Author Archives: Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D

October 17, 2003Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D

Key Decision Transforms Intelligence Collection Issue Brief Senior Pentagon officials have decided to equip a new satellite system with the ability to take high-resolution pictures through clouds and darkness. The satellite, called the Space-Based Radar, was originally conceived as an orbital platform from which to [Read More...]

October 10, 2003Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D

Pentagon Plans Huge Round Of Base Closures Issue Brief Back when George W. Bush was running for President, he promised that if elected he would give his defense secretary “a broad mandate to challenge the status quo and envision a new architecture of American defense.” The person [Read More...]

October 2, 2003Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D

The Future of the Defense Industry Issue Brief It’s official: defense stocks are a boring investment. So say several Wall Street analysts who issued dour assessments of the sector last week. The most respected, Morgan Stanley’s Heidi Wood, said sector equities would perform in line with [Read More...]

September 23, 2003Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D

Bush Doctrine Begins Fifth Year Issue Brief Today marks the fourth anniversary of the most important speech that George W. Bush ever gave about national defense. The irony is that he wasn’t even President when he gave it. It was a campaign speech delivered at [Read More...]

September 22, 2003Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D

Lessons of Iraq: Strategic and Joint Implications Research Study 1. Inept Enemies Offer Unclear Lessons Since the end of the Cold War, America has faced weak, incompetent adversaries. — Noriega (1990) — Saddam (1991) — Milosevic (1999) — Taliban (2001) In OIF, Saddam’s forces didn’t seem to [Read More...]

September 8, 2003Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D

Spy Satellites: Who Ruined FIA? Issue Brief In the months before America went to war with Iraq, the intelligence community repositioned its spy satellites to provide maximum coverage of Saddam’s military. There are two types of spy satellites: those that eavesdrop on enemy communications for [Read More...]

August 25, 2003Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D

Iraq: The Problem Isn’t Terrorism Issue Brief There’s a lot of confusion in the national media about how well pacification efforts are faring in Iraq. Yesterday, the Pentagon’s regional commander in the Middle East added to the confusion by asserting that terrorism is becoming the [Read More...]

August 12, 2003Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D

Does The Nation Need A Bigger Army? Issue Brief Last week, defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld traveled to Texas to brief President Bush on military transformation and discuss whether the nation needs a bigger military. Much of the conversation focused on the Army, which is so heavily committed [Read More...]

June 30, 2003Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D

Twilight of The Atlantic Alliance Issue Brief In early June, defense ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) agreed to revitalize the alliance by streamlining its command structure, creating a rapid-response force, and acquiring more airlift for operations outside Europe. Having just endured a [Read More...]

June 26, 2003Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D

NATO’S Decay and the Search for a Few Key Friends Remarks to the Heritage Foundation Conference on Global Alliances Thank you for inviting me to participate in this timely discussion of the role that alliances will play in America’s future security posture. The notes the foundation sent me for the [Read More...]