From the Golden Dome missile defence system to a Golden Fleet of warships and a secret weapon dubbed the Discombobulator, President Donald Trump has been hyping developments in the Pentagon's arsenal.
In an unpredictable new era where raw power rules and gunboat diplomacy swamps the niceties of international relations, the US leader has blended his salesman's instinct with swaggering boasts about America's military might.
While some of his hyperbolic rhetoric is out of step with reality, his claims highlight transformations in how the US military is acquiring new weapons and expanding capabilities as it focuses more on countering China.
He wants next year's defence budget to be $1.5 trillion, a 50 per cent increase from today that would result in the US having a “dream military”. That amount would represent about 5 per cent of the nation's GDP, which is the same proportion Mr Trump is demanding Nato allies pay for defence.
The US already spends more on its
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