$50 billion is ridiculous, but on the other hand a lot of military
technology is useful mainly because it is secret. There has to be a balance.
Some of the most potent secret technology is quite cheap, such as
U.S. ability to track people via cell phone which was used in the
early stages of the war in Afghanistan. That should have been kept
strictly secret but unfortunately Bush administration people bragged
about it. Anyone who knows about cell phone technology knew it, but I
doubt the Taliban read telcom trade magazines or watch "Law and Order."
Military secrets and secret technology have a short shelf life. Ditto
corporate secrets. Nothing stays secret for long, and it is a huge
mistake to depend upon secrecy. Before WWII, the Japanese kept the
performance of the Zero fighter somewhat confidential, which was a
good idea. They tried to keep the existence of their largest
battleship then under construction a state secret, which was
ridiculous. There is no point to having a super-battleship that no
one knows about. The US captured a damaged zero fighter in the
Aleutians after the Battle of Midway. It was quickly repaired and
flow in flight tests, and it soon reveals all of the secrets.
- Jed
