Nobody conned anybody.
Just like our bloated health care system, food stamps, or any large government program - there is HUGE money at stake.
If government is paying, there will be a lot of slick people who will get in the middle to write the rules of the game and make sure they and their friends get rich.
The problem: Price gouging by defense companies. Things are too expensive.
The solution: Streamline the process so that things move faster.
Yes, people say “time is money” and so it is possible that moving faster will make things cheaper. But I think if you want to make things cheaper, you should perhaps focus on the contract side and the financial side to make things cheaper.
I was involved in weapon system acquisition for many years. Everything is over budget. Everything is behind schedule. Many technical requirement are not met. It’s all a big mess. All three areas are a mess. But if your main focus in making things cheaper, why aim at the schedule?
“Faster” is nice. But “faster” is not necessarily “cheaper”. This all feels like a shell game.