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.
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.
Maybe we should copy Chinese designs?
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.
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 .
Superbeauracracy. Nothing moves.
Not sure why we need big bore guns when you can put a couple of box launchers on a modular turret.
We’re holding ET technology we captured in our back pocket. We’ll whip it out when its needed.
Bkmk
The USS Columbia Ballistic Missile Submarine (SSBN-826) will be launched in 2028. First new SSBN in 30 years.
The main problem is who will control the drones?
Army or air force?
M7A1 Infantry Rifle. Reading the specifications it sounds like the army is recreating the M14 in the sense that it’s designed to replace everything.
I watch an smallish army vet shooting one on full-auto on a youtube video. The recoil was pushing him out of his shooting stance despite him really “leaning into it.” One of the virtues of the .556 M4 carbine is the relatively light recoil.