The Department of Defense (DoD) is on a mission to transform the way it acquires advanced military capabilities. Each of the Military Services has stood up a special organization expressly for the purpose of shortening the cycle time associated with developing and procuring new weapons systems and promoting innovation. The U.S. Army has been boldest, creating a new four-star command, Army Futures Command (AFC), for the express purpose of speeding up all aspects of modernization. The aerospace and defense industry [ Read More…]

The Army’s plans to develop a new Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle and combat robots have dominated the public discussion of ground vehicle modernization. Yet, the Army is making great strides in making the rest of its armored fighting vehicle fleets more capable. A new variant of the Abrams main battle tank and a replacement for the M-113 are entering production. The Army has initiated a program to upgrade at least three Stryker brigades with a new turret housing a 30mm [ Read More…]

Raytheon has developed a modular radar for the U.S. Navy that will greatly enhance defense against airborne and ballistic threats.  Officially designated as SPY-6, the radar comes in multiple variants for different warship types, depending on how much power, cooling and space they have available.  One variant is intended for backfitting on destroyers already in the fleet, with the first deliveries of that variant scheduled for 2024.  However, the head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command has recently called for accelerated [ Read More…]

The Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency has issued solicitations for a future interceptor capable of defeating long-range nuclear warheads. It would replace the current ground-based interceptor that is part of the only defensive system the U.S. has for protecting the American homeland from North Korean missiles. The agency has said precious little in public about the planned weapon, but a discussion with multiple informed sources indicates it will be a hit-to-kill weapon with multiple kill mechanisms capable of fitting into underground [ Read More…]

Modern warfare is undergoing a transformation as broad and complex as that which occurred in the first half of the twentieth century. To the three classic domains of warfare—land, sea, and air—space and cyber have been added. Military systems in all domains are evolving to be longer range, more precise, and highly lethal. The ability to integrate a wide range of sensors, computers, databases, and networks has resulted in the competition for military advantage shifting toward a fight to acquire, exploit, [ Read More…]

The recent conversation between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky has generated renewed interest in the subject of the fight against corruption in the former Soviet Republics (FSRs) and Moscow’s erstwhile allies, often referred to as post-Soviet states in Europe. Almost from their first days as independent nations, corruption has been a major problem for these countries. Corrupt practices have created an avenue for outsiders, particularly Russia, to undermine fragile institutions, blackmail leaders and influence political processes. In Ukraine, the [ Read More…]

There’s an easy way for European governments to avoid the tariffs that the U.S. Trade Representative is threatening to levy in response to illegal aircraft subsidies. All they have to do is kill the subsidies and bring their behavior into compliance with treaty obligations under the World Trade Organization. The WTO ruled a decade ago that Airbus might never have brought any aircraft to market had it not received massive, prohibited subsidies, mainly in the form of euphemistically-named “launch aid.” [ Read More…]

The U.S. military only has one program capable of intercepting long-range ballistic missiles aimed at America. It is called the Ground-based Midcourse Defense, or GMD, and it is not in good shape. Many years of under-investment have left GMD in a state of gradual decay, and a plan to turn it around was recently aborted. Pentagon tech gurus want to start over with a secret effort called the Next Generation Interceptor. There’s only one problem: the next-gen solution won’t be [ Read More…]

The United States just won a significant trade victory over China. No longer will we and other countries subsidize the international shipment of e-commerce and other small packages from China. This helps U.S. manufacturers, retailers, e-commerce companies and the U.S. Postal Service. The U.S. took a tough and clear stand, negotiating for 15 months. We also forged alliances with other countries and even a United Nations-organization to achieve these results. Paul Steidler has written a commentary for InsideSources here.

Boris Johnson, describing himself as the ‘Hulk’, has borrowed from Trump’s playbook to ‘smash’ his Brexit policy through parliament. Too bad he’s only ‘incredible’ in a very literal sense.  Those who are bewildered by the current state of American politics need only look across the pond for a dismal reminder that it could be worse. Brexit is as torturous as ever, parliament was suspended, and the Supreme Court has deemed the government’s actions unlawful. Voices from both sides of the [ Read More…]