just to close the loop on this and connect back to "the people":

Congress funds the military. The military funds large corporations. Large corporations fund congressional election campaigns. And "the people" base their votes off of campaigns.

Congress wants to fund the military, especially when their are bases in their own state. That means lots of dollars taken from elsewhere in the country and spent in their state.

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