When strategists discuss strategic deterrence, they are almost always talking about nuclear weapons. However, the Pentagon is planning to introduce non-nuclear hypersonic missiles into the joint force later in this decade, and the novel features of those systems could contribute to the current deterrence regime. Among other things, hypersonic weapons can assure the penetration of retaliatory strikes, make it easier to mount responses that are proportional to the provocation, enable the U.S. to avoid crossing the nuclear threshold, bolster credibility [ Read More…]

America has a deadly drinking problem, which is getting worse, especially among the young. A November 1 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that “an estimated 1 in 8 deaths among U.S. adults aged 20 to 64 years were attributable to excessive alcohol use, including 1 in 5 deaths among adults aged 20 to 49 years.” And things have gotten worse with COVID.. This should be the impetus for Congress to tap the breaks on a [ Read More…]

The name of Huntington Ingalls is synonymous with shipbuilding. That, ironically, is why the company has begun referring to itself a simply HII. Although it plans to remain the nation’s biggest builder of warships, its Mission Technologies unit is growing rapidly in markets outside shipbuilding. The unit’s recent successes include artificial intelligence, network security, electronic warfare, unmanned systems and synthetic training. In other words, it is leveraging digital skills into high-growth markets. The margins may be higher in shipbuilding, but [ Read More…]

Too often the welfare of postal workers is ignored when discussing new delivery vehicles for the U.S. Postal Service. The workers need these new vehicles as soon as possible. Today, the U.S. Postal Service is in the process of replacing up to 165,000 delivery vehicles that are typically at least 25 years old, dangerous, and prone to breakdowns. They lack airbags and anti-lock brakes. Many do not have air conditioning or adequate heating systems. More than 400 have caught on [ Read More…]

The Biden administration has adopted a more aggressive approach to antitrust enforcement than that of his predecessor, and the tech industry is high on its list of targets. There is nothing wrong in principle with this stance, but in practice the administration’s thinking appears to be ideologically driven and highly speculative. In particular, it is assailing vertical mergers of a type that the federal government has not challenged for decades. It is trying to block transactions that might one day [ Read More…]

Ukraine may provide answers to many questions regarding the way high-end wars of the 21st century will be fought. One of the most important of these questions is the appropriate balance between precision and massed fires. Both sides have employed large numbers of precision and unguided projectiles in the nearly year-long war. The answer to this question is of critical importance for the Department of Defense as it not only seeks to replenish munitions stockpiles drawn down as a result of [ Read More…]

The AH-64 Apache helicopter is the Army’s premier airborne tank killer, and thus plays a pivotal role in future land warfare plans. The service is currently remanufacturing 812 Apaches to an “E” variant, a process it has undertaken every dozen years or so ever since the helicopter first debuted in the 1980s. However, the last AH-64E will be funded in 2025, and the Army has no comprehensive or actionable plan beyond then for further modernization. That’s a problem, because the [ Read More…]

Just in time, directed energy (DE) weapons are coming to the battlefield. As the conflict in Ukraine demonstrates, a revolution in offensive air capabilities is in the offing, driven largely by advances in unmanned aerial systems (UASs), or drones. This has resulted in an urgent need for improved air defenses, particularly to defeat increasingly sophisticated drones. Fortunately, decades of experimentation and development have borne fruit at the right moment. Raytheon has shown that it can package DE systems and associated power generation capabilities [ Read More…]

It has been a great year for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). But it is now pushing the Biden Administration hard for another $14 billion on top of $120 billion in taxpayer funds it has received since December 2020. By law, USPS is supposed to be self-supporting. At issue is a large but arcane request from USPS to have its Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) pension obligations readjusted so it receives a $14 billion credit from the Office of Personnel [ Read More…]

The U.S. Army needs to replace its aging Guardrail recon aircraft, which lacks the functionality and survivability required for an era of great-power competition. It has a long-term plan that involves acquiring a fleet of modified business jets with greater reach and endurance, but between now and when that plan comes to fruition, it needs an interim solution. The program to secure an interim, contractor-operated aircraft is called ATHENA-R, and at least three companies are credible contenders to win the [ Read More…]