[jjk166]

This doesn't match the data. First, the development of SLS began in 2011, two decades after the missile production had stopped. Second, SLS is designed around the use of shuttle era components which not only are very different from what would be used in missiles, but also specifically reduce the amount of practice that the next generation of engineers can get on developing these systems. Third, the actual rocket and the launches are a miniscule part of the program budget not launching doesn't save much money. Finally, the source of the high price tag is delays and reworks that would be wholly unnecessary if the goal were never to produce a working vehicle and which do not contribute to knowledge retention at all.

Basically, if this is a know-how preservation program, it is horribly mismanaged. And there's no reason why you couldn't have a know-how preservation program that also produced useful results. As with so many things, they're not playing 5D chess, they're just playing poorly.