Shot One,
The imperative in the civil world is, simply, the bottom line. Defence procurement has always been one of the levers of Govt to subsidise, for political or socio-economic ends, certain Industries in certain locations. We also change our mind over what we want, or try to change the way we pay (think salami slicing) - neither of which is free. Outside direct political intervention (eg Prescott vs Hawk T2s) the worst culprits are the ticket punching fast streamers (both mil and CS) who float in and out of acquisition with the sole agenda of making a mark and legging it. We continually send naive amateurs into battle with professionals - any wonder we lose?