Author Archives: Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D
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Potential Arms Control Violation Could Derail Pentagon’s Next-Generation Missile Defense Interceptor (From Forbes)
July 20, 2020- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The Pentagon is developing a new interceptor missile to counter long-range ballistic weapons that North Korea might field in the future. It is a necessary step to defend the U.S. homeland against a rogue country that might not be deterrable [Read More...] -
Inventing Bogus Antitrust Arguments To Bring Down Big Tech Is Bad For National Security (From Forbes)
July 16, 2020- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D On July 27, the House Judiciary Committee will host the CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Alphabet as part of an ongoing antitrust inquiry. The need for such an inquiry is doubtful, since each of these companies achieved market dominance [Read More...] -
Hanging New Engines On 60-Year-Old B-52 Bombers Will Raise Some Serious Risks (From Forbes)
July 13, 2020- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The Air Force has begun a program to install new commercial engines on the venerable B-52 bomber, as part of its plan to operate 76 of the aircraft through 2050. Successfully installing new engines on such an old aircraft–each bomber [Read More...] -
Raytheon Technologies Leverages Merger Synergies To Mount Bid For FAA Network Transformation (From Forbes)
July 9, 2020- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The Federal Aviation Administration is planning a series of modernization initiatives that will integrate national airspace using digital tools. The cornerstone of this effort is the FAA Enterprise Network Services (FENS) project, which provides an information framework for implementation of [Read More...] -
Expanded Cargo Preferences May Be The Easiest Way To Rebuild The U.S. Maritime Industry (From Forbes)
July 7, 2020- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The U.S. commercial shipbuilding and shipping industry is in a secular decline. Aside from domestic routes reserved by the Jones Act, U.S.-made and manned merchant vessels have nearly disappeared from the world’s oceans. The decline began because of generous government [Read More...] -
Army Next-Gen Combat Vehicle Chief Drives Digital Development Strategy (From Forbes)
July 2, 2020- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The Army is developing a successor to its Bradley infantry fighting vehicle called the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV). The winning design will prioritize survivability, mobility, growth and lethality. That shouldn’t come as any surprise. But the way the Army [Read More...] -
Marine CH-53K Emerges As The Fastest, Cheapest Way To Find A Future Army Heavy Lifter (From Forbes)
June 29, 2020- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The U.S. Marine Corps has spent $7 billion developing a helicopter that can lift more cargo than any other military rotorcraft in the world. Called the CH-53K King Stallion, it will allow marines to quickly move armored trucks and field [Read More...] -
How Boeing’s Confident Travel Initiative Works To Minimize Covid-19 Spread (From Forbes)
June 25, 2020- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The coronavirus pandemic may be with us in one form or another for years to come. If an effective vaccine is not developed promptly, the air travel industry will have to find other ways of making aircraft use safe for [Read More...] -
Military Modernization & Readiness Could Plunge If Congress Doesn’t Appropriate Funds To Cover Industry’s Coronavirus Costs (From Forbes)
June 23, 2020- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The U.S. defense industry has incurred costs of $20 billion or more coping with the coronavirus pandemic. Many of these costs are traceable to a government determination early in the crisis that defense production is an essential activity. As the [Read More...] -
Restive Workforce Aggravates Competitive Challenge At Bath Iron Works, A Key Navy Supplier (From Forbes)
June 19, 2020- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Negotiations over a new three-year contract between the management at Bath Iron Works and its biggest union have reached an impasse. If the local votes to go out on strike, it could add to construction delays the yard is already [Read More...]