This is such a valid point. We owe so much of our privileged opportunity to those who have served and continue to serve. They are an absolute thin line protecting us against people who want to do us harm. I think it's appropriate to leverage our gains in technology to help keep these brave Americans alive.
It's not like they're fighting for the survival of the US. Much of the fighting is due to some stupid idea in the head of some politician, or even in the service of corporate profits, and a lot of innocent lives get sacrificed on those altars.
If you want to support those brave service men and women, it's better to support better medical care for veterans. It's bizarre that that's been such a long running problem in such a warlike country. But that's something that takes care of the actual people involved rather than the questionable corporate/political motives behind some wars.
1. That "thin" line runs up a $686 billion tab every year. It's one of the thickest lines in the US budget.
2. Tech workers help pay a lot of that tab by working in productive sectors that generate the profits needed to keep the war industry going.
3. A very tiny percentage of the service members are ever deployed. Of those, only a tiny percentage ever see combat. Those that don't see combat are paid very well for their time. Why does this matter? Because $686 BILLION pays for a lot of software engineers.
IMO: if the military needs more technical expertise, then:
1. Get good management! Open up leadership positions to non-officers or, god forbid, civilians. No more officers who majored in Theology at bible colleges or History at an academy running "Cyber" teams. The business world stopped hiring blank slate MBAs to manage software projects a LONG time ago. Time for the military to catch up.
2. Especially in the Army, stop running pointless rural jobs programs and reallocate that headcount to salaries for skilled professionals in more productive locales.
We're spending 680 BILLION employing enormous numbers of people to run around in circles (sometimes literally). There's more than enough money to pay people for their work and more than enough patriotic talent willing to take the jobs. What's needed is competent management and headcount.
If the police had one's detailed driving history including speed limits and how fast one was driving at any given moment then how many speeding tickets would one get?
Even someone who obeys the speed limit would get dozens of tickets per year.
