Archives
Recent
November 2012
If the Department of Defense (DoD) were a country it would be the 18th or 19th largest economy in the world, ahead of developed economies such as Switzerland, Belgium and Sweden. Unfortunately, DoD has less in common with these countries and more with today’s “sick man” of Europe, Greece. Both the
. . . Read more
Date:
11/30/2012
If the last two weeks are any indication, Washington is headed off the proverbial fiscal cliff at year's end. Numerous pundits have argued that both parties eventually will compromise to avert a 20% increase in federal revenues at the expense of just about every category of taxpayer -- not to mention
. . . Read more
Date:
11/30/2012
Despite a continuous drumbeat of warnings about defense cuts, the outlook for the Pentagon's biggest weapon program is brightening perceptibly. Defense acquisition czar Frank Kendall told the Reuters news agency yesterday that the government and prime contractor Lockheed Martin are "getting close"
. . . Read more
Date:
11/29/2012
When it comes to combat, context is everything. Is the individual observed a lone gunman or the advance scout for a large army? Is there a weak spot in the adversary’s position that friendly forces can exploit? Was the IED blast the act of a single homicide bomber or part of a coordinated attack?
. . . Read more
Date:
11/28/2012
The conventional challenge of the Cold War was massive Soviet land armies that threatened to sweep across Eurasia. In the first two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union the challenge has been terrorists, insurgents and hybrid opponents. As the withdrawal from Afghanistan proceeds the U.S.
. . . Read more
Date:
11/27/2012
On September 24 I wrote a blog on the Lexington Institute web-site expressing shock at the price-tag for sustaining the Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) air defense system. Patriot is a key feature of the Army's force structure, capable of intercepting both aircraft and tactical missiles.
. . . Read more
Date:
11/27/2012
There's been a lot of buzz lately about how women are moving up in the defense business, but the biggest leap has gotten the least attention. On January 1, Phebe Novakovic will take over as CEO and Chairman of General Dynamics, the Pentagon's number-three supplier and the builder of Gulfstream
. . . Read more
Date:
11/26/2012
Innovative Commercial Communications Technologies Provide a Critical Force Multiplier for U.S. Military. The typical major military acquisition program, termed ACAT I, generally takes a decade or even two to evolve from technology demonstration to full rate production. Commercial providers generally
. . . Read more
Date:
11/21/2012
Last Friday, the face of war changed forever. On that date, the Hamas terrorist group launched a long-range rocket from Gaza at Jerusalem. There are also unconfirmed reports that several rockets also were fired at Tel Aviv, Israel’s main urban center and home to some 40 percent of the country’s
. . . Read more
Date:
11/20/2012
The U.S. is in a global struggle of enormous importance. This is not the war against violent extremists. It is the battle for influence in an increasingly complex and competitive international environment. This is a sphere of international relations dominated by so-called soft power instruments
. . . Read more
Date:
11/19/2012
Whether we get budget sequestration or some alternative in the new year, it's pretty clear that military spending will continue drifting downward as our divided political system grapples with deficit reduction. Maybe that wouldn't be so obvious if the nation were facing urgent threats, but the
. . . Read more
Date:
11/16/2012
Trying to guide, direct or reform the Pentagon’s acquisition system would make steering the Titanic appear easy. There have been many attempts in the past and hundreds of studies, blue ribbon panels and commissions that have recommended ways of improving the system. There has been more oversight
. . . Read more
Date:
11/15/2012
Here's a disaster waiting to happen. InsideDefense.com reports that the U.S. Air Force intends to commission a study on how it can transition its space-launch activities from a "performance-driven" model to a "cost-driven" model that would be much less expensive. A November 2 statement of objectives
. . . Read more
Date:
11/15/2012
The front page of today's Washington Post reports that its respected executive editor, Marcus Brauchli, will be replaced by Martin Baron, currently editor of the Boston Globe. Baron is a good choice: no other newspaper in America resembles the Post as closely as the Globe
. . . Read more
Date:
11/14/2012
Much of the reporting about Marillyn Hewson's surprise promotion to CEO of Lockheed Martin has focused on the fact that she is a woman in an industry traditionally dominated by men. No doubt about it, the demographics of the defense sector are changing dramatically. However, we ought to keep a
. . . Read more
Date:
11/13/2012
According to a recent report by OMB Watch, the White House has the ability to manage immediate effects of sequestration. By delaying the impact of sequestration, the White House will give the new Congress time to strike a deal with the administration regarding budget cuts.
