Germany's call for an Arms Control Conference sparked an extremely fervent response across the world. The great powers' frenzied expansion of their armaments had long left the smaller nations trembling with fear. After all, their national strength was weak; even if they wanted to join in, they lacked the capital to do so! No one could be certain whether, once those great powers had strengthened their militaries, they would strike at them before the final showdown, annex them, and bolster their own strength. If that happened, they would have no way to resist at all!
Now that Germany, the world's hegemon, had stepped forward to call on all nations to control military expansion, it undoubtedly served their interests. Therefore, every country expressed its praise. Even if they were not qualified to attend, if the major powers could truly reach an agreement at the conference and restrain their military strength, it would still bring them many benefits.
The United States, Island Nation, Ottoman Turkish Empire, and Kingdom of Italy each reacted differently to Germany's invitation. The Ottoman Turkish Empire could now barely be counted as a great power, but it was relatively poor and financially strained, with simply not much money to invest in military development. Apart from purchasing three Capital Ships from Germany earlier, it had also commissioned Germany to build two more Capital Ships. They were already very satisfied with such naval strength. This time, they were merely there to make up the numbers.
As for the Kingdom of Italy, when Germany declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Kingdom of Italy seized the opportunity and likewise declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It not only dispatched troops to recover Venice and other territories occupied by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but also further eased its relations with Germany and stood