Author Archives: Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D
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Marines Say Amphibious Combat Vehicle Is A Must-Have As Danger Of Going Ashore Grows (From Forbes)
October 9, 2015- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Amphibious warfare is the defining mission of the U.S. Marine Corps, but it’s getting increasingly dangerous. Many littoral states now have anti-ship missiles that can hit amphibious warships far over the horizon. And once Marines get ashore, they have to [Read More...] -
Five Ways The Pentagon’s Anti-Merger Outburst Will Backfire (From Forbes)
October 6, 2015- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall delivered some muddled pronouncements on defense mergers last week, suggesting that companies like Lockheed Martin shouldn’t be allowed to get too big even if their size raises no antitrust issues. That view doesn’t seem to [Read More...] -
Ex-Im Campaign Is Killing Thousands Of Jobs In States GOP Needs To Win White House (From Forbes)
September 30, 2015- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Judging from the steady stream of jobs being lost, the right-wing jihad to kill Washington’s Export-Import Bank is shaping up to be a significant blow to America’s economy. However, it may also be a blow to the Republican Party, which [Read More...] -
Defense Transportation Chief McDew Faces Rising Challenges With Receding Resources (From Forbes)
September 28, 2015- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D When Air Force General Darren W. McDew was questioned by Senators about his nomination to lead U.S. Transportation Command in July, he made a point of lauding the “unheralded professionals” at the command engaged in carrying out its “often thankless [Read More...] -
Pentagon Might Learn More About Innovation From General Motors Than Silicon Valley (From Forbes)
September 25, 2015- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Pentagon leaders have begun reaching out to Silicon Valley tech companies for ideas on how the pace of innovation in the military can be accelerated. Perhaps they are looking in the wrong zip code. Detroit’s General Motors has managed to [Read More...] -
Boeing To Build Its First Offshore Plane Factory In China As Ex-Im Bank Withers (From Forbes)
September 23, 2015- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Facing severe pressure from state-subsidized foreign competitors and the end of federal export financing, Boeing has decided to build its first offshore aircraft factory in the company’s 100-year history. The plant will be located in China, will be a joint [Read More...] -
GOP Candidates Obsess Over Iran Threat, Ignore Russian Nuclear Menace (from Forbes)
September 18, 2015- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D If you watched the Republican presidential debate this week, you heard a lot about the danger posed by Iran’s nuclear-weapons program. North Korea’s efforts came in for some criticism too. But Russia’s nuclear arsenal got no mention, which is a [Read More...] -
Delays For Revolutionary Zumwalt Destroyer Offer Lesson For Navy’s Next Sub (From Forbes)
September 16, 2015- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Integration of three Zumwalt-class destroyers at Bath Iron Works (BIW) in Maine is taking longer than expected. Part of the problem is the sheer complexity of the Zumwalt warships, and part of the problem is that the Navy canceled the [Read More...] -
Army Tech Spending Collapses As Enemies Close Gap (From Forbes)
September 11, 2015- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The U.S. Army has largely ceased investing in new warfighting technology. In fact, the service actually said that in its fiscal 2016 budget briefing: “The Army has no major new modernization programs until the next decade.” Unfortunately, the same cannot [Read More...] -
Why Sen. McCain Is Right To Try To Put The Military Services In Charge Of Buying Weapons (From Forbes)
September 8, 2015- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The House and Senate Armed Services Committees are expected to approve a National Defense Authorization Act this month that would restore weapons-purchasing authority to the military services. That authority has been eroded by 30 years of acquisition reform that centralized [Read More...]