Originally Posted by y_p_w
Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
It's the usual exaggerating teacher trying to impress students. Let's say the CIA has access to some things that are aren't public.
i don't get that really. As far as electronics goes, what's available to the public is what's available to governments. But there are specific ways they're used that could be considerably more advanced.
Now if the discussion is about materials and vehicle technology, then maybe there are some skunk works technology that the DoD and CIA have. I've heard it said that the best aircraft that the US Air Force have are at least 20 years ahead of what Russia and China have, and a lot of it has to do with manufacturing technology that they simply can't reproduce yet.
Budget has a lot to do with that. Foreign nations learned a lot from the Cold War. There's no point in matching US technology if it causes your society to collapse. It's no different from playing poker. If all you have in your pocket is your mortgage payments, don't sit at the high rollers table.
It's really difficult to explain to starving citizens that their tax money is wrapped in rotting hulks that "bested" the US until the US launched an item making it obsolete the month after.
Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
It's the usual exaggerating teacher trying to impress students. Let's say the CIA has access to some things that are aren't public.
i don't get that really. As far as electronics goes, what's available to the public is what's available to governments. But there are specific ways they're used that could be considerably more advanced.
Now if the discussion is about materials and vehicle technology, then maybe there are some skunk works technology that the DoD and CIA have. I've heard it said that the best aircraft that the US Air Force have are at least 20 years ahead of what Russia and China have, and a lot of it has to do with manufacturing technology that they simply can't reproduce yet.
Budget has a lot to do with that. Foreign nations learned a lot from the Cold War. There's no point in matching US technology if it causes your society to collapse. It's no different from playing poker. If all you have in your pocket is your mortgage payments, don't sit at the high rollers table.
It's really difficult to explain to starving citizens that their tax money is wrapped in rotting hulks that "bested" the US until the US launched an item making it obsolete the month after.