The P-8 Poseidon is the U.S. Navy’s only long-range aircraft for conducting anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare. The Navy says its has a validated warfighting requirement for 138 of the aircraft, but apparently it will fund no additional Poseidons beyond the 117 already sought. The program is on schedule and experiencing no cost overruns, but the Navy budget is stretched across too many missions in too many places. Cutting anti-submarine aircraft doesn’t seem to be the best bill-payer the Navy could [ Read More…]

When Poland joined the NATO alliance in 1999, its military was saddled with rapidly obsolescing platforms and equipment largely of Soviet design. In response to the Russian seizure of Crimea and its massive military buildup, Warsaw initiated a major modernization program intended to provide its military with advanced capabilities. One key element of that effort is to upgrade or replace the Polish army’s fleet of old armored fighting vehicles, particularly its battle tanks. The Ministry of Defense acquired some 250 [ Read More…]

Over the last four decades, America has gone from being the biggest builder of commercial ships used in conducting international trade to producing no such ships at all. Only 1% of oceangoing container ships and tankers are now built in the U.S., and all of them are used in the protected domestic market. What protects that market is the Jones Act, a hundred-year-old law that reserves routes between domestic ports for U.S.-made ships manned by U.S. crews. Efforts are constantly [ Read More…]

The competition to be the first to invent the next global wireless standard, known as 5G, is of extraordinary importance not just to the U.S. economy, but to national security. Today, the United States is in a head-to-head race with several countries, notably China. In the United States, winning this race will depend almost entirely on the efforts of private companies, the most prominent of which is Qualcomm. In what some sources have called a new “arms race” for 5G, [ Read More…]

The Air Force is apparently moving to award its $85 billion replacement program for the Minuteman ICBM to Northrop Grumman. Boeing, the other offeror in what was supposed to be a competition, withdrew alleging that the deck had been stacked against it. The problem was that Northrop bought the only company making large solid rocket motors used on ballistic missiles, and then leveraged its new asset to put Boeing at a disadvantage. At least, that’s what Boeing claims. This outcome [ Read More…]

The U.S. Air Force is developing the most advanced long-range strike aircraft in history, and a recent assessment published by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute suggested that Australia should buy it. Washington in the past has not offered long-range bombers for sale to allies, but in this case it might make some sense. Australia is a trusted ally and its regional security goals are compatible with America’s. Canberra needs a credible long-range deterrent given the distances involved in the Western [ Read More…]

For decades government policy experts and scientists have known about the dangers of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) events which could cripple large sections of the power grid for long periods of time. EMP disturbances occur naturally, through solar storms. They could also happen due to high-altitude nuclear bomb detonations or through on-the-ground attacks by terrorists or saboteurs. While the U.S. has been able to avoid a major EMP event for decades, it must play catch up on preparations. The U.S. Department [ Read More…]

November 14, 2019 Meeting Postmaster General Brennan, members of the Board of Governors, thank you for your service. You face harder, more consequential and important challenges than a corporate board. As was discussed earlier, and a related reminder, Title 39 says, “The Governors shall represent the public interest generally.” Two months ago, at the Universal Postal Union, the Postal Service and Administration scored a major victory, eliminating subsidies to foreign shippers that have cost the Postal Service more than $300 [ Read More…]

The threat to the U.S. Navy from cyber intrusion has become a crisis. Hackers, particularly those from Russia and China, are not limiting themselves to attacks on computers and networks. Now they are engaged in a massive assault on the entire Navy enterprise, including ships, weapons systems, research and development establishments, the supply chain, and shore facilities. According to a recent report, the Navy and its private sector partners are inadequately prepared to deal with the growing threat. But the [ Read More…]

Governor Cuomo is looking to aggressively build offshore wind power to serve New York City and Long Island, despite its high cost and threat to grid reliability. In fact, the U.S. currently has just one, yes one, offshore wind facility. California and much of Europe have so far taken a pass on offshore wind. Offshore wind projects also face challenges of physical security, environmental opposition, regulatory uncertainty and vulnerability to hacking. Lexington Institute’s Paul Steidler has written a commentary for [ Read More…]