In The News
Trump Threatens China Over Global Postal Rates (Financial Times) Lexington Institute's Senior Fellow Paul Steidler praised the Trump administration’s efforts on international postal reform in the Financial Times, saying that it is “a refreshing and positive change.” He suggested China figure out the best way to get its packages to Hawaii and then be charged U.S. domestic rates.
Wright-Patt Would Be Central To Proposed Air Force Expansion (Dayton Daily News) The U.S. Air Force announced that it would seek an expansion of its force size. Lexington’s Loren Thompson told the Dayton Daily News that growth may lie within and benefit Ohio’s Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, home to the Air Force Research Laboratory and National Air and Space Intelligence Center.
Air Force Officials: New Planes, More Troops Needed To Confront China, Russia (From USA Today) As the Air Force announced that it is seeking a 24 percent increase in its budget this week, Lexington Institute Chief Operating Officer Loren Thompson told USA Today that U.S. air power would spend $175 billion more by 2030 than China spends on all its service branches combined. To meet its goal, he said, the Air Force would need an additional $30 billion.
Why The Military Must Learn To Love Silicon Valley (Foreign Policy) Foreign Policy’s examination of the relationship between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon as the DoD seeks private partnerships to build a cloud storage unit quotes the Lexington Institute’s Dan Goure comparing Amazon’s dominance in the tech defense sector to LeBron James’ skill on the basketball court.
Trump’s ‘Space Force’ Could Propel Southern California’s Aerospace Industry (Los Angeles Times) Loren Thompson, chief operating officer of the Lexington Institute, discussed the impact that a new space-based military branch could have on the aerospace industry in California.
Boeing Wins $805 Million Contract To Build Navy’s MQ-25 Stingray Drone (The Washington Post) After Boeing secured a massive defense contract to build a new unmanned aerial refueling drone, the Lexington Institute’s Loren Thompson told The Washington Post that the bid could be a “turning point” for the aerospace company’s defense programs.
How The Great Power Competition Is Extending Into Space (UK Defence Journal) An article by Rathna Muralidharan, the Lexington Institute’s program director, was featured in the UK Defence Journal, an all-volunteer publication devoted to providing free, balanced, and sober analysis to the public.
Lockheed Martin Names Evans To Head Aeronautics As Carvalho Set To Retire (Defense Daily) The Lexington Institute’s Loren Thompson expressed optimism at Lockheed Martin’s decision to name Michele Evans executive vice president of Aeronautics. Evans worked as a deputy under the previous vice president, and she will now oversee Lockheed Martin’s lucrative fighter programs.
STOP Act Will Prevent Opioid Smuggling (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) An August 16 editorial asks, “Where Is the Help? Opioids Have Taken a Huge Toll on Pennsylvania?” In a Letter to the Editor, Paul Steidler discusses how law enforcement will be better able to intercept opioids being shipped to the U.S. from China with ...
Discounted Chinese Postal Rates Questioned By Texas Lawmaker (Linn’s Stamp News) Due to a quirk in international postal rates it costs less to send small packages from China to the United States than to send similar packages short distances within the United States. This is hurting many e-commerce businesses. An in-depth story, whi ...