Sierra Space, a subsidiary of Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), disclosed last month that it is partnering with Blue Origin to establish a privately owned and operated space station that it hopes will become the “premier commercial destination” in low Earth orbit. This is the latest step in the commercialization of space, and illustrates the central role that entrepreneurs are playing in opening the cosmos to private enterprise. Billionaires Eren and Fatih Ozmen, co-owners of SNC, view space as more than [ Read More…]

The Chinese hypersonic missile threat has made the United States rethink its missile defense approach. U.S. defense officials recognize that America’s missile defense capabilities, while formidable, are designed to track and shoot down traditional ballistic missiles and would struggle with hypersonic systems. MDA is looking at developing a specialized sensor constellation, called the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor system that will provide continuous tracking of both hypersonic and regular ballistic missiles. The HBTSS network will provide high-quality tracking and targeting [ Read More…]

It seems that one of the few things on which Democrats and Republics in Congress can agree is they want to put constraints on the U.S. technology sector. Members of both the House and Senate have put forth at least five bills directed at limiting how large technology companies operate. The most notable of these efforts is the American Innovation and Choice Online (AICO) Act. Rather than seeking to create a more open and competitive environment in online business, this [ Read More…]

Despite being a major military power, Italy has never quite attained the status in Washington enjoyed by other big NATO members like Britain, France and Germany. But that is about to change, partly because those other allies are becoming less useful as regional bulwarks against Russian aggression, and partly because of Italy’s intrinsic appeal. The country’s intrinsic appeal includes a strategic location in the Mediterranean, a foreign policy complementary to Washington’s, a forward-looking military investment plan, and emotional ties arising [ Read More…]

These are heady days for bashing U.S. and European multinational oil corporations while also begging OPEC to increase oil production. While the U.S. House of Representatives is excoriating oil company CEOs, the Biden Administration is pleading for more oil from abroad. Talk about bizarre and mixed messages. A better course is to hold Big Oil accountable to its bold promises for cleaner energy production and to track how it is doing. The push for a cleaner oil and natural gas [ Read More…]

The greatest challenge facing the U.S. military may not be Chinese nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles or Russian hypersonic weapons. Rather, it may come from unmanned aerial systems (UASs), or drones, in the hands of foreign militaries and violent extremist groups. The threat posed by small and medium sized drones is particularly acute. These platforms are extremely hard to detect and counter with traditional air defense systems. The U.S. military is fielding interim solutions to deal with these small UASs. A robust [ Read More…]

The Department of Defense has been pursuing digital transformation for some time, but changes in work habits wrought by the global pandemic have given it a renewed sense of urgency. Many workers want to continue some aspects of working remotely; if the Pentagon resists it will be harder to recruit and retain talent. But if remote work is to become routine, business processes will need to be reengineered to deliver easy access, airtight security and maximum transparency. CACI, a major [ Read More…]

November 10, 2021 Meeting Thank you for the opportunity to be here today. Thank you to Postmaster General DeJoy, Chairman Bloom, and all the Board members for your service. You do a great deal of work and frankly do not get compensated fairly for it. The Lexington Institute, though, respectfully, strongly, and profoundly disagrees with the decision to slow 40 percent of first-class mail. We urge you to reverse course on this pivotal matter. The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) has [ Read More…]

The opioid epidemic continues to ravage America. In 2020, 69,710 Americans died from opioid overdoses, up 49 percent from 2018. There is no indication this epidemic is subsiding; rather it appears to be getting worse. Illegal opioids are readily available via the international mail system. America has the technical know-how to better identify and seize larger quantities of these drugs in the international mail system. In fact, a 2018 law, the Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention Act, requires such action [ Read More…]

In recent years, Boeing has suffered several major setbacks in its defense business, stoking a perception that the enterprise is not what it once was. However, a close look at how those setbacks unfolded suggests that the government played an important part in each reversal. In the case of the KC-46 tanker, it set the company up for big losses by refusing to take into account illegal subsidies provided to Airbus in comparing bids. In the case of the B-21 [ Read More…]