Richard W. Coughlin
The New York Times has recently published a series of editorials on the weaknesses of the U.S. military (here and here). Their critique centers on the deep-seated pathologies of the military–industrial complex: the production of over-engineered weapons systems that are fragile, exorbitantly expensive, and perpetually scarce. This complex is the swamp that is never drained — indeed, never named. Its pulse is sustained by the convergent interests of defense contractors, members of Congress, and senior military officers. The F-35 is the paradigmatic expression of this dysfunction.
So too is the Navy’s determination to build yet another fleet of aircraft carriers despite their growing vulnerability to hypersonic missiles. A recurring theme in the Times pieces is that U.S. military power is increasingly exposed to cheaper, lower-tech systems — especially drones — that can disable or destroy its most expensive platforms. These vulnerabilities extend beyond the battlefield to cyberwarfare, including the capacity to disrupt power grids and command-and-control systems: capabilities that may already be embedded in Chinese information infrastructures such as 5G networks. Despite its immense military expenditures, the United States now confronts a future — perhaps even a present — in which it is overmatched by Chinese military power in a conflict over Taiwan.
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