Three U.S. military services are developing the F-35 joint strike fighter to replace their aging cold war aircraft and those of allies. The program is performing well in tests, but the key to its success is holding down the cost of the fighters so that all potential users

. . . Read more.

Features

Search And Rescue: Another Blow To U.S. Air Power?

Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D.

3/1/2010

Issue Brief

The U.S. Air Force is at the lowest ebb in its 63-year history. Although its capabilities still far surpass those of other air services around the world, it is gradually using up the arsenal it acquired

. . . Read more.

Is America Entering A Period Of Political Instability?

Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D.

2/22/2010

Issue Brief

Remember the optimism with which Americans greeted the new millennium? Everything seemed to be going our way: the U.S. economy was nearly a third of global output, household net worth was rising fast

. . . Read more.

Americans In Space: The Final Act Begins

Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D.

2/16/2010

Issue Brief

It is now nearly a quarter century since the Challenger Space Shuttle exploded, handing America's manned space flight program its first big setback after a long string of successes. The years since then

. . . Read more.

Defense Articles

3/8/2010	Bottom Line On The Alternate Engine: A Waste Of Money Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Three U.S. military services are developing the F-35 joint strike fighter to replace their aging cold war aircraft and those of allies. The program is performing well in tests, but the key to its success . . . Read more.
3/1/2010	Search And Rescue: Another Blow To U.S. Air Power? Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief The U.S. Air Force is at the lowest ebb in its 63-year history. Although its capabilities still far surpass those of other air services around the world, it is gradually using up the arsenal it acquired . . . Read more.
2/22/2010	Is America Entering A Period Of Political Instability? Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Remember the optimism with which Americans greeted the new millennium? Everything seemed to be going our way: the U.S. economy was nearly a third of global output, household net worth was rising fast . . . Read more.
2/16/2010	Americans In Space: The Final Act Begins Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief It is now nearly a quarter century since the Challenger Space Shuttle exploded, handing America's manned space flight program its first big setback after a long string of successes. The years since then . . . Read more.
2/8/2010	Defense Industrial Base: Second Sources Not Affordable Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief The 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review has produced the most competent, coherent report ever generated in the history of that much-maligned process. It is not a sweeping vision of military transformation, . . . Read more.
2/1/2010	Tanker Contest Headed For Sole-Source Award Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Senior executives at Northrop Grumman have made a tentative decision not to bid in the Air Force's pending re-competition of its KC-X aerial-refueling tanker. Only a year ago, Northrop looked like the . . . Read more.
1/25/2010	GD Acquires Crucial Tactical Intelligence Tool Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief On January 8, General Dynamics acquired a little-known product from a Virginia-based tech company that could prove to be one of the most valuable tactical intelligence tools the U.S. Army possesses. . . . Read more.
1/20/2010	The Three Biggest Challenges Facing Naval Shipbuilding Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief You could say that the three biggest challenges facing the U.S. Navy's shipbuilding program are money, money, and money. The service has a clear vision of how to construct a networked, flexible fleet . . . Read more.
1/11/2010	Why QDR Can't Be What Conservatives Want It To Be Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief The Heritage Foundation's first security backgrounder of the new year says the Quadrennial Defense Review process is broken: "Instead of establishing a road map for defense programs for the next 20 years, . . . Read more.
1/4/2010	Each Big Defense Company Faces A Key Challenge In 2010 Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief The Obama Administration's fiscal 2011 defense request will exceed $700 billion. With $547 billion likely to be sought for regular defense spending and another $163 billion for overseas contingencies, . . . Read more.
12/14/2009	Defense Acquisition Reform Conference -12-1-09 . . . Read more.
12/14/2009	Budget Moves Buoy Defense Industry Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief It has been an unsettling year for defense contractors. While industry profitability continues to ride the crest of record post-cold-war military spending, the Obama Administration has sent numerous . . . Read more.
