Indeed. I included that quote precisely because it shows such a lack of perspective. To get programmers with experience in safety critical real time programming is much harder than learning Ada, and training them to learn safety critical programming is much harder than learning any relevant programming language. But apparently the availability of C++ programmers was what they considered important.

Defense contractors won't invest in training. The programmers they hired would be mostly contract workers themselves because the MIC is deathly afraid of having actual employees that could cut into profits. Hence why they've managed to step away from ADA because those skills aren't readily available in the contractor pool.

You know, I think they need a language with a lower entry point, to make it easier to onboard developers. PHP should do the job nicely.

Please nobody tell them.

Sounds reasonable. An F-35 is built to ‘move fast and break things’.

Someone should email the bosses the agile manifesto.

It's not that people can't learn another language. The problem is nobody wants to be the guy looking for a job at a startup with ten years of Ada on his resume.

100% agree.