It’s not that they’re the “bad guys.” Or that we’re trying to claim it.

They don’t need to close it militarily.

The problem with today's world is that it's almost impossible to distinguish what's satire.

Remember when Japan was totally going to become the number 1 economy? Y’know, back in the ‘80s and early ‘90s?

It would be nice to believe that there are people out there, looking at this and saying, “Do we really need a fast (expensive), stealthy (super-expensive) penetrating next-generation bomber? Or a really capable bomb truck that can also launch constantly updated, stealthy cruise missiles at a fraction of the cost?”

You have to have an incredible misunderstanding of what the emergence of nuclear weapons has done to the concept of a war between the US and a near-peer to not realize how remote such a prospect is and will be for the foreseeable future.

American deterrence exists in two major forms - they're called Minuteman & Trident. It's why we haven't been attacked by a nation state since Trinity.

The idea of the airborne laser for tactical use always misses the fundamental physics problem.

Their WW2 predecessors were called “amphibious tractors.”

So, 6 or 7 knots water speed.

And to add to that Zumwalt doesn’t need to use radar to accomplish her primary land attack mission. Tomahawks are fired at coordinates. And her guns are to be thought of more as sea-based artillery, also firing at coordinates relayed by airborne or land sources.

The Soviets began planning for the Tu-144 in 1962.

“Additionally, as I have stated, it was the Tu-160 is based of the Tu-22M which first flew in 1969 - the first true super-sonic variable “swing wing” aircraft.