• About
    • Mission
    • Biographical Information
    • Contact Us
  • Defense
  • Energy
  • Logistics
  • Innovation
  • In the News
  • Follow
  • Like
  • Linkedin
  • Youtube
June 24, 2022June 27, 2022Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D

← Back
← Previous Post
Next Post →

U.S. Defense Companies Are World-Class Innovators. Why Doesn’t Washington Know That? (From Forbes)

June 24, 2022June 27, 2022Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D

It has become an article of faith among defense experts in both parties that defense companies, even the biggest ones, are not innovative. If you want something creative, the thinking goes, you should turn to Silicon Valley. However, the evidence suggests otherwise: big military contractors are among the most innovative enterprises in the world, because that is what their federal customer demands. So why doesn’t most of official Washington grasp that fact? Because the technologies involved are often arcane and secret, the media seldom reports positive news about programs, and it is too easy to confuse the results of byzantine government processes with the performance of contractors. Companies like Lockheed and Raytheon regularly achieve outcomes that no purely commercial company could accomplish. I have written a commentary for Forbes here.

Print | PDF | EMail

Find Archived Articles:

This entry was posted in Defense, Innovation. Bookmark the permalink.
Sign Up For
LexNext Emails
1600 Wilson Boulevard - Suite 203
Arlington, VA 22209 USA
Phone: 703.522.5828
Fax: 703.522.5837
© 2023 Lexington Institute

Sign Up for LexNext Emails

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign Up for LexNext Emails

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.