What kind of edge are you talking about? When we compare military technologies of our's and our "competetors" we have somewhat of a similar status, Most of that kind of thecnologies are availble thru buying it or thru espionage. The fact is that we are a power house and we can keep up the industrial needs of such technologies, but most other countries can't. If they can then they probably already have the technologie, but our forces are and will remain supierior in other ways.