Author Archives: Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D
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Defense Industry Profits Are Not Impressive (From Forbes)
July 24, 2013- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Word this week is that defense-industry financial performance was stronger in the second quarter than expected, with several of the biggest military contractors generating operating margins in the 12% range. Such returns probably aren’t sustainable given the looming specter of [Read More...] -
As Sequestration Bites Deeper, How Can Defense Companies Maintain Their Results?
July 23, 2013- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The Financial Times contains a story by correspondent Robert Wright today speculating that some of the Pentagon’s biggest weapons programs may escape the impact of budget sequestration. The story is well-timed because Lockheed Martin, the world’s biggest military contractor, reported [Read More...] -
Marine Doubts About Humvee Successor Could Prove Deadly (From Forbes)
July 22, 2013- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, better known as the humvee, has been a workhorse for the joint force since it first debuted in 1985. However, it was never intended to be a combat vehicle and despite numerous modifications to [Read More...] -
BAE Systems Challenges Jammer Award, But Sees Plenty Of Other Electronic Opportunities
July 19, 2013- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D BAE Systems, Inc., the sprawling U.S. unit of the world’s second largest military contractor, disclosed yesterday it is formally protesting a Navy award of the Next Generation Jammer program to Raytheon, contending there were flaws in the selection process. However, [Read More...] -
Decline Of U.S. Uranium Enrichment Industry Threatens Security & Energy Goals
July 17, 2013- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Two months ago, the last plant for enriching uranium in the U.S. that employed domestic technology ceased operations. The plant is located in Paducah, Kentucky and is one of the few remaining vestiges of a once-mighty U.S. nuclear industry. Enrichment [Read More...] -
Senior Officials Bolster Outlook For F-35
July 16, 2013- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Tony Capaccio of Bloomberg News reported on July 15 that the Pentagon’s top acquisition official hopes to insulate the tri-service F-35 fighter program from the effects of budget sequestration. Under Secretary of Defense Frank Kendall was quoted in the Bloomberg [Read More...] -
The Bottom Line On Defense Sequestration: Warfighters Will Die (From Forbes)
July 15, 2013- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The current, antiseptic debate about budget sequestration in the nation’s capital seems largely divorced from its real-world consequences — especially in the case of defense cuts. Last week, defense secretary Chuck Hagel sent an eight-page message to Congress detailing the [Read More...] -
The Reason For Leaving Afghanistan That You Probably Haven’t Heard
July 12, 2013- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D President Obama is considering how fast to draw down the remaining U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan, and one option on the table is to get to zero fairly quickly. The zero option may be just a trial balloon aimed at [Read More...] -
Jammer Award Highlights Importance Of Growler Electronic-Attack Plane
July 11, 2013- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D This week’s announcement that Raytheon has won the competition to develop the Navy’s Next Generation Jammer underscores the growing importance of electronic warfare in U.S. military strategy, and in particular the central role that the carrier-based EA-18G Growler will play [Read More...] -
Raytheon Wins Huge Victory In Jammer Competition (From Forbes)
July 9, 2013- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D In a development that could transform the landscape of the military-electronics market, Raytheon has won a hard-fought competition to develop the Navy’s Next Generation Jammer. The new system, which will replace obsolete jamming pods on the EA-18G Growler electronic-attack plane, [Read More...]