our war department isn't a defense department unless you see invading other countries as defense. in addition to that basic premise, the money spent there doesn't protect us but it does act for corporate interests, as displayed by the various money pits we dive into that produce results such as those explored in this air force abortion;

All of a sudden, the US Air Force is considering cancelling a multibillion-dollar effort to develop a new stealth fighter. Citing the high cost of the so-called “Next-Generation Air Dominance” programme and the competing demands of other projects, USAF leaders have warned they may have no choice but to cancel NGAD – and find other ways of winning control of the air in future wars.

It’s a startling development for advocates of American air power. For generations, the whole US military – not to mention the militaries of America’s closest allies – have depended on the US Air Force to achieve air superiority against even the most determined and sophisticated foe, affording freedom of action for troops on the ground and ships at sea.

For generations, the US Air Force has gained control of the air by fighting for it, jet to jet, with the world’s best air-to-air fighters – and highly-trained pilots. Late in the Cold War and into the 2000s, the Boeing F-15C Eagle fighter was the world’s top fighter. Later, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor assumed this position.

The last few dozen F-15Cs are finally retiring after five decades of service. The 180 or so F-22s are pushing 20 years old – and won’t last forever. The US Air Force has already asked the US Congress for permission to retire the three dozen least-capable F-22s in order to free up a billion dollars for other priorities – a request lawmakers have denied, for now.

As recently as a year ago, the disappearance of the last few “fourth-generation” F-15Cs and the “fifth-generation” F-22s’ advancing age weren’t crises. The US Air Force had been working for years, mostly in secret, to develop a new “sixth-generation” fighter under the auspices of the NGAD program. The new piloted warplane would combine high speed, long range and radar-evading stealth – and would carry a new generation of powerful missiles while also flying and fighting in formation with AI-controlled drones.

The plan, as of this spring, was for the US Air Force to acquire 200 of the new jets starting in the 2030s. That plan is now falling apart..........more.........