@taiyo At first it surprised me that the military, the actual professionals, oppose a a lot of the very expensive high-tech projects. But things the latest generation fighter jets, and the very dangerous (for the Marines who fly in research projects like) the Osprey, are funded because the parts factories are strategically located in the districts of key political figures. These high-tech projects are the result of "political engineering": locating the various factories in important congressional districts.