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Policy Blog
- The Osprey, Indispensable For Future War Plans (From RealClearDefense)
Before long, the grounded V-22 Osprey fleet may be back in the air. Air Force Special Operations Command touched off the speculation last week, when they announced that ongoing safety reviews have identified the mechanical part failure that caused the November 29 crash of a CV-22 in route to Okinawa, Japan. Lieutenant General Tony Bauernfeind, Commander, Air Force Special Operations [ Read More…]
- Paul Steidler
- No Such Thing As ‘Unfair Pricing’ In America’s Dynamic Economy
The full text is below and can be found in the PDF here. President Biden and his administration are on the warpath this week against “unfair pricing.” The only problem: It does not exist. More specifically, the White House announced today a “strike force” against “unfair and illegal pricing.” The President is widely expected to make unfair pricing part of [ Read More…]
- Greg Caires
- U.S. Navy’s Newest Carrier Continues Tradition Of Power Projection (From The Maritime Executive)
The U.S. Navy’s newest aircraft carrier – the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) – returned to its homeport of Norfolk, Virginia, on January 17, 2024. Underway for 239 days, the ship launched more than 10,000 aircraft sorties, conducted 43 underway replenishments, and sailed more than 83,000 nautical miles. The Ford is the first ship in a new class of aircraft carriers – the [ Read More…]
- It’s Open Season On U.S. Companies From Europe, And Beyond (From RealClearMarkets)
On March 6, the European Commission is expected to celebrate its onerous implementation of new regulatory restrictions against five large U.S. technology leaders: Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, Meta (Facebook), and Microsoft. That’s the deadline for these companies, determined to be technology gatekeepers, to comply with voluminous provisions of the Digital Markets Act ostensibly so their services are improved for customers and even competitors. What the European Commission is really up to is a regulatory power and financial grab, which also [ Read More…]
- House Judiciary Committee Calls Out FTC Leadership’s Bad Practices
Need some encouragement that official Washington is not broken when it comes to checks and balances? Exhibit A is a February 22 report by the House Judiciary Committee shining a bright spotlight on broad and deep concerns that career civil servants at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have with its audacious, progressive Chair, Lina Khan. Civil servants, overwhelming Democrats, and House Republicans led by Committee Chair Jim Jordan may seem like strange bedfellows, but they both have the public good [ Read More…]
- Why The Pentagon Needs A Quantum Czar (From Breaking Defense)
Just when you thought drones, artificial intelligence and hypersonic missiles were the must-haves for future warfare, here comes yet another priority: quantum computing. Quantum computing literally changes the basis of information sciences. The Pentagon knows that, and has been fueling quantum information science research for years. In fact, across the government, there are no less than 14 quantum-focused centers at work on problems ranging from communications to extreme computing and entanglement distribution for secure encryption. And that’s the problem: there [ Read More…]
- Patriots Among Us
While we all enjoyed our President’s Day off on Monday, today is actually George Washington’s birthday. All hail to our first commander-in-chief. President’s Day was first consolidated to combine Washington and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays, which was a good cause. But it has become watered down in the public mind, and now for many people it is a celebration of all our presidents. That is too bad, so the Lexington Institute has decided to go ahead and celebrate Washington’s birthday on [ Read More…]
- Putin’s Nuke Threat Endangers Some Of America’s Coolest Technology (From Fox News)
Russian President Vladimir Putin is working on a nasty, new nuclear anti-satellite weapon. Leaders in Congress were briefed last week in a highly secret session, but exactly what is Putin targeting? It is likely that he wants to threaten specific American systems. Here are three top possibilities, and they’re all pretty scary. First is the missile warning Space-Based Infrared System or SBIRS. Then, of course, there is the Global Positioning System that keeps your daily life and America’s economy humming. There’s also a chance Putin wants [ Read More…]
- Congress To The FTC: Stop Attacking The U.S.’s Entrepreneurial Spirit (From RealClearMarkets)
On February 12, Representative James Comer, Chair of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, threw down the gauntlet to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), demanding the Committee interview five of its leaders about the FTC’s audacious policies. FTC leadership has a lot to answer for. It has consistently attacked the American entrepreneurial spirit by imposing costs, uncertainties, and legal intimidations that have stalled and constrained the ingenuity that America needs to remain the world’s economic leader. For starters, the FTC [ Read More…]
- Threats To U.S. Elections Are Creating A New Kind Of National Security Challenge (From Forbes)
In the old days, national security was all about military challenges. Not anymore. Pandemics and climate changes are now viewed as part of the panoply of threats to the nation. But Washington has been slow to recognize what may be the biggest non-military threat of all: the growing efforts of bad actors at home and abroad to subvert the election process. Without secure, credible elections, the entire edifice of democracy is at risk. Congress needs to pay attention. I have [ Read More…]
- Army Rethink Of Aviation Priorities Is A Big Boost For Boeing (From Forbes)
On February 8, the Army disclosed that it will end development of a manned recon helicopter and place greater emphasis on unmanned systems. Funding intended for the canceled program is being reallocated in a fashion designed to support other missions and bolster the rotorcraft industrial base. Boeing is a big beneficiary of this realignment, because its Block II upgrades of the Chinook helicopter can now proceed to full-rate production, and its Apache attack helicopter will continue to execute what is [ Read More…]
- America’s B-1 Bomber Teaches Iran A Firepower Lesson (From Fox News)
On Friday, strikes by U.S. Air Force B-1 bombers demolished 85 aimpoints at four Iran proxy militia target areas in Syria and three in Iraq. And they did it launching from Texas. The White House has promised a multi-layered campaign against the militias backed by Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps. So far, President Biden and his team are relying on airpower to contain and punish Iran’s proxies. But let me assure you, Friday’s strikes were just a taste of what the B-1s can unleash. For the B-1 crews [ Read More…]
- The U.S. Commercial Ship Industry Has Collapsed. Fallout For National Security Could Follow. (From Forbes)
Last month, legislators from both chambers of Congress sent President Biden a letter expressing alarm at the decline of the commercial shipbuilding and shipping industry. They have a point: the industry barely exists beyond domestic routes reserved from U.S.-flag vessels. U.S. production of commercial, oceangoing vessels is less than 1% of global output, compared with 40% for China. The U.S.-flag fleet has shrunk to a mere 177 vessels, whereas over 5,000 large commercial vessels fly the Chinese flag. It is [ Read More…]