[quote]After nearly all of their assets were destroyed, how were they able to fund projects like the Infinity, the Spartan IV program and the overall replenishment of their naval fleet?[/quote]While the UNSC did take a massive blow due to the war, they did prepare for a scenario that would see humanity defeated. Those plans were enacted once Reach was destroyed, and involved taking heavy machinery, shipyards, valuable assets and moving them outside of Sol to unknown locations. Additionally, when the Covenant arrived at Earth, they bypassed over a dozen inner colonies in the process. Thus, a significant portion of infrastructure is still remaining. Infinity was able to be funded because it started construction in Sol's Oort Cloud in 2536, and remained so until 2553. The SPARTAN-IV program is able to be funded due to the advancement of UNSC tech and the subsequent lowered cost and improvements of the technologies relevant to making Spartans. This trend is unsurprising as the jump from the tech involved in the SPARTAN-II program to the SPARTAN-III program was significant. Additionally, much of what was done solely by the UNSC in regards to the SPARTAN programs is now being outsourced to the private sector. Speaking of which, while the private sector was largely decimated over the course of the war, the surviving colonies have taken on the companies, factories, and corporations that were once far more spread out. This has lead to a peculiar economic boom as a result of the massive loss of life and infrastructure. [quote]Also, why doesn't the Infinity have a dedicated escort fleet (apart from the 10 frigates docked inside)? You know, seeing as it is humanity's primary flagship and their most powerful naval asset...[/quote]I'd make a comparison to Star Trek's USS Enterprise in that it's a ship outfitted with advanced technologies and weapons, but is meant for scientific exploratory purposes. Thus, you rarely see the Enterprise with other vessels - same with the Infinity.