Why is it phrased with such an emphasis on the “own people”?
If they don’t say the “own” part this argument quickly gets used against the west, so as a means to dissociate their murderous regimes that mostly kill people in other countries from other countries they probably began using this argument like this as it wasn’t shot down as much and it stuck. Perhaps.
Not so much “wasted” as transfered to billionaries and politicians (massive profits on weapon sales) with some loss (actually having to pay to build the items bought and sold).