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Policy Blog
- Ten Ways Hypersonic Weapons Can Strengthen Strategic Deterrence (From Forbes)
When strategists discuss strategic deterrence, they are almost always talking about nuclear weapons. However, the Pentagon is planning to introduce non-nuclear hypersonic missiles into the joint force later in this decade, and the novel features of those systems could contribute to the current deterrence regime. Among other things, hypersonic weapons can assure the penetration of retaliatory strikes, make it easier [ Read More…]
- Paul Steidler
- Temper The Push For Postal Service To Deliver Alcohol (From InsideSources DC Journal)
America has a deadly drinking problem, which is getting worse, especially among the young. A November 1 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that “an estimated 1 in 8 deaths among U.S. adults aged 20 to 64 years were attributable to excessive alcohol use, including 1 in 5 deaths among adults aged 20 to 49 years.” [ Read More…]
- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D
- HII’s Tech Transformation Is Making It Much More Than America’s Biggest Shipbuilder (From Forbes)
The name of Huntington Ingalls is synonymous with shipbuilding. That, ironically, is why the company has begun referring to itself a simply HII. Although it plans to remain the nation’s biggest builder of warships, its Mission Technologies unit is growing rapidly in markets outside shipbuilding. The unit’s recent successes include artificial intelligence, network security, electronic warfare, unmanned systems and synthetic [ Read More…]
- Postal Workers Deserve More Respect And Support From Environmental Elites (From RealClearEnergy)
Too often the welfare of postal workers is ignored when discussing new delivery vehicles for the U.S. Postal Service. The workers need these new vehicles as soon as possible. Today, the U.S. Postal Service is in the process of replacing up to 165,000 delivery vehicles that are typically at least 25 years old, dangerous, and prone to breakdowns. They lack airbags and anti-lock brakes. Many do not have air conditioning or adequate heating systems. More than 400 have caught on [ Read More…]
- Biden’s Antitrust Crusade Is A Negative For National Security (From Forbes)
The Biden administration has adopted a more aggressive approach to antitrust enforcement than that of his predecessor, and the tech industry is high on its list of targets. There is nothing wrong in principle with this stance, but in practice the administration’s thinking appears to be ideologically driven and highly speculative. In particular, it is assailing vertical mergers of a type that the federal government has not challenged for decades. It is trying to block transactions that might one day [ Read More…]
- Precision Versus Massed Fires: Potential Lessons From The Ukraine War (From RealClearDefense)
Ukraine may provide answers to many questions regarding the way high-end wars of the 21st century will be fought. One of the most important of these questions is the appropriate balance between precision and massed fires. Both sides have employed large numbers of precision and unguided projectiles in the nearly year-long war. The answer to this question is of critical importance for the Department of Defense as it not only seeks to replenish munitions stockpiles drawn down as a result of [ Read More…]
- The Army Needs A Long-Term Plan For Keeping Its Apache Helicopters Lethal And Survivable (From Forbes)
The AH-64 Apache helicopter is the Army’s premier airborne tank killer, and thus plays a pivotal role in future land warfare plans. The service is currently remanufacturing 812 Apaches to an “E” variant, a process it has undertaken every dozen years or so ever since the helicopter first debuted in the 1980s. However, the last AH-64E will be funded in 2025, and the Army has no comprehensive or actionable plan beyond then for further modernization. That’s a problem, because the [ Read More…]
- The Age Of Directed Energy Weapons Has Arrived (From 1945)
Just in time, directed energy (DE) weapons are coming to the battlefield. As the conflict in Ukraine demonstrates, a revolution in offensive air capabilities is in the offing, driven largely by advances in unmanned aerial systems (UASs), or drones. This has resulted in an urgent need for improved air defenses, particularly to defeat increasingly sophisticated drones. Fortunately, decades of experimentation and development have borne fruit at the right moment. Raytheon has shown that it can package DE systems and associated power generation capabilities [ Read More…]
- The U.S. Postal Service Is Supposed To Be Self-Supporting, By Law (From RealClearMarkets)
It has been a great year for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). But it is now pushing the Biden Administration hard for another $14 billion on top of $120 billion in taxpayer funds it has received since December 2020. By law, USPS is supposed to be self-supporting. At issue is a large but arcane request from USPS to have its Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) pension obligations readjusted so it receives a $14 billion credit from the Office of Personnel [ Read More…]
- SNC Positions To Win U.S. Army’s Next Theater Recon Aircraft (From Forbes)
The U.S. Army needs to replace its aging Guardrail recon aircraft, which lacks the functionality and survivability required for an era of great-power competition. It has a long-term plan that involves acquiring a fleet of modified business jets with greater reach and endurance, but between now and when that plan comes to fruition, it needs an interim solution. The program to secure an interim, contractor-operated aircraft is called ATHENA-R, and at least three companies are credible contenders to win the [ Read More…]
- Why The Next Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Should Be From The Air Force (From Forbes)
Only one Air Force officer has managed to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the last 40 years. The Air Force, which subsumes the Space Force within its military department, is overdue for another crack at the nation’s top military post. As chance would have it, selecting an Air Force officer, namely Chief of Staff Charles Brown, would be strategically timely and operationally relevant given the current emphasis of U.S. defense strategy on great-power rivalry. General Brown [ Read More…]
- The Escalating Absurdity Of Tech-Bashing Legislation (From RealClearMarkets)
Congress has legitimate, huge issues on its plate this lame duck session, including government funding, a potential rail strike, and more. Addressing the so-called big tech and antitrust issues of the day, such as the order by which Amazon lists its low-priced offerings and the type of competition the Professional Golfers’ Association should face, are unnecessary and dangerous distractions. At the top of the tech-bashing legislative wish list is the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, which passed the Senate [ Read More…]
- B-21 Raider: The Right Strategic Bomber For A New Age Of Air Warfare (From 1945)
The Air Force has announced that the unveiling of its new strategic bomber, the B-21 Raider, will take place on December 2nd. This program is an industry-government success story: so far, the program is on time and on budget. Part of the reason for its success is that the B-21 is, in many respects, a logical evolutionary step from what has come before. At the same time, however, the Raider could be the central player in revolutionizing the strike capability of the U.S. [ Read More…]