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Monday, May 27, 2013

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Tactical Aircraft and the Preservation of U.S. Air Dominance

Rebecca Grant, Ph.D.

4/16/2013

Research Study

Introduction The case for focusing on air dominance has its roots in the most successful of U.S. military operations. One built around it was the invasion of Normandy. Air dominance was the basis of the whole plan as briefed to General George Marshall in early

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Features

U.S. Air Dominance: Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance

Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D.

2/27/2013

Research Study

Introduction The United States has enjoyed global air dominance for many decades. No U.S. soldier on the ground has been killed by hostile aircraft since the Korean War, and no U.S. pilot in

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Toward A 21st Century Defense Logistics Enterprise

Dr. Daniel Goure

2/7/2013

Research Study

Historically the focus of the defense acquisition and sustainment system has swung pendulum-like between two policy objectives. At one end of the arc, the goal is effectiveness: insuring that the military

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Modernizing the Air Force's Electronic Aircraft Fleet

Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D.

10/3/2012

Research Study

Findings In Brief The U.S. Air Force operates a fleet of six dozen intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft based on the old Boeing 707 airframe that are essential to the

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Defense Articles

12/30/2010	Next Generation Jammer: Essential Protection In The Digital Age Loren Thompson Research Study Electronic devices dominate modern combat. Warfighters depend on access to the electromagnetic spectrum to communicate with friendly forces, track enemy movements, navigate in the fog of war, collect . . . Read more
12/22/2010	Government Services Cost So Much Because Public Sector Workers Receive So Much Daniel Goure, Ph.D. Issue Brief Over the past two years, the Obama Administration constructed a labyrinthine maze of executive orders, directives, regulations and findings all for the purpose of reversing more than a decade of outsourcing . . . Read more
12/15/2010	Deficit Commission Ideas Would Waste Money, Not Save It Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief It's hard to fault the president's bi-partisan deficit commission for recommending the termination of over-priced Army combat vehicles. The plan to buy next-generation troop carriers that cost $10 million . . . Read more
12/6/2010	Military & Economic Policy Should Be Integrated Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Remarks to the Reserve Officers Assn. and Woodrow Wilson Center History records no major military power in modern times that was not also a major industrial power. Our ability to produce advanced weapons in sufficient number without being vulnerable to delays . . . Read more
11/29/2010	Tanker Flap Reflects Pattern Of Bias Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief The Air Force's latest mistake in managing its star-crossed tanker competition appears to be a simple clerical error. But look a little closer at how the service responded to its mistake, and something . . . Read more
11/18/2010	Empowering Partners: A Strategy For Helping Allies Share The Security Burden Daniel Goure, Ph.D. Research Study Today, the United States has the opportunity to create a new, more flexible, collaborative approach to the organization, management and support of friends and allies. The Obama Administration has put . . . Read more
11/9/2010	Sending Americans To Mars Is An Affordable Mission Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief One of the greatest achievements in history, NASA's human spaceflight program, is dying. With the best of intentions, the Obama Administration has put the astronaut program on a path that leads nowhere, . . . Read more
11/4/2010	Warship Plan: When Does A Split Buy Make Sense? Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief The Navy is proposing a change in its plan to acquire a new class of warship called the Littoral Combat Ship. Until this week, the plan of record was to select a winning design from one of two competing . . . Read more
10/26/2010	Let's Be Honest: Airbus Misleads On Subsidies Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief The head of Airbus has launched a cynical initiative to find common ground with Boeing on the subject of commercial aircraft subsidies, arguing that both companies have sinned in accepting government . . . Read more
10/20/2010	Army Air Defense Moves Undercut Allies Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief When the Obama Administration took office, it recast U.S. defense priorities to stress winning current wars, partnering with overseas allies and doing business more efficiently. Those sound like complementary . . . Read more
10/12/2010	Joint Force Survivability Hinges On New Jammer Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief The universe is shaped by a handful of fundamental forces such as gravity and the "strong force" that binds atoms. Only one of these forces has proven to be highly malleable in the hands of human beings: . . . Read more
10/8/2010	P-8A Poseidon: A New Model For Military Procurement Loren Thompson Research Study Executive Summary The Navy is developing a military version of the widely used Boeing 737 airliner to serve as its next-generation maritime patrol aircraft. Designated the P-8A Poseidon, the . . . Read more
10/5/2010	Shipyard Bid Shows Need For Pentagon Merger Policy Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Last Friday deputy defense secretary Bill Lynn met with Wall Street analysts to deliver a message: defense spending is not headed into a big downturn. Lynn told the analysts that presidential guidance . . . Read more
9/27/2010	Decision Week For The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief This may be the week that the future of the U.S. Marine Corps is decided. In separate meetings with defense secretary Robert Gates, Marine Corps commandant Gen. James Conway and Navy secretary Ray Mabus . . . Read more
9/13/2010	Trade Subsidies: Airbus Loses Again Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief On September 15, the World Trade Organization will release interim findings to the parties in its ongoing review of U.S. aircraft subsidies. The case was launched by European governments in response . . . Read more
9/7/2010	Army Plan To Modernize Armored Vehicles Makes Sense Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief It's tempting to look at the Army's cancellation of the solicitation for a next-generation troop carrier and conclude that the service has lost its way in figuring out how to meet future combat needs. . . . Read more
9/1/2010	Gates Is Right: An Extra Engine For F-35 Wastes Money Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief It is now four years since the defense department decided it didn't need to develop two different engines for its single-engine F-35 fighter, and stopped requesting money for the second engine. Since . . . Read more
