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Policy Blog
- Key Takes On The U.S. Postal Service’s Turnaround Plan
The full text is below and can be found in the PDF here. By Robert J. Pedersen, Former USPS Finance Executive Three years ago, just nine months into Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s tenure, the Postal Service (USPS) unveiled its Delivering for America (DFA) plan, with forecasts of key financial indicators for 10 fiscal years,[1] 2021 through 2030. Annual data provide [ Read More…]
- Rebecca L. Grant, Ph.D.
- Israel’s Near-Perfect Missile Success Had A Special Line Of Defense (From Fox News)
Diplomacy and deterrence failed, but on Saturday the U.S. military stepped in to help protect Israel against the unprecedented attack from Iran. A near-perfect missile defense, beginning with U.S. planes and warships, brought down 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles and 120 ballistic missiles. Years of work on technology and training came together with a lot of tactical lessons learned from operations in the [ Read More…]
- Major General Arnold Punaro (Ret)
- US Is ‘Not As Prepared’ As We Should Be Amid Israel-Iran Conflict: Arnold Punaro (From Fox Business)
Due to conflicts and tensions on multiple fronts around the world, the US military has to significantly enhance its deterrence capability. Not only that, the US has to reestablish credibility that it will actually use its deterrence measures. It is not enough for Iran to be told “Don’t” by President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of [ Read More…]
- Unexpected But Welcome: US Navy’s Amphibious Warship Plan Supported Across Political Parties & Government Branches (From Marine Link)
Here’s some good news for America’s sea power. While the U.S. Navy has initiated another review of its 30-year shipbuilding plan in the face of widespread dissatisfaction, one element within that plan has been praised: the decision to provide funding for continued construction of amphibious warfare ships. These vessels offer unmatched flexibility and the capability of transporting, deploying, and supporting ground combat forces – typically U.S. Marine Corps – to conduct amphibious assaults, humanitarian operations, or disaster relief missions. This [ Read More…]
- 5 Reasons Why A Top Chinese Hacker Gang And Their Friends Could Wreak Havoc On US (From Fox News)
You may never have heard of Threat Actor Storm-0558, but this top Chinese hacker gang broke into the State Department computer systems via Microsoft Exchange Online last spring and read emails for several weeks before Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s visit to Beijing. They also got to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, Rep. Don Bacon of Illinois, and 391 other Americans plus other government offices in the U.S. and Europe. Homeland Security is plenty mad at China [ Read More…]
- Low Earth Orbit Is A High-Value Domain (From RealClearDefense)
Low Earth Orbit – known as LEO – is the future for communications satellites. It’s also a high-value domain for national security. And it’s getting crowded. Elon Musk’s Starlink has over 5500 satellites on orbit and just launched 23 more Friday morning. Amazon is putting $10 billion into its LEO constellation named Kuiper that will build out to 3,236 satellites. To get half the constellation up by 2026, Amazon just carried out the largest-ever block buy of satellite launches. Then there is [ Read More…]
- Lina Khan’s “National Champions” Canard
We are pleased to announce the launch of our newsletter, LexNext Innovation Examiner which analyzes issues in the tech and national security nexus. The first edition, which reviews a major speech by Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan to the Carnegie Endowment can be found in the PDF here. The text is also below. Lina Khan’s “National Champions” Canard Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan has launched a troubling, strange, and fundamentally misleading campaign against America’s leading defense and [ Read More…]
- USN: Carrier-Based Military Diplomacy Works (From CBS Eye On The World With John Batchelor)
Lexington Vice President Rebecca Grant discusses the Ford-class carriers with John Batchelor. Carrier deterrence is more important than ever as shown by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s deployment of two carriers to the Mideast in the Gaza crisis. China is building its Fujian-class for local air superiority around the South China Seas. US carriers are still survivable against Chinese missiles; speed and tactics of US carriers will keep them in the fight. Future carriers will also fly a lot more drones. Listen to [ Read More…]
- Army Budget Invests In Lessons From Ukraine With Focus On Deterring China (From Defense Opinion)
As Ukraine’s valiant fight against Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion enters its third year, the U.S. Army’s newly released fiscal 2025 budget incorporates the top lessons from combat in Ukraine and sends a powerful message as a deterrent against possible conflict with China. Here are four key insights about the budget starting with munitions, air defense and armored vehicles and culminating with the rising dominance of deep sensing, which is the collection of data to support targeting, situational awareness and decision-making.
- Against All Odds, Army Making Solid Progress On Modernization (From RealClearDefense)
Today the United States and the U.S. Army are once again positioning for a two-front war, as we did in the Spanish American war, World War Two, and during the Cold War. The U.S. is the chief outside architect of the assistance to Ukraine as it battles Russia. Meanwhile, we and our friends in Asia prepare for what many believe will be an inevitable clash of arms with China. While some think the U.S. Army should not become a big [ Read More…]
- Navy Makes Shocking Aircraft Carrier Decision While China Threat Rises (From Fox News)
What a shock. According to the newly released budget, the Pentagon wants to slow down America’s aircraft carriers. Delaying aircraft carriers courts disaster at a time when their deterrence value is higher than ever. The Navy has a budget plan for new aircraft carriers that can launch drones, carry lasers and face down China, but President Biden’s budget took out so much money that the whole aircraft carrier plan may fall apart. I have written more on this subject here.
- Can We Accelerate Foreign Military Sales? Arm Our Allies Faster? (From Warrior Maven)
In 2023, sales of American-made military equipment to US allies and partners significantly increased – to $80.9 billion – through the highly successful Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process, a 55.9% increase compared to the $51.9 billion of 2022. This dramatic upswing is the result of continued threats emanating from Russia and China, as well as the war in Ukraine. But not all foreign military sales move so quickly. Most “friends and family” arms deals forged during White House meetings with foreign leaders [ Read More…]
- Bureaucratic Screw-Ups Stall New FTC Commissioners
The full text is below and can be found in the PDF here. Bureaucratic Screw-Ups Stall New FTC Commissioners By Paul Steidler When the President and the US Senate want something from the bureaucracy, it usually happens immediately, but not in the case of getting new commissioners to serve on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The delays in the swearing-in of Melissa Holyoak and Andrew Ferguson to be on the FTC more than two weeks after the US Senate confirmed [ Read More…]