We need look no farther than OPEC. Strangely enough Henry Kissinger in an odd way developed OPEC, when he advised The Shaw of Iran that he could build his Army by simply raising the price of oil.
History sucks, don't it?
History does suck.... you were correct about Iran + OPEC but it was inevitable.
The whole defense procurement process has stunk for decades and is often the personal pork barrel for congressmen who place the “needs” of their district over the military.
I have heard from others who know more about it than me that it has improved some since I got out of the Army but I am sure there is still plenty of monkey business in defense contracts. Too many people who made the decisions went to work for the winners after retirement.
If the decision was made on the merits I can live with it. I don’t have to like it (I live in Washington State)... but I want our guys/gals to get the best piece of equipment they can. Northrop-Grumman (an American company lest we forget) has provided some great platforms in the past and the fact that they are in partnership with EADS is not surprising in a global economy.