Author Archives: Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D
Biden’s Antitrust Crusade Is A Negative For National Security (From Forbes)
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 [Read More...]
The Army Needs A Long-Term Plan For Keeping Its Apache Helicopters Lethal And Survivable (From Forbes)
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 [Read More...]
SNC Positions To Win U.S. Army’s Next Theater Recon Aircraft (From Forbes)
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 [Read More...]
Why The Next Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Should Be From The Air Force (From Forbes)
Only one Air Force officer has managed to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the last 40 years. The Air Force, which subsumes the Space Force within its military department, is overdue for another crack at the [Read More...]
Army Modernization, And The Virtues Of Moderation (From Forbes)
The U.S. Army is in the midst of a successful campaign to modernize its equipment and close gaps in capabilities needed for an era of great-power competition. This is a distinct departure from the uneven performance of modernization efforts during [Read More...]
Inside Block 4–The Mostly Secret Plan For Making The F-35 Fighter Even More Lethal (From Forbes)
The F-35 fighter is a technological marvel, but it won’t stay at the cutting edge of capability unless it is periodically improved to keep up with new threats and missions. The Joint Program Office has begun executing the most ambitious [Read More...]
In An Age Of Innovation, Big Defense May Be The Closest Thing Washington Has To A Real Industrial Policy (From Forbes)
The bloom is off the rose that was Big Tech. Washington may need to look to other sectors of the economy to sustain the pace of innovation. One candidate for that role is the defense industry, particularly big players with [Read More...]
Why Boeing Believes It Has An Edge In Any New Air Force Tanker Competition (From Forbes)
The Air Force is in the market for another 140-160 aerial refueling tankers to add to the 179 it already plans to order from Boeing. There will likely be a competition for the next increment between Boeing’s KC-46 Pegasus and [Read More...]
Defeating Drones: The Most Promising Weapons Are All Non-Kinetic (From Forbes)
The joint force is confronting a new kind of threat: swarms of drones that are hard to track and less expensive to replace than the missiles used to intercept them. Over time, these unmanned systems will likely proliferate and acquire [Read More...]
Five Ways A New Air Force Tanker Competition Would Be Very Different From The Last One (From Forbes)
After a long and difficult gestation, the Air Force seems to be getting comfortable with its KC-46 Pegasus aerial refueling tanker. However, it needs to begin making plans for the next round of tanker procurement, and Congress may not let [Read More...]