Author Archives: Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D
Iraq: Stop The Bombers, Win The War
Issue Brief
The Washington Post and ABC News released a survey this week revealing dramatic deterioration in public support for the administration’s handling of the military campaign in Iraq. Three-quarters of the respondents said the number of casualties is unacceptably [Read More...]
Air Guard Attacks BRAC Process with Dumb Bombs
Issue Brief
If the U.S. Air Force and the Air National Guard were a married couple in some television sitcom, you’d have to marvel at how such mismatched people manage to stay together. Their love-hate relationship has lasted for nearly [Read More...]
High Tea On The Titanic
Issue Brief
There is a program on public broadcasting called Antiques Roadshow that features professional appraisals of family heirlooms and flea-market treasures. Last week’s program provided a metaphor that fits Donald Rumsfeld’s Pentagon all too well. It was a painting [Read More...]
Curing Jitters
Issue Brief
There’s a saying among psychotherapists that when every other remedy fails, the mere passage of time can work wonders. Unfortunately, that wisdom doesn’t apply to weapons programs, especially the complex networking projects favored by today’s military. The efforts [Read More...]
Base Closure Plan Shows Pentagon’s New Direction
Issue Brief
After hinting last year that the military might be headed for the Mother Of All Base Closings, defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld is scaling back expectations as he prepares to send a list of proposed changes to a congressionally-chartered [Read More...]
Sino-Myopia In The Pentagon’s Strategic Review
Issue Brief
Remember that golden summer of post-communist optimism called the Clinton years? Back then, globalization of the economy seemed like an undiluted benefit of human progress that could produce nothing but good. But the new millennium brought contrary evidence. [Read More...]
The Real Threat to America’s Spy Satellites
Issue Brief
Here’s a handy test to determine how much you really know about the defense business. What is the biggest threat to America’s billion-dollar spy satellites — (a) Russian antisatellite weapons, (b) Chinese jamming devices, or (c) poor Pentagon [Read More...]
Airbus Subsidies Hurt America
Issue Brief
Revelation 13:18 says the number 666 is a sign of the devil. Maybe it’s just a coincidence that last year’s record-breaking U.S. trade deficit totaled $666 billion, but it’s sure a sign of something bad. Since President Bush [Read More...]
How To Beat The Base Closure Process
Issue Brief
The Pentagon has completed its two-year analysis of which domestic military bases to close or realign. A mass of recommendations awaits the approval of defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld. With only two months left before the list must be [Read More...]
QDR Framework Restates Administration Biases
Issue Brief
The March 11 Wall Street Journal contains a detailed description of the ideas underpinning the Pentagon’s 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR). In a front-page story, reporter Greg Jaffe reveals that the structure of the review focuses mainly on [Read More...]