The cloud hardware metaphor is a good one. Preserving knowledge is easy and cheap. Preserving capability (that is to say, people and companies with knowledge

The cloud hardware metaphor is a good one. Preserving knowledge is easy and cheap. Preserving capability (that is to say, people and companies with knowledge and ability to use it) is not. To use the metaphor, a huge part of the military procurement budget is dedicated to continue building, deploying, and operating on-prem servers. Not because it's more efficient, but because at an international level, having a cloud provider (or in this case Russia or China) tell you "No" when you ask to renew or expand, is unacceptable. Unlike tech, machine shops filled with trained people can't be provisioned with a click...