Author Archives: Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D
The Myth Of Defense Spending Cycles Human beings search for patterns. It’s one of the traits that makes us different from squirrels. But sometimes we insist on finding patterns that are not really there. A case in point is the notion that defense spending follows a [Read More...]
Pentagon Efficiency Drive Faces Four Big Challenges Pentagon acquisition chief Ashton Carter today unveiled guidance that will help drive the Pentagon’s $100 billion efficiency drive over the next half-decade. The guidance is distilled from insights provided by hundreds of professionals both inside and outside the defense department, [Read More...]
Raytheon Victory In Competition For Revolutionary Round Looks Unlikely To Generate Robust Returns It’s a good thing that Raytheon’s overseas sales are growing fast, because business conditions in its home market look less than rosy. A case in point is the company’s recent victory in its competition with Alliant Techsystems to build the [Read More...]
Trade Subsidies: Airbus Loses Again Issue Brief
On September 15, the World Trade Organization will release interim findings to the parties in its ongoing review of U.S. aircraft subsidies. The case was launched by European governments in response to a prior U.S. complaint that commercial-transport [Read More...]
Bidding For Northrop May Be Boeing’s Last Chance To Remain A Big Player In Tactical Aircraft The juiciest rumor to come out of the Thomson Reuters aerospace and defense summit this week was speculation that Boeing may be considering a bid for some or all of Northrop Grumman. The head of Boeing’s defense business, Dennis Muilenburg, [Read More...]
Defense News Questions Behavior Of Former Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman This week’s Defense News contains a story by Asian correspondent Wendell Minnick that raises troubling questions about the behavior of former Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman Adm. William Owens. The story suggests that Owens is being used by retired members of [Read More...]
Lockheed Martin Space Leader Joanne Maguire Is First Woman To Win Von Karman Award When Joanne Maguire was growing up in a family with 12 children during the 1960s, her mother and father didn’t play favorites. Everybody had to pitch in on doing the laundry and the dishes, and the kids decided among themselves [Read More...]
Army Plan To Modernize Armored Vehicles Makes Sense Issue Brief
It’s tempting to look at the Army’s cancellation of the solicitation for a next-generation troop carrier and conclude that the service has lost its way in figuring out how to meet future combat needs. After all, this is [Read More...]
Oshkosh Vote Shows Danger Of Rewarding Aggressive Bids From Shaky Companies The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on Monday that the United Auto Workers local representing 2,750 employees at Oshkosh Corporation has voted unanimously to reject a one-year contract extension proposed by management. The company offered workers a generous package — stable [Read More...]
Defense Selloff Suggests Wall Street Doesn’t Get Pentagon Efficiency Drive In June the Pentagon launched an efficiency drive aimed at freeing up money for military modernization. Faced with the prospect of flat defense budgets in the years ahead, defense secretary Robert Gates said he wanted to eliminate waste and redundancy [Read More...]