Author Archives: Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D
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The Five Most Important Facts About The F-35 Fighter (From Forbes)
February 12, 2021- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D A quarter-century after the Clinton administration first conceived the “joint strike fighter,” it has turned into a smashing success. Hundreds are in operation with ten air forces around the world, with many, many more to come. But that doesn’t mean [Read More...] -
Report: Biden Needs To Protect U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Industry, Or It May Soon Be Gone (From Forbes)
February 9, 2021- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The U.S. remote sensing industry is in danger of being wiped out by foreign competition. Known in military circles as geospatial intelligence, the industry’s products are vital to commercial and government users alike. But as the rest of the world [Read More...] -
GEOSPATIAL INTELLIGENCE: A Test Case For Washington’s Emerging Industrial Policy
February 9, 2021- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Findings in Brief Read the full report as a PDF here. The commercial geospatial-intelligence industry is growing rapidly. However, most of the growth is happening outside the United States, where foreign providers are matching and surpassing the offerings U.S. companies. [Read More...] -
Why Nuclear Arms Control Won’t Work Without New Weapons (From Forbes)
February 5, 2021- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D President Biden has extended the New START nuclear arms control agreement for five more years, to 2026. That’s a good thing in terms of fostering a stable nuclear balance between America and Russia. However, the stability enshrined in New START [Read More...] -
Five Progressive Reasons Why President Biden Shouldn’t Cut The Pentagon Budget (From Forbes)
February 2, 2021- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Some progressive members of the Democratic Party are calling for a cut in defense spending to free up money for domestic programs. However, that might create consequences that are at odds with what progressives want. The Pentagon budget is an [Read More...] -
Turning The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle Into A Science Fair Could Be Dangerous For Warfighters (From Forbes)
January 29, 2021- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D A recent essay in RealClearDefense proposes that the pending re-compete of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program is an opportunity to pursue electrification of the Army’s tactical vehicle fleet. It also proposes introducing other recent automotive innovations into the [Read More...] -
Joe Biden, A Longtime Missile Defense Skeptic, Now Must Decide How To Protect The U.S. Homeland (From Forbes)
January 26, 2021- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Joe Biden has seldom been a big supporter of homeland missile defenses during his long political career. However, as president he will have to make decisions about how to deal with the growing nuclear threat from North Korea, and the [Read More...] -
The U.S. Army Is In Great Shape. Let’s Not Screw It Up (From Forbes)
January 22, 2021- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Although the Trump administration isn’t likely to be remembered fondly by most historians, some U.S. institutions actually benefited from the 45th president’s tenure. A case in point is the Army, which ended the Obama years with declining readiness and a [Read More...] -
Four Reasons The Navy’s Bold Plans For Its Surface Fleet Are Doomed In The Biden Era (From Forbes)
January 19, 2021- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The U.S. Navy has emerged from the Trump era with a complex plan for retooling its fleet of warships. The undersea pieces of the plan are necessary and widely supported. The surface pieces have encountered resistance on Capitol Hill. Legislators [Read More...] -
Pentagon Report Paints Grim Picture Of America’s Industrial Decline (From Forbes)
January 13, 2021- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D On January 12 the Department of Defense released its 2020 assessment of U.S. industrial capabilities. It is alarming compendium of decay that signals FDR’s arsenal of democracy is on its last legs. From shipbuilding to machine tools to semiconductors, the [Read More...]