The U.S. military-industrial complex has made a Faustian bargain. It hasn’t sold its soul for infinite knowledge, but it has become dependent on crisis to fuel innovation. World War II and the Cold War were required to forge the arsenal of democracy, build the Pentagon, split the atom, field radar, operate SLBMs, launch earth observation satellites, get to the moon, achieve Mach 3 flight, and deploy stealth technology.

This is neither a good nor necessary bargain.