Author Archives: Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D
-
Ten Capabilities That Make The U.S. Navy’s Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carriers Indispensable (From Forbes)
June 28, 2019- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D As I explained in a Forbes piece last month, the U.S. Navy’s large-deck, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are very survivable against all known threats short of nuclear war. However, survivability only matters if the functionality and cost-effectiveness of carriers is unsurpassed [Read More...] -
Five Sobering Lessons From Iran’s Downing Of America’s Most Capable Drone (From Forbes)
June 25, 2019- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Iran shot down a $100 million U.S. Global Hawk drone near the Strait of Hormuz last week, which should be a wake-up call for anyone who thinks we have entered the era of drone warfare. Our drones, even the most [Read More...] -
Oshkosh Speeds Ahead With Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (From Forbes)
June 21, 2019- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle that Oshkosh Corporation is building for the Army, Marine Corps and special operations forces looks poised to transform the mobility and versatility of U.S. ground forces. JLTV (as it is usually called) was conceived to [Read More...] -
Trump Drives Down Price Of F-35 Fighter 25% From Obama Level (From Forbes)
June 17, 2019- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D President-elect Trump did not wait until his inauguration before launching a campaign to drive down the price of the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program. On December 12, 2016 he tweeted that billions of dollars could be saved on the F-35 [Read More...] -
HASC Chairman Smith Earmarks $500M Giveaway For SpaceX, Potentially Aborting Air Force Space Plans (From Forbes)
June 12, 2019- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee has proposed language in the 2020 defense authorization act that would provide Elon Musk’s SpaceX with up to $500 million so that it can continue pursuing military launch contracts despite not receiving [Read More...] -
Raytheon-United Technologies: A Powerhouse Whose Size Shouldn’t Matter To Regulators (From Forbes)
June 10, 2019- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The proposed merger of Raytheon and United Technologies would create a vast aerospace and defense enterprise, but it would have no negative impacts on the competitive landscape. Raytheon Chairman & CEO Tom Kennedy told me on June 10 that he [Read More...] -
Defense Contractor L3 Technologies Surges As It Prepares To Enter Big Leagues (From Forbes)
June 7, 2019- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D After spending much of its corporate history as a very-low-visibility supplier to America’s military, L3 Technologies is stepping out on the eve of its merger with Harris Corporation. The resulting combination will be the sixth-biggest military contractor in the world, [Read More...] -
Philly Shipyard’s Struggle Signals Jones Act Isn’t Enough To Secure U.S. Sealift (From Forbes)
June 5, 2019- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Philly Shipyard, one of the few shipbuilders in America focused on making large commercial vessels, has run out of orders. Most of its workforce has been furloughed. This is bad news for America’s military, which relies on the domestically-built and [Read More...] -
Gamechanger For U.S. Navy Against China: New Anti-Ship Missile Dramatically Boosts Firepower (From Forbes)
May 23, 2019- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Many of the U.S. Navy’s surface combatants lack the capability to engage hostile warships. That capability hasn’t been needed much since the Cold War ended, but now China is surging in the Western Pacific and the Navy must respond. One [Read More...] -
Ten Reasons A U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Is One Of The Safest Places To Be In A War (From Forbes)
May 21, 2019- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Large-deck, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are the signature expression of U.S. military power. However, many pundits seem to think they are becoming more vulnerable to disabling attacks. In fact, the opposite is probably true. Carriers are always moving, they have unlimited [Read More...]