You misunderstand me...It has nothing to do with the perceived faults of the aircraft. We stopped buying the F22 Raptor because it was too expensive, and are buying the F35 because it is cheaper. However, the F35 has half the payload capacity of the F22, so we need to buy twice as many F35s. Along with training twice the number of pilots. This is far more expensive...Hence, the farce.
Same with most tech...it will eventually get smaller and cheaper...we are just not there yet...a push from somewhere is needed IMO before we discover a leap technology such as the communications and medical industries now have.
Ah yes, the non-existent bomber gap and missile gap of the 50's and 60's...Gets politicians elected and increases an already outrageous defense budget.
Actually, my exemplar was the mine shaft gap as identified by Dr. Strangelove in 1964, which two years ago was the last movie I expected to be living my life in.
Oh, sorry, it was that brilliant patriot General Buck Turgidson that identified the gap, it was Dr. Strangelove who identified the mine shaft requirement.
Unfortunately, the weapons systems and the troops are not the most egregious problem with DoD. The growth of civilian support personnel is, and they're unionized and politically protected so you can't put as much shrink on that side of the equation, so you cut training and you deploy squads under strength. Those going into harms way suffer the most because they have the most to lose. They're also paid the least. Would it interest you to know that the civilian DoD workforce exceeds the total of Active duty US Army, Marine Corps and Coast Guard by 100,000. Or the total of the active Air Farce and Navy by 150,000! You would think the number would have decreased with the advent of computers and electronic systems that have eliminated much of the redundant clerical work, but it's grown exponentially. It is managed by 66 different personnel systems! Does anyone remember the $125,000 dollar a year DoD administrative assistant that refused to deploy to the relatively safe "Green Zone" in Iraq, all the while $20,000. a year Lance Corporals were fighting and dying during the height of the war? When the older son came back from fighting some of the worst combat of the Afghanistan War around Sangin in 2010-2011, they were declared non-essential personnel when they stepped off the aircraft in the US. Only personnel actually in the combat zone were to be paid as essential personnel due to one of the numerous government shutdowns. I'd paid $900. for a plane ticket for him to fly home on his post-deployment leave, but they were informed there would be no leave, they would show up for work every day, and would continue until the situation was resolved. Then they could "apply" for the back pay and "might" eventually get it. Most of the civilian DoD personnel continued to get their checks, after all they're essential, plus the administration was afraid of the union. They tried to revamp the system back in 2008-2009, eliminate non-essential personnel and adopt a more performance based system, but the previous administration sided with the union against DoD.
Had to put this in...after a year I still sing this song... <iframe width="640" height="360" src="" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Space ties with US 'strong and growing' https://www.news.com.au/national/br...g/news-story/c4bb3431b68d2342298e757960555fc8
Well, looks like we could have a new name in the making here. It could be USS, as in United Space Service, or United Star Service. A federation if you will, as in the Federation of Planets in Star Trek. The first star ship would be the USS Enterprise. But the Federation was based along the lines of those of a naval nature. Captains, commodores, ensigns, (proton) torpedoes, decks, bulkheads and such. This could get interesting. Or silly.
Sounds like the same logic that resulted in the Air Force. I'm not convinced that worked out for the best.
Yeah...Elon Musk to the Rescue! After all...He needs to do something major to prop up Tesla. Putting satellites up as the Russians destroy them would fit the bill quite nicely.
