Author Archives: Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D
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Air Force Technology Chief Roper Responds To An Unfolding Crisis In The U.S. Industrial Base (From Forbes)
April 3, 2020- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The Air Force’s assistant secretary for acquisition & technology, Will Roper, has taken a series of steps to shore up the defense industry since he established a COVID-19 task force within the service’s acquisition community on March 25. Perhaps the [Read More...] -
Five Reasons Raytheon Technologies Is Destined To Dominate Aerospace & Defense (From Forbes)
April 2, 2020- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D On April 3, the merged enterprise of Raytheon and United Technologies begins trading of shares, minus legacy non-aerospace and non-defense properties. The entity, called Raytheon Technologies, will be an electronics and propulsion powerhouse, ranked number-one or number-two in virtually all [Read More...] -
Coronavirus Highlights U.S. Strategic Vulnerabilities Spawned By Over-Reliance On China (From Forbes)
March 30, 2020- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The coronavirus crisis has renewed concern about whether the U.S. has become too dependent on China for manufactured goods, particularly goods with potential defense applications. The most immediate concern is drugs such as antibiotics; even when they are not made [Read More...] -
Lockheed Martin Shores Up Supply Chain, Continuing Hiring Amid Coronavirus (From Forbes)
March 27, 2020- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Lockheed Martin, the nation’s biggest military contractor, disclosed steps this week to cope with the spread of coronavirus. Chairman & CEO Marillyn Hewson said the company will sustain production of defense items while protecting workers and making its capabilities available [Read More...] -
Why The Pentagon’s THAAD Missile Defense System Is Becoming Critical To Protection Of The U.S. Homeland (From Forbes)
March 23, 2020- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The complexity of nuclear threats posed to the U.S. homeland by North Korea is expected to grow, requiring military planners to add a second layer to the nation’s missile defense architecture. If each line of defense in a two-layer architecture [Read More...] -
Coronavirus Threatens To End America’s Long Run As A Leader In Commercial Aviation (From Forbes)
March 19, 2020- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D U.S. companies participating in the production of jetliners are facing a liquidity crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic. Aircraft deliveries have ceased, the supply chain is breaking down, and many companies face the near-term prospect of bankruptcy. Without federal assistance, [Read More...] -
Marillyn Hewson Finds A Timely Successor To Lead Lockheed Martin (From Forbes)
March 16, 2020- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The world’s biggest military contractor disclosed a change in leadership on Monday. Lockheed Martin Chairman & CEO Marillyn Hewson will relinquish her job to James Taiclet on June 15. Taiclet, currently Chairman & CEO of American Tower, is a former [Read More...] -
Boeing Insitu’s Extended-Range Blackjack Is Changing How The Joint Force Thinks About Unmanned Aircraft Systems (From Forbes)
March 11, 2020- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Until a few years ago, small unmanned aircraft had an effective operating radius of 50 miles or so because they were tethered to line-of-sight communications. Satellite links might have given them greater reach, but the necessary equipment exceeded their payload [Read More...] -
Nuclear Threats Are Growing. How Should U.S. Missile Defenses Be Upgraded? (From Forbes)
March 5, 2020- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The U.S. has a grand total of one program in its entire military arsenal capable of intercepting long-range nuclear warheads aimed at America. It is called the Ground-based Midcourse Defense, and within ten years it is likely to lose its [Read More...] -
Ten Ways A Democratic President Would Change The Trump Defense Posture (From Forbes)
March 3, 2020- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D If the coronavirus crisis pushes the U.S. economy into recession, President Trump would be unlikely to win reelection. So now is a good time to consider how a Democratic chief executive might change Trump’s defense posture. Based on longstanding beliefs [Read More...]