Guilded News EP3

Episode Notes: War has always been expensive. But in 2026, the economics of conflict have quietly transformed. Layer 1 — The Subscription: The GAO says 70% of a weapon system's lifetime cost is maintenance. Lockheed Martin's $194B backlog. RTX's $268B backlog. The defense industry doesn't sell weapons anymore — it sells 30-year service contracts. Wars end. Maintenance contracts do not. Layer 2 — The Pivot: In 72 hours, AI military procurement was rewritten. Anthropic said "not unless." OpenAI said "yes, and." The DOW declared an "AI-first" mandate. This isn't a technology story — it's a procurement story. Layer 3 — The Pattern: A Kellogg School study of 135 wars found GDP falls 13% on average — even for winners. Thomas Paine warned about this in 1787. The instruments change. The pattern doesn't. Public filings. Academic res ...