Does military spending have the same problem as buying computer hardware?

[Smith_3]

Consider you want a top of the line PC. You can spend 3000$ and get one that is bad ass. Three years from now though, people will be buying the same stuff for a fraction of the cash. In order to always stay at cutting edge, you have to spend over-proportional amounts of cash.

I wonder wether it works the same for the military. Can it be, that wrecking your own economy and social system for a superior military technology is ultimately not sustainable? Can it be, that all new the stuff we get by investing huge parts of our gross domestic product into, will always easily be available to foreign powers for a cheap price, five years later?

Is it really worth blowing so much money to maintain such a small edge?

[hobbit709]

1. No

Yeah, some leading edge tech is high dollar but they're paying $400 for a $2 hammer too. Getting a defense contract is a surefire way to make big bucks at taxpayer expense.

[China_cat]

3. Always been that way.

My favorite ex-husband was in the Navy when we met. He repaired electronics on subs. One day he needed a switch (simple toggle switch) and there were none available and wouldn't be for at least 2 weeks. He stopped at a hardware store on the way home, picked up a switch...same switch, even same manufacturer...for $.50. Took it in the next day and installed it.

The Navy brought him up on charges for not waiting for the same switch that they paid $45 for to come in.

That was in 1969. As you can see, it hasn't gotten any better.

[DainBramaged]

2. Research and development, cost plus plus, expense projection

Any way to transfer the costs of making the world's most sophisticated widget is transferred to the government. Why should private or publicly owned industries bear the cost of anything?

But that's the way we've ALWAYS done it!

[Thothmes]

4. In addition is the requirement that the item or product

meet the Mil-Spec. The Mil-Specs system often add thousands of dollars to the cost of a readily available commercial product that would do the same function.