[sklearncowboy]

China was already way past this by the late 90s.

This is old thinking. Same battlefield with different technology.

The war that changed everything was the 1st Gulf War.

20 years ago they could see how stupid it was to use weapons to blow things up that cost more than what you were blowing up.

Our military has already been lapped. We only don't think so because we waste so much money on outdated expensive weapon systems and then use the amount spent as proof we have the better military.

[woeirua]

Which explains why China has spent hundreds of billions of dollars trying to catch the US tech advantage? Please. This is comically false.

[cma]

We also use it as a loss leader exhibition space to sell the tech to allied dictators that want to appear stong with fighter jets and stuff.