12/8/2009	The Cyber Goldrush Begins Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief When Chinese agents penetrated the computers of the Obama campaign during the recent election season and stole many sensitive files, they pretty much guaranteed that the nation's next president would . . . Read more.
11/30/2009	FOUR REASONS FOR CONFIDENCE IN THE F-35 Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief If you don't follow the defense business closely, then you can be excused for believing that the F-35 joint strike fighter is in trouble. The $300 billion program to develop a stealthy, multirole tactical . . . Read more.
11/17/2009	Defense Acquisition Reform Conference - 12.1.09 The Lexington Institute is organizing a Capitol Hill panel on defense acquisition reform on December 1, 2009. Confirmed speakers to date are: • Mr. David Berteau, Senior Advisor, Center for . . . Read more.
11/17/2009	Alternate Engine Problems Prove Critics Were Right Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief After ten months of testing, the alternate engine that General Electric and Rolls Royce are building for the F-35 joint strike fighter has managed to run for a grand total of 52 hours, during which time . . . Read more.
11/11/2009	THANK OUR WWII HEROES WHILE WE CAN James A. Courter The Star-Ledger (NJ) Today marks the 90th anniversary of Veterans Day in America, and I would like to encourage all New Jersey residents to seek out and thank military veterans for their service to our country, especially . . . Read more.
11/9/2009	Tanker Wars: Why Boeing Thinks Subsidies Matter Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief The Air Force's plan to conduct an expeditious re-competition of its future tanker program has run into trouble. An initial award was overturned when the Government Accountability Office found major . . . Read more.
11/2/2009	Tanker Wars: Why Northrop Grumman Thinks It Can't Win Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Last week, one of the two teams competing to provide the Air Force's future aerial-refueling tanker launched an unusual campaign to overturn the service's strategy for buying the plane. Northrop Grumman . . . Read more.
10/27/2009	The Army Needs To Ensure Continuity Of Operations At The Radford Ammo Plant Daniel Goure, Ph.D. Issue Brief The Army is in the process of recompeting the contract for a private company to operate and maintain what is the foundation of its ammunition supply chain, the Radford Army Ammunition Plant (RFAAP) in . . . Read more.
10/26/2009	Army WIN-T Must Keep Evolving To Meet Warfighter Needs Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief When the U.S. Army marched off to war earlier in this decade, it took with it communications gear that was woefully inadequate for the demands of irregular warfare. Battlefield communications systems . . . Read more.
10/19/2009	The Age Of Robotic Combat Systems Has Not Arrived Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Ever since Czech playwright Karel Capek introduced the concept of mechanical men in his 1921 drama, Rossum's Universal Robots, prophets have been predicting the imminent arrival of machines that . . . Read more.
10/13/2009	Osprey Belongs In The Combat Search And Rescue Mix Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Few military missions are more dangerous than combat search and rescue (CSAR). Warfighters and noncombatants stranded in remote locations must be found and retrieved, often while enemies are doing their . . . Read more.
10/7/2009	Democrat Views Of Defense Industry Are Self-Defeating Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief It is now 20 years since the Soviet Union began breaking up, removing the threat to American survival that spawned the modern defense industry. Industry fortunes have oscillated wildly in the post-communist . . . Read more.
10/2/2009	Strategic Surprise and Tactical Warning: A Personal View Merrick “Mac” Carey Presentation to the Gyro Club Denver Athletic Club Thank you for inviting me here today and making such good arrangements for my visit. I am always happy to be in Denver, where I have lots of family and friends and have spent a great deal of time since . . . Read more.
10/1/2009	Why Ten More C-17s Are Important To America Rebecca L. Grant, Ph.D. Issue Brief Debate is raging on Capitol Hill about whether to buy ten more C-17 military airlifters. It’s astonishing, given that the C-17 is perfect for “the wars we are in” as the Pentagon likes to say. Right . . . Read more.
9/28/2009	Politics Will Decide The Outcome Of The Tanker Competition Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief The first thing to understand about the Air Force plan to buy a new aerial-refueling tanker is that it is just a tanker. A flying gas station. Either of the planes being proposed for the mission . . . Read more.
9/22/2009	The All-Volunteer Force Is Becoming Unaffordable Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recently cited an estimate that the United States accounts for nearly half of all global military spending. What he didn't mention was that since the current decade . . . Read more.
