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> I realize more clearly than ever before that, in 20 years from now, our children, both in the United States’ and our Allies’, will have no chance competing in a world where China has the drastic advantage of population over the US. If the US can’t match the booming, hardworking population in China, then we have to win by being smarter, more efficient, and forward-leaning through agility, rapid prototyping and innovation. We have to be ahead and lead. We can’t afford to be behind.

> While we wasted time in bureaucracy, our adversaries moved further ahead.

Zoinks! This matches my experience working in defense and is one of my biggest fears.

> I am becoming “technology stale”.

> The DoD is still using outdated water-agile-fall acquisition principles to procure services and talent

So glad that I left the industry. It's infuriating too because it's not a matter of if, but when. When the US faces a determined and modern adversary, the ones paying the price will be the men and women who serve in the military. It won't be the Pentagon brass or defense CEOs paying. This shit keeps me up at night. Worst of all the government has known it's a problem for decades if you read the Defense Innovation Board reports.

https://media.defense.gov/2019/May/01/2002126691/-1/-1/0/SWA...

> Nothing is changing: most of this has been said before and the 1987 DSB report on military software pretty much says it all. What is it going to take to actually do something?



>If the US can’t match the booming, hardworking population in China, then we have to win by being smarter, more efficient, and forward-leaning

one of the most efficient way to balance the scales is by taking away that smartest and hardworking top of the population through immigration.


So they can toil for Orgs with too many chiefs at the top? Better to toil in China where there is respect for STEM, engineering, etc.


People do immigrate and work in the US, despite how much of a PITA it is to do so.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_by_country#/media/...


c.f. the argument put forward in "One Billion Americans" by matthew yglesias




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