Both China and Russia have effectively 100% literacy these days, which I don’t think the US can truthfully claim.
And having worked with numerous Russian and Chinese technical people, albeit immigrants to the US, I don’t think that we can assume the ones still at home are incompetent.
They can hire qualified experienced engineers, who can be excellent, for less than we pay a private.
Both countries also have semi-free markets and particularly for technical and manufacturing industries, have much lower barriers to entry than we do. In most relevant ways China has a freer economy than we do. You can set up and operate a CNC machine shop in China for much less, and with lower political risk and government oversight, than in most of the US. Lets not even talk about heavy industry. There is no facility in the US that can compete with Chinese shipyards. You also have better logistics facilities in much of China than in comparable parts of the US. That’s a fact. We are paralyzing ourselves industrially.
We still have an edge in some high quality manufacturing, such as jet engines, but they are getting better fast.
As for our procurement problems, there are dozens of studies. I have seen many estimates and articles in the USNI Proceedings. There is a recent McKinsey report out too.
It does not matter for this discussion whose fault it is, its just a fact.
They have not caught up yet, because we have enormous accumulated investments “in the ground” so to speak, because of our many years of accumulated material, technology, expertise, and experience, but at the rate they are investing they are quickly overcoming this.
I, too, met many from the ‘other side.”
I do think most that remain behind are incompetent because they will act that way to survive in that cesspool of ignorance they call socialism/communism.
“Both China and Russia have effectively 100% literacy these days, which I don’t think the US can truthfully claim.”
And you think their claim is legitimate? Reminds me of something I read a long time ago, and I paraphrase: socialism, communism, no human rights. . .but hey, at least they can read.
Ref acquisition; you specifically called out military staff and such for the broken system and having too many military filling those billets. I pointed out there is a shortage of military acquisition personnel and it is congress and civilians running procurement causing problems. That is where the frustration should be directed. I am sure your reading indicated this as well.
Cheers.