9/17/2009	Details Of Army Truck Award Reveal Numerous Errors Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief On August 28, the U.S. Army's Tank, Automotive & Armaments Command awarded a $4 billion contract to the Oshkosh Corporation to build 23,000 medium-size trucks. The award was an upset win for Oshkosh, . . . Read more.
9/10/2009	New Global Hawk Undercuts Insurgent Advantages Rebecca L. Grant, Ph.D. Issue Brief If you are a paid Taliban operative or an Iraqi insurgent you may think you know how to slip through the mountains or skulk in the desert without U.S. forces noticing. Guess again. There’s a little . . . Read more.
9/8/2009	Gates Signals F-35 Fighter Will Be Administration Priority Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Defense secretary Robert Gates has finally found a weapons system he likes. After canceling or cutting back over a dozen major programs in April -- and setting the stage for additional cuts in the fiscal . . . Read more.
9/3/2009	Failure To Use Radar Planes Against Taliban Is Foolish Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief U.S. commanders in Afghanistan are reporting worrisome advances in the battlefield performance of Taliban insurgents. Enemy discipline and morale seem to be improving, encouraged no doubt by the inability . . . Read more.
8/18/2009	Are Policymakers Too Enchanted With Unmanned Aircraft? Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief The Pentagon's quadrennial review of strategy and requirements is returning the joint force to a threat-based military posture. After eight years of toying with the idea of a "capabilities-based" posture, . . . Read more.
8/18/2009	Reversing Industrial Decline: A Role for the Defense Budget Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Research Study After dominating global industrial activity for a century, the United States is losing its edge in manufacturing to other nations. Over the last 30 years, manufacturing has fallen from a quarter to an . . . Read more.
8/13/2009	Lexington Launches A Different Kind Of Defense Blog Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Greetings from New England. Yes, I too am at the beach. But I'm still working, and the purpose of this brief is to tell you about a new project that the Lexington Institute has launched while you were . . . Read more.
8/4/2009	STOPPING C-17 NOW WOULD HOBBLE FUTURE WARFIGHTERS Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief The U.S. Air Force is the only military organization in the world that operates a diverse fleet of airlifters capable of transporting large forces over long distances on short notice. The airlift fleet . . . Read more.
7/29/2009	Air Force Delay On Radar Plane Fix Hurts Soldiers Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Every day, one of the Air Force's 17 Joint Stars radar planes takes off from a base in Southwest Asia to conduct secret intelligence-gathering missions. A multimode radar installed on the plane's belly . . . Read more.
7/21/2009	There's No Reason To Cut Funds For C-130 Modernization Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. \| Issue Brief Issue Brief The most successful aircraft in the history of military aviation isn't a fighter or a bomber, it's the C-130 Hercules airlifter. Conceived in the early 1950s as a short-hop cargo plane and people mover . . . Read more.
7/17/2009	Are Jets A Better Fit For The Afghan Environment? Daniel Goure, Ph.D. \| Issue Brief Issue Brief As U.S. forces begin the planned surge into Afghanistan we are again reminded that in many ways this is a tougher fight than the military experienced in Iraq. The geography of Afghanistan is daunting, . . . Read more.
7/15/2009	Some Nuclear Cuts Are Feasible, But Big Ones Are Dangerous Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief On July 6, President Obama and his Russian counterpart agreed in principle to a new strategic arms treaty that would reduce the number of operational nuclear weapons in each nation's arsenal. News of . . . Read more.
7/7/2009	Global Warming And The Politics Of Mania Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief America's political culture is a marketplace of ideas, and like other markets it sometimes is seized by big ideas that disrupt normal operations. These ideas typically assume the character of manias, . . . Read more.
7/1/2009	July 4, 2009: A Celebration Tinged With Sadness Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief July 4th is the one day, more than any other, when we Americans celebrate what we have achieved as a nation. We have another holiday in November for giving thanks, but that day is mostly about family . . . Read more.
6/25/2009	Delay Of Army Warfighter Network Would Be Dangerous Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Nothing matters more in modern land warfare than quick and reliable communications. Battle conditions are so fluid and forces are so scattered that continuous connectivity is crucial in coordinating . . . Read more.
