They are the kings at resting on their laurels.
“the Air Force absolutely no one to blame but themselves.”
For establishing the capability to defeat every other air force in the world simultaneously?
Not sure what to make of this, but I am sure budget prep has something to do with it. But, no doubt, the magnitude of Chinese spying is a concern. I can see how that may have translated into a less pronounced advantage for us.
Having been involved in the military industrial complex for an entire career, I can add a comment. The companies have a huge pull on what gets bought because they are the next step in the career path of officers. Thus the military ends up buying stuff it doesn’t need, or that is less than optimal, because the maker of the optimal equipment is new to the fray and hasn’t hired a bunch of people from the military program office yet. (Or, other related issues.) Or, as in Boing’s case, they carry a pocket Congresscritter and they’re not afraid to use it.
Idiot programs like Future Combat Systems made no sense at all. The entire concept was garbage. It was a jobs program for Boeing, but Boeing didn’t have enough votes so they combines with another company and they shared responsibility for running the show. They had no idea what us subs were doing. None. Nobody was in charge.