It comes from outer space!

That is neat if they can pull it off. I only see one potential problem (besides the cost). If a non-nuclear-major war is to happen then it will be US v. China. China recently demonstrated technology which can destroy satelites. Already our military is heavily dependent on satelite usage. If the power grid becomes dependent on satelites and we go to war with China, we're screwed. Chinese planes/non-ICBMs can't reach the US (and as long as we hold naval superiority neither will the air craft carriers they are building right now). However, their anti-satelite missles could potentially reach our power satelites. That would cripple our economy at the begining of a major war. Therefore, we'd be screwed.

true, but then again they do that and we'll simply nuke them.

Yes but then we have the whole making Earth unhabitable problem which I'm sure will really delay Sins' release date...

Scourge, we're already dependent on foreign oil, which could also be disrupted pretty easily. Admittedly, there are more ways around that problem -- its easy to spot giant solar collectors, not so easy to find every last oil smuggler -- but the same problem remains.

I dont see it happening Research run by the Pentagon is almost always a waste of money. Hopefully they will do the smart thing and have private research labs take over most of the process.

I mean with trillions 'unaccounted for' in the past 3 years I wouldn't trust the Pentagon with anything.

did you read the article? they want a private company to "do" it.

Not from what it sounded like, they wanted a monopoly over it for millitary purposes.

I concur fully. In addition our oil/natural gas/coal power plants are contributing to global warming making a possible war between the US and China even more likely. My solution would be advancing a combination of ground-based solar, nuclear power plants, and wind power plants (if the Dakotas were covered in modern wind power plants that would supply all the energy needs for the entire US). I just feel uncomfortable giving more reliance to satelite technology when the most likely major war will be between us and a nation with the technology to shoot down our satelites. I think everyone agress our dependence on foreign oil is bad, but satelite power plants, while admittedly very cool, are even more vunerable in certain, moderately likely, circumstances.



If you want to know what all that "black budget" Pentagon stuff is then wait about twenty years for the new military hardware to roll out. A lot of the most modern military technologies the US has were originally started with "black budget" research money. Probably the best example of this is stealth technology. When the US rolled out the stealth fighter and then the stealth bomber in the 1980s everyone was shocked and surprised. Those technologies have definitely proven their worth in the Persian Gulf War (both of them actually) and elsewhere. NASA is part of the military and many of its technologies have later received wide commercial usage (like memory foam mattresses or Tang). The first supersonic plane came from a military project. The US military created the precursor to the internet (which allows us to have this conversation today), the ARPANET. Nuclear power came from application of nuclear research which really only kicked off after receiving military funding for the Manhatten Project. GPS and communications satelites were first pioneered by the military.

My point is that military research very often has applications which go into the civilian realm. The military is not only important in protecting the US and US interests, but it has also greatly contributed to science and technology as a whole.

let me read it for you:
"It is our goal to move this entire project out of DOD [the Department of Defense] as quickly as possible," he said. "Energy is not our business. We want to be a customer."

contrary to popular *cough* thought, the military doesnt like being more than it is.

[quote] My point is that military research very often has applications which go into the civilian realm. The military is not only important in protecting the US and US interests, but it has also greatly contributed to science and technology as a whole.
[quote]

No, I'm sorry, but these trillion dollars aren't in any budget, they are unaccounted for as in they weren't ever spent on anything, but somehow they are missing.

And also the US research budget is less then those of Nintendo and Sony, soooo most of the research is done by private companies.

you totally misconstrued what he said, its like saying video games dominate the home decoration market because kids buy pikachu chairs


what he means to say is that the military is a technology-eating monster, it forces engineers to design stuff for it, instead of taking them over

name one thing the military does completely outside of its bounds? nothing.

Schem if it was completely out of the militaries bounds it wouldn't be done by by the miltary now would it?

Wow....

No offense TGE, but I think that might be the worst argument I've seen on this forum (unless I am completely misunderstanding what you said).

Would you not agree that the military controlling the government is out of the bounds of the military's purpose/function? Yet military government have arisen in many third world countries on Earth and even major powers in the past (like Japan). The military tends to be very poor at governing...but that is because governing is outside the military's bounds. Ergo, the military CAN do things completely out of their bounds.

the same way killing people was out of saddam's bounds, but he did it anyway?

Yea both of you misunderstood my little statement.

Ah well.

no, your statement is frankly wrong. what you mean, that might be another matter.

but it ain't what you said.

hmm....

think about this

satilights with large amount of power, militarly owned, with radio transmitters???


that is the ingreadients for one AWSOME space based EMP weapon.


E.M.P. is not even close to as far out as it seems. think about it.

Oh thats right, I forgot who I was talking too.

Guess I have to break it down.

*cues that phat beat*



Okay, this is a redundant satement.

no its not, you're saying they step outside their bounds and take over parts of the economy

NOT TRUE

if its a redundant statement you merely are admitting that I'm right.

I didnt say that though. Quote me if i did.

take over the energy industry, I dont think so.

I didn't say they wanted to take over the energy industry just monopolize that single aspect of it.

You need better proof. But then again, you're Schod.

Good thing you, like, read the article then, huh? Since that clearly states otherwise



So the funding was taking blacker than black, big deal.

Black budgets are black budgets. If you really think its being stolen, make a fuss somewhere where they might just believe you.

Oh they are making a fuss about it. And the people that are will be removed from power soon. Thats how the government here works.

Wow, you're cynical in ways only a russian could be.   

In any case, the reason the budget is black is so that the rivals of the US won't get easy access to the new technology we're developing. I personally don't want, China for instance, finding out all the secrets to our latest fighter craft in development or our new phasor weapons (which will have a "stun" setting   ).