6/19/2009	Congress Should Move Forward On A New Bomber Rebecca Grant Ph.D. Issue Brief Picture this: a nuclear weapon in terrorist hands loose in the remote regions of Pakistan. How about a mobile missile deep in Iran with a nuclear warhead standing by? Or a space launch complex in some . . . Read more.
6/17/2009	America At Risk: Assessing Global Challenges, 2009 And Beyond Daniel Goure, Ph.D. Presentation at The Heritage Foundation There are so many topics one could discuss under the rubric of America at risk, global challenges today and in the future that it is hard to know where to begin. I could speak about the difficult financial . . . Read more.
6/16/2009	Missile Defense Shift Puts Spotlight on Raytheon Solution Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief The Obama Administration has directed the Missile Defense Agency to place greater emphasis on early interception of ballistic missiles that might be launched by countries like Iran or North Korea against . . . Read more.
6/9/2009	Japan & F-22: Why Not Reward A Reliable Ally? Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief If there's one concept that the Obama Administration's national-security team really likes, it's partnering. Obama stressed global partnering when he was running for President, the security agenda posted . . . Read more.
6/8/2009	Homeland Security Should Deploy Bio-Sensors Now Daniel Goure, Ph.D. Issue Brief The recent outbreaks of swine flu arrived on our shores without warning. Fortunately, this biohazard proved less threatening than first thought. But what would have happened if this had been an extremely . . . Read more.
6/2/2009	Killing The President's New Helicopter Wastes $8 Billion Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Four months into his first (and possibly only) term, President Barack Obama is beginning to grasp the severity of the government's fiscal crisis. Washington is spending $5 billion per day it does not . . . Read more.
5/27/2009	Obama Is Right: The F-35 Doesn't Need Another Engine Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief President Obama startled the aerospace industry earlier this month when he attacked a congressionally-mandated program to build an "alternate" engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. It isn't common . . . Read more.
5/22/2009	E-2D and Maritime Security Rebecca Grant, Ph.D. Research Study The greatest threats to Navy ships in the years ahead come from missile proliferation and submarines, but the best defense starts in the sky with the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. “State actors and non-state . . . Read more.
5/22/2009	Will The Pentagon Remember To Defend American Skies? Rebecca Grant, Ph.D. Issue Brief When the Pentagon “rebalanced” military aircraft programs on April 6, they forgot about buying new fighters to protect the United States. Remember the scare last month when the back-up Air Force One made . . . Read more.
5/19/2009	Saudi Fleet Modernization Bolsters Global Partnering Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief The National Defense Strategy cites strengthening of allies and regional partners as a key means of meeting U.S. security objectives. Working with allies is also one of five strategic principles underpinning . . . Read more.
5/14/2009	Secretary Gates Is Dead Wrong on KEI Daniel Goure, Ph.D. Issue Brief Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is rapidly acquiring the reputation as the most forceful Pentagon leader since Robert McNamara occupied an E-ring office more than forty years ago. Almost single-handedly . . . Read more.
5/13/2009	Pentagon Needs Clear Plan For Electronic Warfare Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief It isn't easy to be nostalgic about the Cold War, but back then military planners had at least one advantage that they no longer enjoy today: everybody agreed on what the big threats were. They originated . . . Read more.
5/10/2009	U.S. Naval Options for Influencing Iran Dr. Daniel Goure and Dr. Rebecca Grant Research Study Engaging Iran is both a difficult and complex endeavor. The United States will need to use all the tools at its disposal. One of the advantages the United States possesses in dealing with Iran is its . . . Read more.
5/7/2009	Quadrennial Review Skirts Biggest Management Challenge Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Congress has mandated that the defense department must conduct a comprehensive review of military strategy and capabilities at the beginning of each new presidential administration. The latest such "quadrennial . . . Read more.
5/5/2009	Defense Market Drivers & Trends Through 2012 Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Presentation to Jane's U.S. Defense Conference I am very pleased to be here today, sharing the stage with experts whose professional accomplishments in the defense arena greatly exceed my own. I have been asked to spend 15 minutes discussing future . . . Read more.
