Thanks
Thanks very much, for that explanation, LO and FB11. It makes the whole thing more comprehensible.
It is obviously an argument that needs a spreadsheet model and accurate data. Danger of having insufficiently powerful capability vs trying to operate a model that only the Americans have a big enough margin of wealth to be sure they can always maintain.
Might be a question of how fragile each option is. e.g. how easily can one lose capability how hard to regain it. Is all the complexity at the dangerous end or in some hangar where there is time. Is there any way to operate a degraded capability or do you need every bit of a big operation to be perfect for it to work at all. If the americans solve problems with money then that might present problems for anyone else and their experience might be no more than interesting.
Hence the incredible difficulty for someone without any experience like me or the rest of the public in knowing what to think.