Author Archives: Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D
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The Summer Sequestration Hit Home
August 13, 2013- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Many pundits have complained about the fact that Congress has deserted Washington for almost the entire month of August, leaving only a handful of legislative days when members return in which to try to come up with a 2014 budget [Read More...] -
BAE Systems Growing Steadily In Defense Services By Beating Incumbents (From Forbes)
August 12, 2013- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D On July 31, the Support Solutions unit of BAE Systems, Inc., scored the latest in a series of wins for major military sustainment contracts that pitted it against a longtime incumbent. In the July award, it wrested a 60-year incumbency [Read More...] -
Senate Language May Signal Campaign To Undercut Raytheon Jammer Award
August 9, 2013- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D When Raytheon won a hard-fought competition to develop the Navy’s Next Generation Jammer last month, it was widely viewed as a breakthrough victory. Many observers had thought the Massachusetts-based contractor was an also-ran in a contest that mainly pitted incumbent [Read More...] -
If Patriot Is The Future Of Air Defense, Can We Make It More Agile?
August 7, 2013- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Reuters ran a story recently concerning the very promising sales outlook for Raytheon’s Patriot air-defense system. It definitely had the ring of truth, because with the program that was supposed to replace it headed for bureaucratic oblivion, there’s no other [Read More...] -
The Army Retools Its Recon Planes For The Pacific Era (from Forbes)
August 5, 2013- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Although many people think Army aviation is synonymous with combat helicopters, the service operates a small fleet of fixed-wing turboprops for collecting battlefield reconnaissance. One such plane, called Airborne Reconnaissance Low (ARL), bulks large in its plans for shifting strategic [Read More...] -
Five Reasons The Pentagon Favors Technology Over Forces In Making Spending Cuts (From Forbes)
August 2, 2013- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said this week that if Congress doesn’t modify the sequestration provisions of the Budget Control Act, he will have to make a choice between “capacity” and “capability” in the joint force. Capacity in his framework [Read More...] -
F-35 Production Plan Reflects Program Progress
July 31, 2013- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The completion of negotiations on terms for two more production lots of F-35 fighters provides fresh evidence that the program has stabilized and is making steady progress. Low-rate production Lots 6 and 7 will increase the number of F-35s delivered [Read More...] -
Voters Hate Congress, And Sequestration Will Make Them Even Madder (From Forbes)
July 30, 2013- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Popular approval of the job Congress is doing has fallen to 16% in recent surveys, with three out of four voters saying they are not happy. In fact, only a third of respondents say their own representative deserves to be [Read More...] -
Boeing Helicopter Complex Thrives Amidst Industrial Decay (From Forbes)
July 26, 2013- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The post-industrial era has not been kind to the part of Pennsylvania along the Delaware River south of Philadelphia. Hundreds of factories have closed, and tens of thousands of jobs have disappeared over the last few decades. But sitting in [Read More...] -
America Needs To Develop A New Bomber Now
July 26, 2013- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Research Study The Lexington Institute has prepared a concise study explaining why development of the Air Force’s Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) is essential to national security. The following summary captures the major points made in the study. SUMMARY CONTENTS [Read More...]