“Now, most new equipment is under contract, and instead of being able to repair, we are required to contact a civilian technician and they have to come onboard to fix problems.”
A Navy technician says his crew used to keep spare parts and fix everything themselves. Now the contract says a civilian has to fly out to the ship. The military pays for the gear, then pays again every time it breaks. Defense contractors run the same repair racket as phone makers, and the taxpayer covers it.