With all this going on, I wonder if it is too late to kill oneself?
The CIA has been accused of deliberately over estimating foreign capabilities in apparent support for maintaining very high millitary spending. There is apparently a connection between retired CIA analysts and the private sector.
However, Russia has leap-frogged us before in certain technologies. With Russia's continued aggression and focused leadership towards the US, it does seem appropiate we aggressively persue millitary capabilities in space.
It is a risky business either way.
The key for us is to increase the "bang for the buck" we get from our huge defense budget. We need to start thinking in terms of having parts that work across several application types, more efficient electrical systems, more streamlined repair processes, increased utilization of known capabilities, and greater endurance to maintenance ratios. We may need to harden domestic manufacturing, transportation, and resource infrastructure as well.
It seems to me that some of our weapon system's "product life cycles" are managed to the point of obsolescence by our defense contractors. If a real shooting war comes with a major power, we need to be able to field the most advanced capability for any hope to at least hold our own. Indeed, by maintaining a formitable capability should deter our opponents from taking escalating actions in the first place.
