Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Dan Grazier
“A basic truth in Washington is that almost every single new weapon system ends up costing significantly more than the one it is replacing. As the cost of weapons increases, the number of systems produced decreases. That’s how the United States ended up with only 21 B-2s, 187 F-22s, and three Zumwalt-class destroyers, rather than the 132, 750, and 32 respectively the military initially promised. This phenomenon creates what is known as the Defense Death Spiral, when the unit cost of new weapons outrace defense budgets.” (10/22/24)