Four New Weapons That Will Define The Biden Defense Posture (From Forbes)

Predicting the priorities of a new presidential administration is risky business–especially when it hasn’t even taken office yet. However, President-elect Biden has a long and fairly consistent track record on defense, so when it comes to weapons programs some of the calls are easy to make. For instance, the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine is critical to assuring effective nuclear deterrence, a strategy Biden has embraced since he first entered the Senate. The B-21 bomber, designed for both nuclear and conventional roles, is also pretty much a sure thing under Biden. The CH-53K cargo helicopter begun during the Obama years is needed to complete the transformation of the Marine Corps’ aviation branch. And unmanned warships for the Navy, both on the surface and below the seas, may be the only affordable way of accomplishing all the missions assigned to the sea services. All four of these efforts exhibit advanced design features and production techniques, which will give them added appeal in an administration expected to stress military innovation. I have written a commentary for Forbes here.