The federal government's role as the provider of national defense is justified by considerations of

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The federal government's role as the provider of national defense is justified by considerations of public goods. Public goods are goods or services that are non-excludable (meaning that it is impossible or too expensive to prevent someone from using them) and non-rivalrous (meaning that one person's use of the good does not diminish another person's use). National defense is a classic example of a public good. If the government did not provide national defense, it would be impossible for any private entity to provide it, because there is no way to exclude people from benefiting from it once it is provided. In addition, national defense is non-rivalrous, because one person's use of national defense (i.e. being protected from a foreign invasion) does not diminish another person's use of it. Therefore, the government has a responsibility to provide national defense as a public good.

The Federal Government's Role as the Provider of National Defense