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# Expense of Defence

## Definition

The sovereign's financial obligation to maintain military forces capable of protecting society from external violence and invasion, including both the costs of preparing forces in peacetime and employing them during war.

## Source Chapter

Book V, Chapter 1

## Context

The first of the sovereign's three primary duties, forming the foundation for Smith's analysis of how military expenditure varies across different stages of societal development and economic organisation.

## Economic Domain

Regulation

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