system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[MCU] Who finances Shield?

In the movies we have seen Shield build at least four Helicarriers, each one crewed by at least a couple thousand men.

Also, they clearly have thousands of soldiers and hundreds of researchers working full time. And let's no get started on buildings and facilities.

Shield hasn't replaced regular militaries since the US Air Force is still a thing. So the US government budget has its massive military spending AND untold billions for Shield?

Who is paying for all of this? Are the citizens of several nations required to pay a Shield tax?
gpt
The shadowy council of vagueness that runs the show in *The Avengers* seems to be made of various nationalities. That infers that SHIELD is a multi-national effort, with each participating nation financing the agency.