True as this may be, the USAF is generally pretty forward thinking. The fact its not been outright stated as a dumb idea and had to be compared in feasibility to missiles is telling. More telling is that the single biggest barrier is getting materials up into space.

Thats a problem we could at some point very likely solve and the Air Force knows it. The first to these gates secures their domination of the planet for the next century or so. The rods are still in god's back pocket.