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Because the US military has no manufacturing capability. From coffee cups to routers to tanks, jetfighters, and satellites. Everything is designed and manufact

• IX-103 5y ago
  Just to clarify this point: This is an intentional decision by Congress and followed by the US military wherever possible. Interesting story - the military has research labs that design stuff. They design a prototype satellite and ground station. The government gives each of the designs to two contractors (because they can't just sell it to themselves). One contractor finishes the satellite in time for launch. The contractor with the base station has nothing. The military "borrow" the prototype ground station for a few years (and maybe asks for a few more prototypes to get built that they can "borrow"). Finally, a few years later the contractor delivers their ground station (which is somehow bigger, uses more power, and less reliable than the prototype it was based on), so the military returns the prototypes to be scrapped and buys the new ground station.