LexNextThe Lexington
Policy Blog
- Why Slow Construction Of The Navy’s ‘Fabulously Successful’ DDG-51 Destroyer When Plans For A Successor Are Unclear? (From Forbes)
The DDG-51 Arleigh Burke class of destroyers is one of the most successful naval construction programs in modern history. It is the most versatile destroyer ever built, and on any given day dozens are deployed around the globe. But the Navy has begun talking about a Large Surface Combatant that might serve as the Burke’s successor–one with more space and [ Read More…]
- Paul Steidler
- Why We Should Watch The Electric Grid Blow Up
For years, a bevy of national security, cybersecurity, energy, and other experts in important government agencies have strongly and clearly warned about the cataclysmic dangers facing America from cyberattacks on the electric grid. Hostile nation-states and others could wipe out electricity in large parts of the country for weeks or longer, leading to widespread death, economic chaos, and other upheavals. [ Read More…]
- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D
- How A Low-Cost Upgrade Could Make Hundreds Of Air Force C-130s Safer And More Useful (From Forbes)
The U.S. Air Force’s C-130 transport has remained versatile and relevant for seven decades through the timely implementation of upgrades to the original airframe. Today, it is time for another such upgrade: an enhanced vision system to amplify the value of digital head-up displays. The enhanced vision system overlays an image of surrounding terrain and obstacles on top of the [ Read More…]
- Three Ways To Make The M1 Abrams The Tank Of The Future (From RealClearDefense)
The Army appears fixated on fielding transformational capabilities. At the same time, it must be sure that the other armored fighting vehicle fleets can be effective in future high-end fights. The way it is doing this is through a series of planned upgrades. Perhaps the perfect example of the ability of the value of smart upgrades is the M1A2 Abrams main battle tank. Since it was first deployed in 1980, the Abrams has undergone continuous modification and upgrades in response [ Read More…]
- Four New Weapons That Will Define The Biden Defense Posture (From Forbes)
Predicting the priorities of a new presidential administration is risky business–especially when it hasn’t even taken office yet. However, President-elect Biden has a long and fairly consistent track record on defense, so when it comes to weapons programs some of the calls are easy to make. For instance, the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine is critical to assuring effective nuclear deterrence, a strategy Biden has embraced since he first entered the Senate. The B-21 bomber, designed for both nuclear and conventional [ Read More…]
- Biden And The Postal Service: Why Conciliation Trumps Combat
Joe Biden and his likely incoming administration must make a basic decision about how they will deal with the large and financially troubled U.S. Postal Service (USPS). Option one is to continue, even accelerate, House Democrats’ policy of belligerence toward Republican Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. Option two is to recognize the reality that DeJoy is likely to remain as Postmaster General for the next few years and that he is a potential ally for overdue holistic postal reforms. Conciliation is [ Read More…]
- Can the Pentagon Come Up With An Effective Strategy For Countering Small Drones? (From RealClearDefense)
Drones or unmanned aerial systems (UAS), particularly small ones, are proliferating on the battlefield. They also pose a growing threat to the homeland. The drones themselves and the tactics for employing them are becoming more sophisticated. Small drones require different counters than larger ones that resemble aircraft. They are harder to detect, track and engage. Over the past decade, the military has fielded lots of stop-gap solutions. Industry is working on many more, some extremely sophisticated. Now, the Pentagon is [ Read More…]
- Airbus Wants To Sell Space Services To U.S. Spy Agencies. That Raises Some Questions. (From Forbes)
The U.S. arm of Airbus Space & Defense reorganized last summer to bid for classified intelligence work. An early target reportedly will be the opportunity to sell commercial imagery to the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). But such work is highly sensitive, and there are questions that Airbus will need to answer. Why would NRO hire a state-subsidized foreign company that has done extensive harm to the U.S. aerospace sector? Why would NRO hire a company that has conducted space business [ Read More…]
- Why The U.S. Can And Must Win The Race For Hypersonic Weapons (From RealClearDefense)
Winning the race to deploy hypersonic weapons will be one of the most important achievements in U.S. national security of the 21st Century. For the U.S. and its allies, hypersonic weapons are more than a counterbalance to Russia and China. They hold out the prospect for fundamentally undermining competitors’ massive investments in so-called anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) capabilities. The Department of Defense has put together a well-thought-out and funded program to provide all Services with hypersonic weapons. Equally important, the aerospace [ Read More…]
- Mail-In Ballots: What Matters Most Tonight
The U.S. Postal Service reported that on November 2 it delivered 89.59% of ballots on time to election officials. These figures have been reported daily since October 24 to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Figures in the accompanying chart for outstanding ballots come from the U.S. Elections Project with the University of Florida. Wisconsin and Florida figures are from today, November 3.
- Biden Win Would Be A Mixed Blessing For Aerospace, But A Trump Win Could Be Worse (From Forbes)
President Trump has been a friend of the domestic aerospace sector during his first term, increasing Pentagon weapons outlays and promoting overseas arms sales. However, a second Trump term could be problematic if he tries to decouple from China, withdraws from NATO, or ends U.S. membership in the World Trade Organization. Such moves could make it harder for companies like Boeing to compete with foreign rivals. As president, Joe Biden wouldn’t do any of those things, but he would be [ Read More…]
- Why Japan Must Reconsider Its Aegis Deployments (From The Jewish Policy Center)
The security environment in the Western Pacific is becoming more challenging for the U.S., its friends, and allies. China seeks to dominate the region and project power globally. North Korea is expanding its arsenal of ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads. The U.S. is improving its defense posture in the region both qualitatively and quantitatively. U.S. allies in the region, chief among them Japan, need to do the same. Japan has taken some important steps, notably by acquiring the F-35 Joint [ Read More…]
- Big Data Essential For Oil & Gas Industry To Become Cleaner (From RealClearEnergy)
The oil and gas industry has a long track record of making its operations cleaner and more efficient. By unleashing information technology, data analytics, and related cloud storage throughout operations, progress can be accelerated in these areas. This will benefit the companies while leading to major reductions in emissions. The environmental improvements will include more targeted and accurate drilling; quicker spotting of leaks; and enhanced cybersecurity protection which lessens the risks of spills, leaks, and explosions.