8/10/2010	Gates Struggling To Prevent Defense Cuts By Congress Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief History will remember Robert Gates as the defense secretary who averted U.S. military defeat in Iraq. Right now, though, he is struggling to prevent a different kind of military setback: congressional . . . Read more
8/4/2010	The Defense Industry's Summer Of Discontent Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Last week, the top executives of the U.S. defense industry met with defense secretary Robert Gates and his key subordinates to discuss Pentagon plans for reducing the cost of doing business. Gates told . . . Read more
7/20/2010	Pentagon Efficiency Drive Neglects Its Best Tool Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Defense department acquisition chief Ashton Carter has begun an efficiency initiative aimed at reducing overhead costs by $100 billion during the 2012-2016 period. Carter notes that most of the Pentagon's . . . Read more
7/13/2010	EFV Debate Is Really About The Future Of The Marine Corps Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Inside the Navy, a defense newsletter, reported last week that Pentagon policymakers have decided to take the advice of the Government Accountability Office and review whether the business case . . . Read more
6/28/2010	Tanker Deadline Arrives With Key Concern Unresolved Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Sometime in the next two weeks, the Boeing Company and European aerospace giant EADS must submit their proposals for the next round of competition in the Air Force tanker solicitation. The deadline is . . . Read more
6/22/2010	Changing Defense Budget Environment Drives Shift In Company Strategies Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Remarks to the BB&T Capital Markets Defense Teleconference The defense business isn't like other sectors of the U.S. economy. There is only one customer that matters -- the federal government -- and that customer's behavior often diverges from what we would . . . Read more
6/14/2010	Pentagon Insourcing Undercuts Search For Savings Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates has delivered a series of speeches this year stressing the need to eliminate unnecessary military spending. Gates claims to have slashed future weapons spending by . . . Read more
6/8/2010	White House Export Goals Require More Weapons Sales Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief On March 11, President Obama signed an executive order establishing a "national export initiative." The order implements his commitment in the State of the Union address to double U.S. exports over the . . . Read more
6/2/2010	Boeing 737 Emerging As Centerpiece Of Future Joint Fleet Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief The U.S. Navy is conducting a highly successful effort to replace its aging fleet of maritime patrol planes with a military version of the Boeing 737 passenger jet. The planes will perform anti-surface . . . Read more
5/25/2010	Buying Second Engine For F-35 Wastes Money, Hurts Military Lawrence Korb, Center for American Progress, and Loren Thompson, Lexington Institute Issue Brief The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is being developed to replace most of the Cold War tactical aircraft operated by three U.S. military services and nine allies. The success of the program depends on holding . . . Read more
5/19/2010	Back To The Future -- The Perils Of Insourcing Daniel Goure, Ph.D. Research Study Executive Summary Faced with the need to control the costs and improve the performance of its logistics and sustainment system, the Department of Defense has pursued a deliberate strategy of . . . Read more
5/19/2010	Why Defense Demand Will Weaken -- And How Military Contractors Can Cope Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Remarks to the Price Waterhouse Coopers Executive Roundtable Price Waterhouse Coopers has asked me to speak for the next hour about the defense outlook, which I have interpreted to mean the business outlook for U.S. military contractors over the next few years. . . . Read more
5/10/2010	Austerity Week Ends At The Pentagon Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief The only people celebrating at the Pentagon last week were the Mexicans working on renovating the building. Wednesday was Cinco de Mayo, a holiday for honoring Mexican history and culture. But our notoriously . . . Read more
5/5/2010	Gates Signals Tough Budget Season For Sea Services Loren B. Thompson Issue Brief It says a lot about the parlous state of federal finances that defense secretary Robert Gates thinks the Navy can't afford to keep buying the kinds of warships that currently populate its fleet. The . . . Read more
4/27/2010	Cyber Remedies Likely To Limit Liberties Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief We certainly have come a long way since the first computer virus was created in Lahore, Pakistan in 1986. Today, some experts believe that a majority of all new software releases around the world involve . . . Read more
4/21/2010	EADS Returns To The Tanker Race -- With Pentagon Help Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief The European Aeronautic, Defense & Space Company (EADS) is back in the race to supply the Air Force with a next-generation aerial refueling tanker, announcing on April 20 that it would once again bid . . . Read more
4/13/2010	The F-35 Will Cost About What An F-16 Costs Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief With the best of intentions, Congress and the Obama Administration have implemented a series of acquisition-reform measures that are making the problem worse. Efforts to clarify the cost of programs . . . Read more
4/5/2010	Northrop Backed Into Shipbuilding, And It Can Back Out Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief A recent story in Defense News by respected naval analyst Christopher Cavas has investors speculating about the future of Northrop Grumman's Avondale shipyard near New Orleans. The yard faces . . . Read more
3/29/2010	"V" For Versatility: Osprey Reaches For New Missions Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief After a long wait, the joint force is growing accustomed to using the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor in operational missions. However, it will probably take a good deal longer before Osprey missions become routine, . . . Read more
3/22/2010	F-35 Cost Rise Is Speculative, But Progress Is Real Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief Last week brought both good news and bad news for the F-35 joint strike fighter, the biggest weapons program currently being funded by the Pentagon. On the plus side, the Marine version of the plane . . . Read more
3/17/2010	Study: European Aircraft Subsidies Have Harmed America Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Issue Brief The Lexington Institute today is releasing a study of European commercial-aircraft subsidies that documents the severe damage they have done to the U.S. aviation industry, and calls on the federal government . . . Read more
3/12/2010	Countering The Asymmetric Threat From Sea Mines Research Study Executive Summary Sea mines have long posed a threat to the operations of U.S. sea-based forces. Since World War II, sea mines have damaged four times the number of U.S. naval vessels as all . . . Read more
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

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