1 Comment

The war production capacity is a good point. In WW2 America could pump out tanks, ships and planes everyday but with tech advancement it's become more time consuming and costly.

A Sherman tanks today would cost $800,000 but an Abrams costs $8m. A B-17 costs $5m and a F-35 costs $100m (program cost $1.7tn) Destroyers would cost 50 or so million and today they cost a billion. Computer tech, guided systems and these programs cost so much money.

You just can't pump out tanks or planes like you once could. Even in the 70s the F-16 program received the same criticisms of the F-35 program. Smart weapons costs millions like cruise missiles. hundreds of thousands dollars spent to kill one Taliban fighter with a hellfire missile. It's insane how expensive war is now.

Producing arms and assets in mass quantities for allies in Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and others will be a huge strain.

Expand full comment