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Policy Blog
- Against All Odds, Army Making Solid Progress On Modernization (From RealClearDefense)
Today the United States and the U.S. Army are once again positioning for a two-front war, as we did in the Spanish American war, World War Two, and during the Cold War. The U.S. is the chief outside architect of the assistance to Ukraine as it battles Russia. Meanwhile, we and our friends in Asia prepare for what many believe [ Read More…]
- Rebecca L. Grant, Ph.D.
- Navy Makes Shocking Aircraft Carrier Decision While China Threat Rises (From Fox News)
What a shock. According to the newly released budget, the Pentagon wants to slow down America’s aircraft carriers. Delaying aircraft carriers courts disaster at a time when their deterrence value is higher than ever. The Navy has a budget plan for new aircraft carriers that can launch drones, carry lasers and face down China, but President Biden’s budget took out so much money that [ Read More…]
- Greg Caires
- Can We Accelerate Foreign Military Sales? Arm Our Allies Faster? (From Warrior Maven)
In 2023, sales of American-made military equipment to US allies and partners significantly increased – to $80.9 billion – through the highly successful Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process, a 55.9% increase compared to the $51.9 billion of 2022. This dramatic upswing is the result of continued threats emanating from Russia and China, as well as the war in Ukraine. But not all [ Read More…]
- Bureaucratic Screw-Ups Stall New FTC Commissioners
The full text is below and can be found in the PDF here. Bureaucratic Screw-Ups Stall New FTC Commissioners By Paul Steidler When the President and the US Senate want something from the bureaucracy, it usually happens immediately, but not in the case of getting new commissioners to serve on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The delays in the swearing-in of Melissa Holyoak and Andrew Ferguson to be on the FTC more than two weeks after the US Senate confirmed [ Read More…]
- U.S. High-Tech Companies On The Front Lines In New Cold War With China (From Defense Opinion)
A new Cold War is upon us. Unlike the prior one between the democratic West and the Soviet Union, this time the U.S. and its allies do not have the advantage of superior technology with which to counter its adversary’s advantages. China is investing heavily in an array of advanced technologies in an attempt to be the dominant power of the 21st century. In order to prevail in this new Cold War, the U.S. must ensure that its high-tech companies [ Read More…]
- Federal Trade Commission Should Revise Budget Priorities (Public Meeting Comments)
At today’s open meeting of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), whose attendees included Chair Lina Khan, Lexington Institute’s Paul Steidler called on the FTC to “eliminate unnecessary expenses and scrutinize better how the American people’s money is being spent.” His remarks are below and in the PDF here. To view a video of the remarks, click here. Chair Khan and members of the Federal Trade Commission, thank you for this opportunity. With the FTC last week requesting a 24 percent [ Read More…]
- Our Economic And National Security Depend On Microelectronics No Longer Made In America
In 2017, the Economist declared: “The world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data.” The backbone of this digital economy is microelectronics. From simple switches to sensitive national security systems, today’s world runs on microelectronics. National security systems and every industry vertical making up our critical infrastructure depend on a technology stack comprised of semiconductors, integrated circuit substrates, and printed circuit boards (PCBs). Most of these components were invented and designed here in America but manufacturing was sent [ Read More…]
- A Discussion With Ashley Baker On The FTC’s New Commissioners
The video can be viewed here. The full text is below and can be found in the PDF here. A Discussion with Ashley Baker on the FTC’s New Commissioners Paul Steidler: Good afternoon. I’m Paul Steidler with the Lexington Institute, and I’m joined by Ashley Baker, director of Public Policy at the Committee for Justice. We’re going to briefly talk about one of Washington’s most disruptive and impactful federal agencies in recent years the Federal Trade Commission, which is about [ Read More…]
- The FTC’s FY 2025 Budget Request: Five Things To Know
The full text is below and can be found in the PDF here. The FTC’s FY 2025 Budget Request: Five Things to Know By Paul Steidler This past Monday the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued its Fiscal Year 2025 Congressional Budget Justification, asking for a steep funding increase of 24 percent to $535 million. It is an audacious ask for an agency that has been pushing some of the Biden Administration’s most controversial economic policies, and which has had widespread [ Read More…]
- Epic V-22 Osprey Flies Again: Why It’s So Important To Keep Them In The Fight (From Fox News)
Last Friday, the Marines, Navy and Air Force gave the V-22 Osprey the green light to return to flying status three months after the fatal crash of an Air Force CV-22 in the seas off Japan. It was a bold decision, given that this was the fourth V-22 crash in two years. But the simple fact is that so much depends on the one-of-a-kind Osprey: everything from secure embassy evacuations to deliveries to aircraft carriers at sea. And the Marines don’t go [ Read More…]
- Arming Poland Faster Is Critical To U.S. Interests, NATO’s Security (From Defense Opinion)
Twenty-five years ago, Poland joined NATO. Since then, it has emerged as a leading force for stability in Central and Eastern Europe, consistently demonstrating its adherence to the alliance’s values and principles. Poland reliably exceeds NATO’s goal of member countries spending at least 2% of GDP on defense and is spending 4% this year. This commitment to burden sharing is especially important at a time when the alliance is facing a resurgent Russia. Because of this, the Polish armed forces [ Read More…]
- Poland Needs To Speed Up Defense Modernization Even More Quickly To Resist A Russian Attack (From RealClearDefense)
Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk are set to meet with President Biden in Washington on March 12th to discuss their shared commitment to supporting Ukraine, the U.S.-Poland commitment to democracy and NATO, and many other aspects of the two countries’ security relationship. The meeting also coincides with the 25th anniversary of Poland’s accession to NATO, and comes ahead of the NATO summit in July, which Washington is hosting. Lexington Institute’s Sarah White discusses this further in an article [ Read More…]
- The Osprey, Indispensable For Future War Plans (From RealClearDefense)
Before long, the grounded V-22 Osprey fleet may be back in the air. Air Force Special Operations Command touched off the speculation last week, when they announced that ongoing safety reviews have identified the mechanical part failure that caused the November 29 crash of a CV-22 in route to Okinawa, Japan. Lieutenant General Tony Bauernfeind, Commander, Air Force Special Operations Command also said “there is a strong desire to return to fly because this is a capability we want to [ Read More…]