Russian Rockets by, Harrison Epstein

http://www.wsj.com/articles/america-plays-russian-rocket-roulette-1432161649

Although the United States has always prided itself in being a nationalist and independent country, for a while it has been reliant on Russian rocket engines for space launches. The country has a direct commercial agreement with the engine manufacturer in Russia. These engines are called RD-180s. The United States had a terrible relationship with the Soviet Union in the 20th century, and it had gotten a bit better in recent years but then went down the tank again. The opinion if the air force is that there is a need to continue to purchase Russian rockets because the United States has failed to be able to provide its own. The counterargument to this is that there is developing technology in American companies such as SpaceX which would eradicate the need for these Russian companies. They may even improve the way that these engines work if they continue as they are. There is an act being considered which would ban these engines from use after 2019 while funding an American replacement for the engines.

I think that it would be hypocritical for the United States to take a nationalist approach on this area while still relying on oil from the Middle East or manufacturing from countries such as Taiwan or China. While it is in theory a good idea, it wouldn't make that much of an impact in the future. Besides, the use of Russian engines may actually be improving the relations between the United States and Russia. At least being too involved is better than the stalemate of the Cold War days which caused fear in the hearts of many American citizens for years. The plan to get rid of these foreign engines by 2019 is good because it doesn't require definite immediate action and so there could be a smoother transition for both countries into independence.