Defense
The Real Threat to America’s Spy Satellites
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 . . .
The Military Helicopter Industrial Base
The health of the defense industrial base (DIB) continues to be a concern for the Department of Defense and U.S. lawmakers. The end of the Cold War saw a major contraction in the size of the defense industrial . . .
Airbus Subsidies Hurt America
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 . . .
How To Beat The Base Closure Process
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 . . .
QDR Framework Restates Administration Biases
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 . . .
A Deal So Good Only The Pentagon Could Turn It Down
Only an organization in desperate straits would even think of turning down a business deal that would lower its costs and provide it additional resources. Yet, that is exactly what the Department of Defense . . .
The Air Force’s Other Procurement Scandal
In 1501, Pope Alexander VI admitted that he had fathered his daughter's child. Now that was a scandal. Scandals nowadays seem to be less clearcut. In fact, sometimes it seems that what becomes a scandal is . . .
Reconnaissance Sometimes Redundancy Is Desirable
If there's one thing defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld doesn't like, it's redundancy. He killed the Army's Crusader artillery vehicle because he thought the Air Force could provide more responsive fire. . .
How The Democrats Became Irrelevant
There's a fierce battle being waged in Washington over deficits, entitlements, and military spending priorities. But it isn't between the Democrats and the Republicans, it's between the optimistic and . . .
2006 Military Budget: Consumption Up, Investment Down
The basic outlines of the Pentagon's budget request for the 2006 fiscal year beginning October 1 were revealed yesterday by Anthony Capaccio of Bloomberg Business News. Capaccio has a long history of . . .