What non-military manufactured goods do the Russians export — especially to the West?
Russia's main exports are hydrocarbons (crude oil and gas) and other raw materials such as mineral ores. 70% of exports in 2013 were in this category. The largest category of manufactured goods, 9%, were metals, mostly in bulk formats followed by basic chemicals, 5%, about half of which were petroleum derived; to this group can be added 1% of exports of plastics and rubbers again a hydrocarbon product. Other commodities based on wood, diamonds, gold, agriculture account for most of the rest. The manufacture of complex systems like transport equipment, aircraft, nuclear reactors and other machinery including weapons amounts to about 5% of Russian exports by value, What is better for the economy? the added value on $8Bn of exported nuclear reactors or the added value on $8bn of exported plant products grown on farms? In both cases, 2013's value of exports. Productivity on Russian farms is not very high so it keeps many people employed. There are new civilian plane designs on offer but sales have yet to begin. Syria will act as a showcase for new Russian weapons. This might generate some sales. AT the moment, $90 000 000 of explosives from $376 000 000 000 of exports isn't very much. There were also sales of $312m of armoured fighting vehicles about the same as vodka and probably less lethal.Figures for services are less easy to come by. Russia has a thriving software industry with a global market. It also exports financial and management services to nearby ex Soviet countries. Tourism has been modest but the fall in the rouble and the development of Sochi should produce a large increase.Russia has compensated for reduced oil prices (in $) with increased oil production. As exchange rate changes meant that the rouble price of oil increased greatly, Russia's rouble earnings have actually increased. Import substitution should be roaring ahead and leading sectors should be exporting more. Curiously this isn't happening at the desirable level. I suspect that it is a lag in the system and in two years time there will be talk of overshoot.
America can't seem to build stuff anymore. Does this threaten our long term military capabilities?
America’s still the largest manufacturing country when you rate countries by the sales price/economic value of the goods manufactured. High value high technology items such as computer chip manufacturing machinery are still made in the USA.As other answers have noted the engineering and R&D expertise is still very much available in the USA. Manufacturing of high technology goods is an important part of the American economy. Things like computer controlled robotic assembly line machinery, Photolithography, also termed optical lithography or UV lithography equipment, military submarines & ships, missiles, and aircraft are produced using cutting edge technologies and materials.
Should I become a engineer or a theoretical physicist?
Which one depends on what aspect of science you most like. Applied or Theoretical. You picked the two extremes of a broad spectrum and there are several other careers intermediate to the two. If you are a technology buff and your kick from science comes from seeing how you can apply it to solve a practical problem, than engineer is a good bet. What KIND of engineer would depend on what KIND of science you like best. If you LOVE chemistry, you might become a chemical engineer. Oil companies are big users of chemical engineers for example. If you like physics then you might consider electrical or mechanical engineer. If you like Geology, then geological engineer (also used by oil companies) might be more up your alley. Keep in mind that 'engineering' is part science and part art. An engineer only uses science as far as it provides a solution to his design problem and no more. As an engineer designing say a construction crane (mechanical engineer) you would have to know about loads and forces and gravity. As an engineer you'd calculate forces generated due to gravity but UNLIKE a scientist, you wouldn't care what the nature of gravity is as it's immaterial to your crane design. A chemical engineer uses chemical reactions in their designs, but cares little about WHY those reactions occur (as would a chemist). If you want to be involved with science not just in the practical sense of allowing you to design things, but you still like to be 'hands on' then you might consider "applied research scientist". This is a person that does research to expand scientific knowledge but with an eye towards using the knowledge to solve a real world problem. Then there is the purely theoretical scientist for whom practical benefits of knowledge (though always a welcome beneficial by-product) is NOT the primary concern. They just want to expand knowledge for knowledge sake. And they enjoy the ultimate puzzle or mystery...how the universe itself works! Any career in any of these fields demands a strong mathematical background. But where an engineer might use mathematical formulas and leave it at that, the theoretical scientist would be expected to DERIVE of PROVE the formulas.