Long program cycles do not justify freezing technology while competitors continue to develop. Warhammer 40,000's fictional hostility to innovation provides an exaggerated picture of the stagnation that follows when inherited systems become untouchable. The opposite failure is changing direction every few minutes and never allowing a design or institution to mature. French practice offers a partial stabilizer because major procurement decisions can be embedded in legislation. A successor who wants a dramatic reversal must then introduce new legislation and explain the change publicly. The model is imperfect, but it creates a higher and more transparent threshold for disrupting a long-term force plan.
Notable Point · 1:02:41-1:04:33
Balancing innovation with program stability
Procurement must avoid both technological stagnation and constant reversal, with French legislation offered as one way to make major changes deliberate and visible.