To counteract the
. . . Read more
Date:
11/13/2012
It was only a few years ago that the Department of Defense (DoD) seemed almost incapable of bringing a new rotary wing program to fruition. In rapid succession three major new procurements were terminated: the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter, the VXX Presidential Helicopter and the Combat Search
. . . Read more
Date:
11/13/2012
There aren't many people inside or outside Lockheed Martin who understand it better than Marillyn Hewson. She's been with the company for so long that when she first joined the legacy Lockheed Corporation in 1983, its merger with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin still lay over ten years in
. . . Read more
Date:
11/12/2012
Most assessments of a nation’s military power focus on the “pointy end of the spear,” the combat platforms, weapons systems and munitions. Less publicized and often poorly understood is the contribution of the rest of the spear, the shaft, to the overall mission which is successful delivery of the
. . . Read more
Date:
11/9/2012
Mitt Romney's election defeat signaled the defense industry has missed the last opportunity it had to avoid the kind of downturn that followed the end of the Vietnam War and the Cold War. When your main customer is a political system, who's in power determines how business is likely to fare. In
. . . Read more
Date:
11/9/2012
With the election over and President Obama able to claim a mandate to continue the policies of the past four years, what are the chances of a deal being struck to avert the impending fiscal cliff? In his victory speech, the President said he would work with Republicans on a deal. House Speaker John
. . . Read more
Date:
11/8/2012
When was the last time the Republican national ticket won without a Bush or a Nixon on the ticket? Noodle on that for awhile, and be prepared to be shocked.
On the subject of political patterns, President Barack Obama's re-election this week matches up well with three tried and true axioms:
. . . Read more
Date:
11/8/2012
Trade with China was an issue that got a lot of attention during the recent presidential campaign. Each of the candidates claimed that he would be the one to “stand up” to China, prevent U.S. jobs and know-how from being shipped across the Pacific, protect critical technologies and improve the terms
. . . Read more
Date:
11/7/2012
The presidential campaign that ends today has been long on debates over domestic issues and short on discussions of foreign and national security policy. That may be okay with the electorate predominantly concerned about jobs, deficits, health care, education and the like. Both candidates have promised
. . . Read more
Date:
11/6/2012
As Election Day dawned this morning, millions of voters hoped that the day's results would bring an end to partisan paralysis in Washington. That's definitely possible, but the latest polls suggest that Republicans will hold the House and Democrats will hold the Senate, so we may be headed for
. . . Read more
Date:
11/6/2012
It is becoming clearer with the publication of each e-mail, transcript of telephone calls and time line related to the tragic events in Benghazi on September 11, that the U.S. lacked the appropriate forces to deal with this kind of situation. In particular, what was missing was responsive air power.
. . . Read more
Date:
11/5/2012
There is something vaguely absurd about the tenacity with which Republican partisans are trying to turn the September 11 attack on U.S. personnel in Benghazi, Libya into a symbol of Obama Administration incompetence. Clearly mistakes were made, but U.S. diplomatic personnel serving in unstable
. . . Read more
Date:
11/2/2012
Need plumbing supplies, lighting fixtures, tools, building materials, paints and even ornamental plants, go to Home Depot. Need heavy, medium or light combat forces, medical, intelligence, transportation, logistical and signal units, call the U.S. Army. No job too small or too big; overseas or at
. . . Read more
Date:
11/2/2012
The decision by the Obama Administration to make the Asia-Pacific region the focus of its new defense strategy took a lot of experts by surprise. Yes, China has been building up its military, particularly so-called anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) capabilities designed to force the U.S. military
. . . Read more
Date:
11/1/2012