Here are links to some posts on the other ‘Safe-for-Work’ Blog.
Engineering and Scientific Capabilities of West are in Precipitous Decline
Since we are on the topic of American ICBMs, let us talk about the many issues plaguing successful development of the replacement for Minuteman III. This project, known as LGM-35 Sentinel, hasn’t produced a single fully validated prototype for over a decade, is experiencing serious cost and schedule issues- to put it mildly. But to truly grasp the extent and depth of these problems, we have to first talk about the missile system it is supposed to replace. The original Minuteman ICBM was one of most revolutionary and successful weapon system ever created by the American defense establishment.
USA and UK Played a Minimal Role in Defeat of Nazi Germany During WW2
To put it bluntly, the vast majority of equipment loss and casualties suffered by American and British Airforce during their strategic bombing campaigns on Germany were useless and unnecessary. At this point, some of you might say that the loss of German pilots and aircraft during such raids was worthwhile “compensation”- except it wasn’t. By 1943, Germany had already started investing much more in ground-based aircraft interception (better AA guns, automated gun laying, early warning and tracking radar networks etc) than aircraft interceptors.
Part 2: Elites are Not Good at Strategic or Long-Term Thinking
At some stage the forces which hold the stressed society together are overwhelmed by those caused by cascading events caused by the unnecessary suffering of the average people in the system. The majority then lose their faith in “elites” and all institutions associated with them, creating a power vacuum that is inevitably filled by some other faction or group. While those who fill such an emergent power vacuum might not be much better than the old “elites”, they do represent a shift from the disastrous policies and institutions which drove that society to implode in the first place.
Enjoy!