Author Archives: Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D
Fate of Huge Tanker Program Could Hinge on Cargo Role Issue BriefAfter years of delay, the Air Force’s effort to replace Eisenhower-era aerial refueling tankers has shifted into high gear. In mid-November, Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne decided to kill a proposal that would have kept competing teams led [Read More...]
Defense: Four Ways Democrats Can Destroy Their Mandate Issue BriefThis week, congressional Democrats will regain some of the ground they lost in their disastrous 30-year decline following the Vietnam War. To grasp how far they have fallen, you need only recall the party’s legislative strength during the [Read More...]
If Democrats Rise, Will The Defense Sector Fall? Issue BriefHere’s a portent. With midterm elections barely a week away, there isn’t a single state in the union where a Republican challenger seeking a seat in the House of Representatives is leading a Democratic incumbent in the polls. [Read More...]
The Navy Needs To Rethink How It Buys New Technology Issue BriefThe senior leadership of the U.S. Navy is embarking on a cross-country series of town meetings to remind the nation why the world’s preeminent sea power needs a big navy. That might seem like a no-brainer, but after [Read More...]
An Aging Air Force Struggles To Keep Its Edge Issue BriefThey say the future can’t be foretold, but here’s one prediction you can take to the bank: It’s all over for military transformation. Although the policy wonks around defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld continue to gin out term papers [Read More...]
V-22 Osprey Is One System The Military Needs Right Now Issue BriefThe Bush Administration is projecting that defense spending will fall from four percent of the economy today to three percent at the beginning of the next decade. In the past, such declines have hit procurement accounts harder than [Read More...]
Memo to Liberals: Bush is on Your Side Issue BriefThe Bush Administration has released portions of a National Intelligence Estimate to rebut charges that the war in Iraq is promoting terrorism. It isn’t common for the government to disclose the contents of secret intelligence assessments, but with [Read More...]
The De-Industrialization of Defense Presentation to the Air Force Association 2006 Air & Space ConferenceThank you for inviting me to participate in today’s forum on the defense industrial base.
I want to start by commending the Air Force Association for sticking with the [Read More...]
Language Skills: A Missing Piece in America’s Security Posture Issue BriefWhy do big shifts in the global security environment always seem to come as colossal surprises to America’s leaders? From the bombing of Pearl Harbor to North Korea’s invasion of the south to the Tet Offensive to the [Read More...]
The Dumbest Weapons Decision of the Decade Issue BriefOne of the eternal mysteries of large organizations is the way they bring smart people together in support of dumb ideas. Invading Iraq. Merging with AOL. Building the Edsel. It’s hard to believe the best and brightest minds [Read More...]