Defense
On Vladimir Putin, Black Swans And Pink Flamingoes
A few years back there was a popular concept in international affairs and intelligence analysis called the Black Swan Theory. The theory, popularized by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, sought to explain the prevalence in human affairs of big but highly improbab ...
U.S. Rearmament Must Begin Now
The current struggles in Washington over the FY2016 National Defense Authorization Act, increases or decreases in overseas contingency operations spending, busting or keeping budget caps and the duration of any continuing resolution make for great thea ...
Five Ways The Pentagon’s Anti-Merger Outburst Will Backfire (From Forbes)
Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall delivered some muddled pronouncements on defense mergers last week, suggesting that companies like Lockheed Martin shouldn't be allowed to get too big even if their size raises no antitrust issues. That view do ...
Perhaps It Is Time To Downsize AT&L
In a recent speech at a defense and aerospace industry conference, Under Secretary of Defense Frank Kendall repeated the long-held view of the Obama Defense Department that major defense corporations should not be allowed to merge. Mr. Kendall and the ...
We Continually Underestimate Russian President Putin
A few months ago I attended a two day conference on the subject of the future of U.S.-Russian relations, attended by an impressive array of officials from Administrations past and present and experts on things Russian. One of the subjects discussed was ...
As Russia Increases Its Presence In Syria, Souda Bay Becomes More Important To NATO
The Eastern Mediterranean is in crisis. The focus of U.S. and NATO security concerns is moving inexorably westward from Iraq and eastern Syria as a result of the civil wars in Syria and Libya, the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, massi ...
Ex-Im Campaign Is Killing Thousands Of Jobs In States GOP Needs To Win White House (From Forbes)
Judging from the steady stream of jobs being lost, the right-wing jihad to kill Washington's Export-Import Bank is shaping up to be a significant blow to America's economy. However, it may also be a blow to the Republican Party, which will have to tak ...
The U.S. Military Must Continue To Invest In Training And Simulation
Click here to watch a video about the Southwest Defense Complex. It is an axiom of defense planning that militaries fight like they train. The better trained force has an inherent advantage over its adversary. The U.S. military has proven the value of ...
Defense Transportation Chief McDew Faces Rising Challenges With Receding Resources (From Forbes)
When Air Force General Darren W. McDew was questioned by Senators about his nomination to lead U.S. Transportation Command in July, he made a point of lauding the "unheralded professionals" at the command engaged in carrying out its "often thankless wo ...
Pentagon Might Learn More About Innovation From General Motors Than Silicon Valley (From Forbes)
Pentagon leaders have begun reaching out to Silicon Valley tech companies for ideas on how the pace of innovation in the military can be accelerated. Perhaps they are looking in the wrong zip code. Detroit's General Motors has managed to survive far ...