Author Archives: Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D
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Lockheed Martin Government Relations Wizard Greg Dahlberg Launches Consulting Practice
August 3, 2015- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The mastermind of Lockheed Martin’s government-relations strategy during the most challenging years for the F-35 fighter program has retired from the company, and will establish a Washington consulting practice. Gregory Dahlberg spent a dozen years managing the Washington office of [Read More...] -
BAE Systems Reports Strong Results In U.S. Defense Business, Reflecting Sector Trend (From Forbes)
July 30, 2015- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The world’s third largest military contractor seems to be doing remarkably well in the world’s biggest defense market. U.K.-based BAE Systems reported July 30 that all three of the business units in its American subsidiary exhibited favorable trends in the [Read More...] -
Boeing Says Ex-Im Bank Demise May Force It Offshore (From Forbes)
July 29, 2015- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The nation’s biggest exporter says it may have to move operations offshore if Congress does not renew the charter of the Export-Import Bank. Chicago-based Boeing is the biggest beneficiary of Ex-Im credit facilities, which means if the bank is not [Read More...] -
Congress Moves To Impose Market-Style Reforms On Pentagon Weapons Purchases (From Forbes)
July 28, 2015- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Having tried just about every other approach to reforming the Pentagon’s reviled system for purchasing weapons, Congress is now moving to embrace the lessons of the marketplace. Word is that the House-Senate conference reconciling competing versions of the fiscal 2016 [Read More...] -
Ex-Im Bank Debate Reflects America’s Decline
July 24, 2015- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D There was a time when America could rightly call itself the “arsenal of democracy.” Its industrial output was so great that it dwarfed the production of potential enemies. Those days are over. The smart phone or laptop computer on which [Read More...] -
F-35 Fighter Engines: How The Pentagon Will Make Sure Pratt & Whitney Performs (From Forbes)
July 23, 2015- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D United Technologies unit Pratt & Whitney is making steady progress in completing development of its F135 engine for the F-35 fighter. Unit costs are way down, the readiness of engines in the field averages 96%, and tests indicate the F135 [Read More...] -
Lockheed Martin Announces Sikorsky Purchase And Strategic Review Of Services Portfolio (From Forbes)
July 20, 2015- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D The world’s largest defense contractor is making big changes to its business mix as it announces plans to buy the Sikorsky helicopter unit of United Technologies and review $6 billion in services businesses for possible divestiture. Lockheed Martin Chairman & [Read More...] -
Boeing Takes Big Charge To Keep Tanker Program On Track (From Forbes)
July 17, 2015- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D Boeing disclosed Friday that it would take a $536 million after-tax charge to address fuel-system issues on the KC-46A Pegasus tanker it is developing for the Air Force. The fueling system was the last major item on the aircraft that [Read More...] -
Ten Signs The F-35 Fighter Program Is Becoming A Smashing Success (From Forbes)
July 13, 2015- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D It seems the Pentagon’s biggest weapons program is incapable of generating favorable media coverage. Reporters play up every problem (real or imagined) with the F-35 fighter, while largely ignoring the positives. But there are now so many positives that the [Read More...] -
Five Reasons America’s Rivals Are Catching Up In Military Technology (From Forbes)
July 9, 2015- Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D There is growing concern in the Pentagon that potential adversaries such as China and Russia are chipping away at America’s lead in military technology. However, a close look at why this is happening suggests that the fault, dear Brutus, is [Read More...]