What is this recurring connection between big missiles sending men to the moon and the military industrial complex sending expeditionary forces overseas?
What is this recurring connection between big missiles sending men to the moon and the military industrial complex sending expeditionary forces overseas?
There isn’t a connection.
Classic example of correlation not being causation.
Exactly
While the relationships may not be causal, there are literally millions of connections.
Ok, since there are literally millions of connections, list 50.
Start with the thousands of contractors who drift back and forth between NASA and military contracts.
That’s not millions of links, though. It’s just that building rockets is a thing only a handful of companies are equipped to do.
The better metric to look at is which country is the US trying to show up. In 69 it was Russia, and today it’s China.
Each contract worker is a link. Each company is a link. Each congress critter playing for missile pork projects in their district is a link. And this isn’t just about the missiles, as you say: who are we trying to impress? What are we trying to get in exchange for that impression?
It’s not about getting something in exchange. It’s about showing off with a display of power.
So, by “in exchange” I don’t mean quid-pro-quo China ships the U.S. 25 tons of Rare Earth metals because they’re so impressed, I mean: what results are they expecting? Congress critters generally are looking for re-election and all the perks that come with long term tenure in a seat. Lobbyists are generally lookig for more pork from their critters. Contractor firms are looking for that pork as “contracts” they can overbill and under deliver for with impunity, etc. etc. There are international results expected as well, such as greater negotiating power to get more advantageous positions in agreements.