Commercial Insertion and the Question of Weapon System Performance

As noted in earlier chapters, many CMI advocates argue that marketdriven commercial R&D has surpassed military R&D in diverse technology areas. The implication is that the broader use of commercially developed technologies in the military sector would result in more-capable weapon systems. Yet paradoxically, perhaps the single most important and deeply felt concern expressed by CMI skeptics is that the military use of commercial parts, components, designs, and technologies will result in less-capable and less-reliable weapon systems. These concerns arise from a belief that weapon systems often must be able to operate in far more stressful and demanding environments than commercial products. This is a crucial issue, because CMI must be viewed as an unacceptable strategy if it results in less-capable or less-reliable weapon systems than are needed by America’s armed forces.