LexNextThe Lexington
Policy Blog
- When It Comes To Military Launches, SpaceX May No Longer Be The Low-Cost Provider (From Forbes)
On August 7, United Launch Alliance and SpaceX won the competition to provide launch services to the Space Force through 2027. However, a curious thing happened with pricing. ULA got $337 million to perform two missions during the first year, while SpaceX got $316 million to perform one mission. The latter amount is over twice the price that SpaceX founder [ Read More…]
- Paul Steidler
- House Acting On Nonpartisan Postmaster General Act
The U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Reform Committee will be doing something today it has not done in this session of Congress: marking up, that is acting on, a piece of legislation specific to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). On August 25, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), chair of the committee, introduced H.R. 8109, the Nonpartisan Postmaster General Act. The [ Read More…]
- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D
- Why The Plan To Reengine B-52 Bombers Could Cement Pratt & Whitney’s Status As The Air Force’s Top Propulsion House (From Forbes)
Over the last 20 years, the Pratt & Whitney unit of Raytheon Technologies has won contracts to provide engines for the Air Force’s newest fighter, tanker and bomber. You could say it has won the Triple Crown of Air Force propulsion competitions. Only one competition remains to cement its dominance for decades to come: the program that will reengine the [ Read More…]
- Despite Pandemic, The U.S. Army Is In Its Best Shape In A Generation. Here’s Why. (From Forbes)
The U.S. Army was a mess when Donald Trump became president in January of 2017. Only two of its brigades were in a high state of readiness, its modernization plan was faltering, and the Army seemed trapped in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Today, four years later, the Army has been transformed. What happened? Five things stand out: a team at the top with good chemistry that agreed on what had to be done to fix the institution; more money [ Read More…]
- Helmet Mounted Displays Are a Key Combat Advantage for U.S. and Allied Pilots (From RealClearDefense)
What are the capabilities or technologies that distinguish advanced fighter aircraft from their predecessors? Any list should include electronically-scanning radar and other sensors, high-performance engines, advanced avionics, and maybe precision munitions. For fifth-generation aircraft, the F-22 and F-35, supercruise power, stealth shaping and coating, and information sharing would be added. But what about helmet-mounted displays (HMDs)? HMDs are now part of the equipment aboard thousands of fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft. HMDs constitute a key advantage for U.S. and allied pilots [ Read More…]
- End China’s Infection Of The US Power Grid (From RealClearEnergy)
China poses many, unacceptable threats to the U.S. power grid. It can already shut down the grid through a cyberattack and has become a major provider of transformers and other key grid components to U.S. utilities. It is imperative that U.S. grid equipment be made in America, or at least quite friendly countries, as envisioned in a May 1 Executive Order. Lexington Institute’s Paul Steidler discusses these matters here.
- Why The Pentagon’s Ground-Based Midcourse Defense System Needs To Be Upgraded And Expanded (From Forbes)
North Korea is expected to increase the size and sophistication of its nuclear arsenal in the years ahead, including its weapons capable of hitting America. The Trump Administration was planning to upgrade the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system in response; GMD is the only Pentagon program currently capable of intercepting North Korean warheads aimed at the U.S. However, former Pentagon tech chief Michael Griffin derailed key upgrades and decided to pursue an all-new interceptor, raising the prospect of a prolonged period [ Read More…]
- Can Japan Continue To Grow Into The Military Ally The U.S. Needs? (From The National Interest)
The security environment in the Western Pacific is becoming more challenging for the U.S., its friends and allies. China seeks to dominate the region and project power globally. North Korea is expanding its arsenal of ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads. The U.S. is improving its defense posture in the region both qualitatively and quantitatively. U.S. allies in the region, chief among them Japan, are doing the same. need to do the same. But will Japan make the appropriate investments in [ Read More…]
- Air Force’s ‘Skyborg’ Robotic Wingman Will Revolutionize How Air Warfare Is Waged—And How Weapons Are Bought (From Forbes)
The Air Force Research Laboratory is developing a family of robotic air vehicles designed to work with manned aircraft in heavily contested airspace. The program, known as Skyborg, will leverage autonomous vehicle technology, seamless connectivity and open architectures to suppress the defenses of any enemy and accomplish an array of other missions. But Skyborg isn’t just about new capabilities, it is also about new ways of doing business. The Air Force has hired Leidos as system design agent to assure [ Read More…]
- Grid Workers: The Unsung Heroes Of Hurricane Laura
There is some inspiring news in Louisiana and the Deep South which has been pounded by Hurricane Laura: an army of electricity grid workers is in the region and will be working 16-hour days non-stop until electricity is restored. They will be restoring air conditioning and light – and saving many lives. Reliable electricity is essential to modern living. Without it, for example, the elderly and the sick may not be able to find or get medicines. Medicines that need [ Read More…]
- The Marine Corps’ New Way Of Operating Will Still Require The LCAC And SSC (From RealClearDefense)
The Marine Corp is looking to transform itself. In his Planning Guidance, the Commandant, General David Berger, lays out a vision for his Service to make it more relevant to meeting the military challenges associated with great power competition. Making this vision a reality will require changing how the Marine Corps and its supporting naval forces are trained, equipped and organized. Much of the public discussion of the new plan has focused on the desire to acquire new classes of [ Read More…]
- Postal Service’s Latest Financial Report: A Brutal July
As Postmaster General Louis DeJoy was testifying to the U.S. House of Representatives’ Oversight and Reform Committee on Monday, August 24, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) reported whopping losses for the month of July to the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC). First, the good news. The filing is in sync with previous statements from USPS that it has more than enough cash to operate through the election and until at least August 2021. Even so, the financials are brutal. For the [ Read More…]
- Boeing’s Philly Rotorcraft Plant Faces A Difficult Decade As Army, Marines Shift To New Priorities (From Forbes)
The biggest industrial employer in Southeastern Pennsylvania is facing an uncertain future thanks to the Trump Pentagon. The two top rotorcraft programs at Boeing Vertical’s headquarters in suburban Philadelphia are both likely to see declining demand in the near future as the Army and Marine Corps pursue other priorities. In the case of the Marine Corps, its third multiyear contract for the V-22 Osprey, which also produces airframes for other services, will begin winding down after 2023. In the case [ Read More…]