As the US military continues to try to disengage from the Middle East and draw down, the country's defense budget continues to fall.

In 2015, the US' estimated military budget is expected to be $601 billion, down from $610 billion spent in 2014. However, even with the budgetary drawdown, the US still far outspends the next six highest spending nations.

The following graphic shows the immensity of the US' defense budget on the world stage compared to the rest of the world:

According to the latest information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the US budget dwarfed military spending of the next six highest spending countries. China, which had the world's second largest military budget, spent just over a third of what the US did in 2014.

The US' military budget is reflected in the country's assumed international responsibilities. The US is the leading economic and military power in NATO. As such, the US made up approximately 2/3s of NATO's entire defense budget despite the presence of an additional 27 countries in the organization.

The comparative size of the US military budget is shown in the graphic below, which compares the 2015 budget to a range of other big expenditures:

The military budget is by far the largest single cost displayed. It is almost six times larger than the 2015 education budget and it is more than 34 times the size of NASA's 2015 operating budget. In total, the costs of running the military amount to approximately 16% of the overall 2015 US budget.