Bigger than that, legacy US defense contractors ARE the US Military / Space Force / etc.
So IMO the golem whose values are being reflected in this failure / recovery from it is a US Government <> Commercial organism. And indirectly the United State's civilian population since the Government is formed (over centuries) to be a care-taker reflection of the civilian pop.
Yes mostly the idea that risk should be averted at all times by using the same few companies has fully captured US gov culture. And it’s only gotten much worse since they seem to think China should be the model to copy because they dump money into pet megacorps there, even though it’s still a very new concept that is far from proven sustainable in China itself. Not to mention they mostly coast off copying US innovation and preventing competition.
But mostly the issue is employing it as a long term strategy, because it worked a few times in the last as a short term boost to newly ascendant orgs (ala NASA+space industry in the 1960s) before the Iron Rule of bureaucracy kicks in at all organizations involved, be they private or public.
So IMO the golem whose values are being reflected in this failure / recovery from it is a US Government <> Commercial organism. And indirectly the United State's civilian population since the Government is formed (over centuries) to be a care-taker reflection of the civilian pop.