5/1/2009	F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Remains Good Value For America And Allies Rebecca Grant, Ph.D. Issue Brief When Defense Secretary Robert Gates “rebalanced” the Pentagon budget recently he put the future of fighter aviation in America on the shoulders of the F-35. The US Navy will probably buy more F/A-18s . . . Read more.
4/28/2009	The Business Case For Buying Tankers From Both Teams Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Without aerial refueling, the global reach of U.S. air power would be severely limited. However, nearly 90% of the tankers in the current refueling fleet -- 453 planes -- are Eisenhower-era KC-135s that . . . Read more.
4/24/2009	Performance-Based Logistics: A Primer for the New Administration Research Study Research Study President Obama faces a crisis in security as daunting as that in the economy. Simply stated, the costs of operations and support – in essence, the day-to-day costs of running the U.S. Department of Defense . . . Read more.
4/21/2009	Gates Goals Undercut Air Force Capabilities and Leaders Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Air Force chief of staff Norton Schwartz faced biting criticism from his service's senior leaders in a video teleconference last week. They accused him of betraying the service's requirements process . . . Read more.
4/15/2009	Radford Army Ammunition Plant: The Heart of the U.S. Ammunition Supply Chain Research Study Nothing is more important to the effectiveness, security and survival of men and women in combat than their supply of ammunition. This truth was brought home to the U.S. military in Operations Iraqi Freedom . . . Read more.
4/14/2009	Analytic Flaws in the Emerging Gates Defense Posture Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Defense secretary Robert Gates says that the program changes he proposed last week reflected the need to "rebalance" the nation's military posture in light of recent operational experience. That is only . . . Read more.
4/10/2009	Back To The Future With Secretary Gates Daniel Goure, Ph.D. Issue Brief On Monday, April 6, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced his long-awaited plans to reshape the U.S. military. He had foreshadowed many of his specific plans in an article in Foreign Affairs in . . . Read more.
4/9/2009	Air Force Prepared To End F-22 At 243 Aircraft, Not 187 Rebecca L. Grant, Ph.D. Issue Brief When Secretary of Defense Robert Gates stated on April 6 that the Air Force advised him they wanted 187 F-22s, the reaction was shock. That’s because evidence indicates the Air Force was ready and willing . . . Read more.
4/6/2009	Tanker Process Totally Lacking in Transparency Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Ever since Senator John McCain threw a monkey wrench into efforts to lease new aerial-refueling tankers five years ago, the Air Force has been struggling to implement an alternate strategy. It has spent . . . Read more.
4/3/2009	U.S. Security Strategy and Boost Phase Missile Defense Daniel Goure, Ph.D. Presentation The United States needs a new strategy for missile defenses, one that reflects the changing international environment and military requirements. Our original construct for the development and deployment . . . Read more.
4/1/2009	Progress On Marine Vehicle Barely Noticed By Media Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle has been getting some rough treatment in the media lately. Reporters and pundits say it is over budget, behind schedule and plagued by design defects. Now for the good . . . Read more.
3/26/2009	The Navy Will Have Less Money in the Future, Not More Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Testimony to the Seapower & Expeditionary Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee Thank you for the opportunity to be here today. I would like to briefly review the military and economic challenges our nation faces, and then draw some conclusions about the outlook for naval ship . . . Read more.
3/26/2009	The Hidden Costs of Maintaining a Post-Industrial U.S. Military Daniel Goure, Ph.D. Presentation to the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs In order to halt the current economic slide, restart the financial and housing markets, and implement a wave of new programs, the Obama Administration has proposed massive new spending programs across . . . Read more.
3/17/2009	The Military Needs Many More C-17 Airlifters Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief It has begun to dawn on many observers that President Obama doesn't care much about defense. He honors the nation's warfighters and supports their programs, but his heart lies elsewhere -- mainly in . . . Read more.
3/10/2009	Navy Will Offer Up Carrier & Air Wing In Quadrennial Review Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief The word within the Pentagon is that the White House wants to collect 6-8 "scalps" -- major program kills -- in this year's Quadrennial Defense Review. Some of the cuts are already being considered as . . . Read more.

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