Jay Honeck wrote:

As for the shuttle? It was a great idea that, again, was so
*******ized by the bureaucrats and politicians that it lost its
purpose. It should have been replaced a decade ago.

And the AF bailed on it a long time ago in favor of regular
boosters. Back when I was working for Martin, they were
gearing up for the second (Vandenburg) launch base and some
classified missions, but that all got shelved.