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Why is the deficit described as percentage of GDP?

Abbreviated Question: 
Why is the deficit described as percentage of GDP?
Answer: 

Let me start by reminding you that GDP is a measure of the total amount of goods and services produced in an economy, say the USA, in a year. So it sums the total value in dollars of everything that has been produced in the country in a given year.

So the GDP, as this measure of production, will include the value of the battleship produced this year, no matter who bought it, let’s say the government or someone in the “private sector” (even though not many private individuals would go around buying battleships).