This is probably one of the underlying math problems that threatens U.S. military superiority. The rate of increase in cost (resulting in a reduction in the number of available physical assets) exceeds the rate of increase in capabilities. Therefore, even as the U.S. spends more money, it receives a declining amount of combat power per dollar. Related to this problem, the long development & implementation timelines for new generations of aircraft, submarines, etc exceeds the analytical capability to assess their utility by the time they enter service. The average in fighter aircraft development time was about one year in 1945 to over 20 years today. What is the security environment going to be like in 2037? Nobody knows. Ask an analyst in 1913 what the world would be like in 1933. We don't have the institutional flexibility to respond to paradigm shifts in security.
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