Defense
Reversing Industrial Decline: A Role for the Defense Budget
After dominating global industrial activity for a century, the United States is losing its edge in manufacturing to other nations. Over the last 30 years, manufacturing has fallen from a quarter to an . . .
Are Policymakers Too Enchanted With Unmanned Aircraft?
The Pentagon's quadrennial review of strategy and requirements is returning the joint force to a threat-based military posture. After eight years of toying with the idea of a "capabilities-based" posture, . . .
Lexington Launches A Different Kind Of Defense Blog
Greetings from New England. Yes, I too am at the beach. But I'm still working, and the purpose of this brief is to tell you about a new project that the Lexington Institute has launched while you were . . .
STOPPING C-17 NOW WOULD HOBBLE FUTURE WARFIGHTERS
The U.S. Air Force is the only military organization in the world that operates a diverse fleet of airlifters capable of transporting large forces over long distances on short notice. The airlift fleet . . .
Air Force Delay On Radar Plane Fix Hurts Soldiers
Every day, one of the Air Force's 17 Joint Stars radar planes takes off from a base in Southwest Asia to conduct secret intelligence-gathering missions. A multimode radar installed on the plane's belly . . .
There’s No Reason To Cut Funds For C-130 Modernization
The most successful aircraft in the history of military aviation isn't a fighter or a bomber, it's the C-130 Hercules airlifter. Conceived in the early 1950s as a short-hop cargo plane and people mover . . .
Are Jets A Better Fit For The Afghan Environment?
As U.S. forces begin the planned surge into Afghanistan we are again reminded that in many ways this is a tougher fight than the military experienced in Iraq. The geography of Afghanistan is daunting, . .
Some Nuclear Cuts Are Feasible, But Big Ones Are Dangerous
On July 6, President Obama and his Russian counterpart agreed in principle to a new strategic arms treaty that would reduce the number of operational nuclear weapons in each nation's arsenal. News of . . .
Global Warming And The Politics Of Mania
America's political culture is a marketplace of ideas, and like other markets it sometimes is seized by big ideas that disrupt normal operations. These ideas typically assume the character of manias, . . .
July 4, 2009: A Celebration Tinged With Sadness
July 4th is the one day, more than any other, when we Americans celebrate what we have achieved as a nation. We have another holiday in November for giving thanks, but that day is mostly about family . . .