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Posted on 12/08/2025 2:36:47 PM PST by daniel1212
Key Points and Summary – For a generation, America’s biggest weapons programs have delivered more delay than deterrence.
-The M10 Booker, Zumwalt-class destroyer, Littoral Combat Ship, and Constellation-class frigate all started with clear operational needs and bold promises, then sank under shifting requirements, immature technology, and an overstretched industrial base...
-As China cranks out ships and missiles at scale, Washington’s acquisition system is struggling to field replacements for aging platforms.
-Unless the Pentagon is forced to simplify, stabilize, and speed procurement, the U.S. edge will erode.
Why Can’t America Build A Military?..
he M10 Booker light tank, the Zumwalt-class destroyer, the Littoral Combat Ship, and the now-gutted Constellation-class frigate have all followed this pattern – albeit in different ways. Each project began with a compelling operational need and a promise to deliver cutting-edge capability at acceptable costs.
But in every scenario, the programs ended up as case studies in how not to develop new weapons, vessels, and other military assets.
The programs were all plagued by unstable designs, shifting requirements, and ultimately, a stretched industrial base that wasn’t and isn’t up to the task of developing and delivering these projects on time. ..
a “comprehensive overhaul” of the entire acquisition system is necessary.
let's look at these examples – starting with the U.S. Army’s M10 Booker. ..that saw an extraordinary amount of resources wasted. ..
The Zumwalt-Class Mistake..
The Littoral Combat Ship...
The Consteallation-Class ..
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalsecurityjournal.org ...
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What is missing is an issue that goes deeper, that of a largely post and anti-biblical culture that "progressively" fails to product the manner of offspring that is once had, despite lesser faults than that of today's.
Mission Creep
That and the outsourcing of engineering work to countries that think it’s somehow smart to have multiple mother-in-laws.
They really don’t know how to do weapon system acquisition. I worked that area for a few decades. It is a shit show.
On one project, the prime contractor was supposed to be finished, but they weren’t. So they got a six month extension and tens of millions of dollars more. After 6 months? They weren’t finished. So they got a six month extension and tens of millions of dollars more. After 6 more months? They still weren’t finished. And it wasn’t meeting technical requirements. They got more time and more money just before I retired.
The prime contractor knew the government was an ATM. They used it shamelessly. Actually delivering a product? Well ... that would be stupid.
Government is overflowing with mission creeps.
Maybe we should copy Chinese designs?
Second rule of a gubmint contract: see rule #1.
Readable version
https://duckduckgo.com/?t=fpas&q=defense+acquisition+lifetime+slide&ia=images&iax=images&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fgraylinegroup.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F05%2Fatl_wall_chart-1.jpg Pure insanity.
♪ Did we tell you the name of the game, boy?
We call it riding the gravy train ♪
The drumbeat of the evil "military industrial complex" into our national psyche from the 60's to present. I'm pretty sure many responses to my post will hammer me based on that alone.
The "peace dividend" of the 80's decimated our industrial base for this type of equipment. Many people lived in la-la land over other countries posing a military threat to our country at the end of that phase of the cold war.
We delude ourselves into thinking we are better than our adversaries and can get away with small numbers of the weapons systems that do work. Because of that, we over reach and over rely in technology. Stuffing too much in the delivery packages.
Political micro management of supply sources. Dumb things like minority owned business preferences and pork in congressional districts vs best procurement practices.
Congressional testimony this summer again revealed that a “comprehensive overhaul” of the entire acquisition system is necessary and will be the only way to deliver new weapons on time and on budget consistently.
That chart gives me PTSD. It was everywhere. A stupid, stupid chart and no one paid any attention to it. Theoretically, there was an approved process for everything. But there was always an “important person” who said, “We’re not doing that. We don’t have time. We don’t have the money. Let’s just make it up as we go.” And that ALWAYS meant that things took more time and cost more money and had less quality.
Business Insider https://www.businessinsider.com › us-military-lags-global-drone-race-2025-9?op=1 The US military is falling behind in the race to field combat drones Sep 13, 2025US troops are almost certain to face swarms of cheap drones in a future conflict. The Pentagon has been slow to adapt to this new reality.
Breaking Defense https://breakingdefense.com › 2025 › 09 › report-us-counter-drone-defenses-insufficient-as-china-scales-up-unmanned-capabilities Report: US counter-drone defenses 'insufficient' as China scales up ... Sep 10, 2025"The United States views China as its foremost strategic threat, and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is rapidly advancing its drone capabilities by developing more autonomous systems and .
That is the ‘drumbeat to action’, where congress and money interests drive the sheeple to allow them to raid their grandchildren’s future.
This sort of thing really begs the question - “What are we defending?”
Superbeauracracy. Nothing moves.
And that ALWAYS meant that things took more time and cost more money and had less quality.
OMG! it’s going to cost more than we thought!
Ok, let’s only get half as many .
Great, now they cost twice as much!
Got it, cancel everything, destroy the tooling, now we only lose 6 million.
That’s better.
If anyone ever held us to this chart when building a new network, we delayed the project until it wasn’t needed anymore. It made for a good way to save money at least.
I worked DoD acquisition for 28 years including contracts through T&E, DT&E, OT&E then training the operators.
It was a massive disaster on the acquisition and I’ll use the F-35 that started in 1995, first flight in 2000, F-35A in 2006 and full rate production in 2021 (even though it did not pass OT&E as required... As of early 2025, the Pentagon’s test director reported that the F-35 program continues to struggle with meeting test milestones and mission readiness goals and has not yet successfully completed the OT&E phase.
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