The lede is buried here in that the biggest problem is in defense procurement regulation and not really in technology or money. The other unspoken issue is labo

The lede is buried here in that the biggest problem is in defense procurement regulation and not really in technology or money. The other unspoken issue is labor and environmental regulation, which also influences the same problem, as does overall costs. If you think it's hard to build a condo, think about how hard it is to build all the foundries, chemical factories, and other similar heavy industries in the US. In the '70s-'80s, the US decided to "solve" its labor and environmental problems by sending heavy industry (with all of its attendant problems) elsewhere. This poses special problems for defense procurement because of the need to have trusted sources. There is no easy solution, so there will have to be catastrophe first before it starts to be addressed.