Perhaps not directly, but I don't buy that in total, because it makes no sense. If the technology is critical to national defense, it would be stupid not to, if only to know our adversaries' capabilities. I used to work for a couple of defense contractors doing advanced communications technology and observed upon more than one occasion engineers doing such reverse engineering.
” I used to work for a couple of defense contractors doing advanced communications technology and observed upon more than one occasion engineers doing such reverse engineering.”
You’re correct. We reverse engineer. Then, we write specifications and whichever agency puts out a bid for a box with XYZ capabilities. But I have never known (on the projects I worked) that the actual technology was given to us.