That's the way it worked, even before outsourcing. If you're working in a non-management position in a corporation in your 50's, you are fair game. There comes a point where it's just cheaper to hire two young kids than to keep the old guy (even with his "legacy" knowledge) who has been given perfunctary raises for 10 years.
It's not fair, it's not right, but that's the way it works.
age discrimination lawsuits have done much to quell that.
I worked in the defense industry, and you are correct about that.
Except that there were also those engineers that were technical standouts that became staff engineers and really drove the IR&D efforts. They also trained the young engineers.
I really get concerned about the defense industry. Only US citizens can get clearances, so the engineers have to be from the US.
If there are not many engineering jobs at non-defense companies, then I don't see many young US people going into engineering. If there are not many US engineers, then the defense industry does not have many to choose from. Less talent means less than stellar new weapons.
I just see other countries training the engineers and their countries are going to make the most leaps in technology and they will use it for the defense of their countries and not ours.