Almost nobody knows where they are at any given time, yet nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines quietly patrol dark domains of the undersea realm in strategically vital waters around the globe, bringing the prospect of unprecedented destruction upon potential enemies — all as a way to keep peace. Undersea strategic deterrence, intended to ensure a second, retaliatory strike in the event of a catastrophic nuclear attack upon the U.S., ultimately relies upon the accuracy, resilience and functionality of the Trident II [ Read More…]

The Nation’s amphibious warfare fleet is in need of revitalization through the acquisition of new, more capable ships faster. U.S. amphibious warfare forces are this country’s first line of defense. The Navy and Marine Corps want both to increase the size of the amphibious fleet, and to introduce more capable ships. But competing Navy budget priorities raise questions about the Service’s ability to achieve these goals. The Navy’s initial Fiscal Year 2020 budget submission cut two amphibious transport docks (LPD) [ Read More…]

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump demonstrated his commitment to a strong U.S. economy, to job growth and to national security by the simple act of refusing to sign a waiver to the Jones Act that would have permitted foreign-flagged liquid natural gas (LNG) carriers to operate between U.S. ports. The Jones Act is a nearly 100-year-old law that requires cargoes carried between U.S. ports be carried in vessels built in the United States, operated under the U.S. flag and [ Read More…]

Boeing, the biggest aerospace enterprise in history, is facing a crisis due to two accidents involving its 737 jetliner. The media coverage has been merciless. Perhaps some historical perspective is needed on what Boeing has meant for America. For starters, Boeing has been the biggest innovator in aerospace for a century. It has survived unforgiving market forces that wiped out most of its rivals. It is the nation’s biggest exporter. It is a huge customer of small and medium-size U.S. [ Read More…]

While the prices of most sources of electricity have plummeted over the past decade, electricity prices are still too high for many Americans, especially the poor. One in five households goes without heat or air conditioning in order to be warm in the winter or cool in the summer. The often-hidden costs of renewable power are contributing to these hardships and must be addressed before the situation becomes worse. Lexington Institute’s Paul Steidler has written a commentary for InsideSources about [ Read More…]

Just about everybody who follows military affairs knows that the tri-service F-35 fighter is stealthy — in other words, it is nearly impossible to track using radar. What many observers do not realize is that F-35 is also equipped with one of the most sophisticated electronic-warfare systems ever devised. That enables it to accomplish a wide array of tasks on the electromagnetic spectrum that legacy tactical aircraft could not.  The synergy of stealth and sophisticated electronic capabilities for both offensive [ Read More…]

This week Raytheon delivered the first SPY-6 radar that it has been developing since 2013 for the U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke destroyers. It is a true breakthrough, using new materials and modular design concepts to provide a three-fold gain in range over the existing SPY-1 while enabling vastly improved discrimination of diverse threats. Because the modular design makes the technology seamlessly expansible, SPY-6 can be scaled up or down for installation on everything from surface combatants to aircraft carriers to [ Read More…]

The U.S. Postal Service loves to say it “receives no tax dollars for operating expenses” and relies on sales to fund operations. It shies away, though, from discussing a $15 billion low-interest line of credit from the U.S. Department of Treasury. Without this, the Postal Service would be broke, and operations would grind to a halt. That credit line is in danger of being significantly reduced as the U.S. Treasury pulls out all the stops to avoid a federal default [ Read More…]

Building on the report I co-authored with Don Soifer, Getting School Districts Ready for the Military Student Identifier, senior officials from Virginia Beach City Public Schools and the Commanders of Naval Air Station Oceana and Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek–Fort Story – two local military installations in Virginia Beach – recently gathered to discuss how they are working to ensure the academic and social-emotional needs of military-connected students are being met through strong relationships, excellent programs, and focused resources that have [ Read More…]

Earlier this year, the Army declared General Electric (GE) the winner of the competition for the Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP), which will replace the existing power plants on Black Hawk and Apache helicopters and potentially power the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA). The award was based on a preliminary design review, essentially a paper description of the proposed engine. Limited testing of components was performed, but not of an entire working engine. The result is a greater risk to [ Read More…]