Re: "at any given time, I know EXACTLY what that piece of hardware is doing"
.. and having access to the skillsets to properly review this for vulnerabilities. The Obfuscated C Contest is but a hint of what depth of competency you need to catch questionable aspects, ditto for the hardware. That translates directly into money.
It isn't easy to avoid having to invest trust somewhere in your supply chain. Unless your budget is paid for by the taxpayer, you will have to make choices at some point.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
