Defense
Chaos in Libya: The Rising ISIS Threat to Europe (From The National Interest)
The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, poses a threat to European security as demonstrated by the terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels. In the past year, the terrorist group has increased its presence in Libya with 5,000 to 6,500 fighters there and ...
Overstretched U.S. Army Gets Only Two Days Worth Of Federal Spending In 2017 For New Weapons (From Forbes)
Demands on the U.S. Army in Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific are rising, but its budget is not. Forced to focus on personnel and readiness, the service cannot afford the kind of weapons modernization effort that would enable it to keep pace wit ...
Raytheon Wins Prove Value Of Patient Investments In Enabling Technologies
Last week, Raytheon was awarded a $1 billion contract by the U.S. Navy to continue its work on Increment 1 of the Next Generation Jammer (NGJ). This continued what has been an impressive winning streak for the company on major acquisition programs. In ...
Why We Still Need Those Nuclear Missile Silos (From Breaking Defense)
Some anti-nuclear groups suggest eliminating intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) in part to save money on upcoming nuclear modernization, but getting rid of ICBMs would be a serious mistake. Of the three components of the triad, the ICBM force ...
Senate Banking Committee Halt On Ex-Im Nominee Costing U.S. $50 Million In Exports Every Day (from Forbes)
Senate Banking Committee chairman Richard Shelby is blocking confirmation of a nominee to the board of the Export-Import Bank. Without that member, the board lacks authority to back transactions requiring more than $10 million in credit. So even thou ...
Radar Planes: Why Does The Air Force Need A Dozen Years To Buy 17 Off-the-Shelf Aircraft? (From Forbes)
The U.S. Air Force operates a small fleet of radar planes that can track moving ground targets day or night, rain or shine. Called JSTARS planes, they have made it possible for coalition fighters to precisely target enemy units in the fog of war witho ...
Even If It’s A Bad Ally, America Is Better Than All The Other Options
Over the past several years, America’s traditional allies have begun to worry that this nation is no longer a reliable security partner. Many of the reasons for friends and allies to doubt U.S. commitment, resolve and even vision can be laid at the fee ...
Why Pentagon Priorities Will Soon Change No Matter Who Becomes President (From Forbes)
Early next year, the United States will get a new commander in chief when Barack Obama departs as president. We don't know who the next chief executive will be yet, but we can say with near certainty that at some point in the near future Pentagon prio ...
Trump’s Wall Needs Added Measures To Be Truly Effective
The political fire and brimstone associated with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s proposal to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border has obscured two key facts. The first is that physical barriers of the right kind in the right place ...
Naval Warfare: Cost Increase On Stealthy Destroyers Not Caused By Shipyard (From Forbes)
The Navy is building the most technologically advanced surface combatants in history at Bath Iron Works in Maine. It is a challenging program, and this week the service disclosed that the cost of constructing three "Zumwalt-class" warships has increas ...