I'm no fan of the US military-industrial complex. We spend almost $1 trillion a year on the military and can't account for where it goes [1]. It's absolutely tr

I'm no fan of the US military-industrial complex. We spend almost $1 trillion a year on the military and can't account for where it goes [1]. It's absolutely true that we have a military profiteering problem. But I'm not sure that's what's going on here. Think of the Saturn V. When Congress greenlit the SLS, the obvious question came up: why not just build the Saturn V again? And the answer is... we can't. Obviously there are specs and manufacturing processes and documentation for taht but I'm not sure we even have it all. Some of it was rushed too and bespoke. These were really hand-built every time. Also, materials science has changed in the past 50+ years so it may be an issue producing materials that are to spec. These are remarkably complex systems. And you have to fit in with current logistics processes. Users, installers and maintenance crews need to be trained. If what you build now behaves differently, it's a potential problem. Think of the MCAS issues with the 737MAX. That was a system added to counter more reliable and more powerful engines that were placed more forward on the airframe. You see how these things can cascade. [1]: https://blog.ucsusa.org/jknox/defense-spending-reaches-record-high-as-pentagon-fails-its-audit-for-fifth-time/ https://blog.ucsusa.org/jknox/defense-spending-reaches-recor...