Trench-War Policies in the Space Age
The biggest business in the land is the Government's $18 billion-a-year buying of military equipment. How well is the job being done? Says Massachusetts' Senator Leverett Saltonstall, ranking Republican member of the Senate Armed Services Committee: "The present procurement laws result in delay and unnecessary expense that our nation can no longer afford."
When the Pentagon orders anything, from screws to tanks, it usually lays down a complex set of specifications that instruct the manufacturer, step by step, on how to make the product. This produces some fantastic...