With short-term politicians, platforms remaining in service for decades and spending profiles stretching way out into the future, there is a very valid concern that we have no credible way to keep our aircraft manufacturing windows inline with military demand cycles.
There will be demand for many more C-17s over the next decade or two, but no economic way for commercial manufactures to meet it. High-rate and efficient production runs are great for civilian products, but not for the peaks, troughs and uncertain funding profiles of military procurement.