Author Archives: Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D
-
Putin’s Ukraine Invasion Makes Poland The Linchpin Of U.S. Military Plans In Europe (From Forbes)
February 25, 2022- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D With Russian dominance of Belarus and Ukraine now a foregone conclusion, Poland is poised to become pivotal to U.S. military plans in Europe. Like Taiwan in the east, Poland’s loss to the West would be a turning point with profound [Read More...] -
Joe Biden’s Outdated Views On Missile Defense Are A Poor Match For Putin’s Resurgent Russia (From Forbes)
February 22, 2022- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The Biden administration is currently wrapping up reviews of the U.S. nuclear posture and missile defense capabilities. In all likelihood, the reviews will do little more than ratify the status quo: lots of nuclear warheads, very little in the way [Read More...] -
With Future Mergers Foreclosed, Lockheed Martin Will Focus On Organic Growth. Here Are Four Super-Sized Opportunities. (From Forbes)
February 17, 2022- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The Biden administration has signaled Lockheed Martin that any further mergers in the defense space are unlikely to win government approval. The inescapable conclusion is that if the company wants to grow in defense, it will have to do so [Read More...] -
Whether Russia Invades Or Not, Biden Has Handled The Ukraine Crisis Well (From Forbes)
February 14, 2022- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D President Biden is living up to his advance billing as a foreign policy and defense expert in dealing with the Ukraine crisis. Operating within severe military, diplomatic and geopolitical constraints, Biden has fashioned a coherent strategy that may yet dissuade [Read More...] -
Top Five Reasons Lockheed Martin Believes It Can Beat Boeing In The Next Round Of Tanker Competition (From Forbes)
February 10, 2022- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The Air Force is embarking on the second round of competition in a multi-decade effort to replace its aging tanker fleet. Lockheed Martin has teamed with Airbus to offer an alternative to the Boeing KC-46 tanker that won the first [Read More...] -
Ukraine Tensions Should Be A Reminder Of Germany’s Nuclear Role In NATO, Which Will Soon Depend On 30 Super Hornet Fighters (From Forbes)
February 8, 2022- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Recent criticism of Germany’s reliability as an ally tends to neglect many of the concrete contributions it makes to NATO. One of the least-mentioned contributions is that Germany’s air force is part of a regional nuclear force that deters Russian [Read More...] -
Despite Force Redesign, The Marine Corps Says It Still Needs Its Big Amphibious Warships. In Fact, It Needs Over 30. (From Forbes)
February 4, 2022- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The U.S. Marine Corps is in the midst of a major force redesign aimed at becoming more relevant in the Western Pacific. Unfortunately, part of message has gotten garbled. Just because the Marines want a new class of light amphibious [Read More...] -
Oshkosh Unveils Hybrid-Electric Joint Light Tactical Vehicle That Matches/Surpasses Performance Of Original (From Forbes)
February 1, 2022- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The incumbent producer of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) has unveiled a hybrid-electric version of the diesel-powered vehicle that offers significant performance gains while preserving the original vehicle’s mobility and crew protection. Among other things, the hybrid configuration will [Read More...] -
FTC Move To Block Lockheed-Aerojet Merger Could Push Rocket Maker Into The Arms Of Private Equity (From Forbes)
January 26, 2022- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The Federal Trade Commission’s move to block a merger of Aerojet Rocketdyne with Lockheed Martin will have minimal impact on Lockheed, because Aerojet would have only added 3% to its annual revenues. Lockheed has bigger opportunities to pursue. However, for [Read More...] -
Lockheed Martin Invests Heavily In Hypersonics As Corporate Portfolio Aligns With Future Warfighter Needs (From Forbes)
January 25, 2022- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Lockheed Martin has emerged as the dominant domestic player in the development of hypersonic weapons. Having won integration contracts for Army, Navy and Air Force glide weapons, the company is on the verge of securing a major new military franchise. [Read More...]