The United States Coast Guard and Navy are pursuing the creation of a national fleet to craft a common approach and develop interoperable capabilities to provide for maritime security. If this were to become a reality, what would be required and what would be entailed to make it work? The…
The military budget under President Obama and Secretary Gates is dominated by the twin themes of Afghanistan and austerity. The focus on Afghanistan is shaping the strategic perspective for the Administration’s military strategy and austerity is re-shaping the defense portfolios. The power projection forces so dependent upon proprietary military space…
The world may be flat because of globalization, but we may want not to be flattened. The trouble with analyses like Freedman's is there is a God called "Globalization" hidden away in the bowels of the earth, which creates automatic effects and benefits for something called the "global economy." Nations…
With a significant shortfall in spending for new power projection platforms, the U.S. faces a core challenge of how to most effectively build forces for the years ahead. At the heart of this opportunity will be to shape joint con-ops for the US Air Force and Navy and to ensure…
[caption id="attachment_545" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="RAPC Protector"][/caption] As budgets get tighter and competition among vendors accelerates, both government and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) customers are looking and will continue to look for additional value from the shrinking dollars available. One way to "squeeze" more from a limited budget is to manufacture…
[caption id="attachment_1234" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="JSF on Illustrious"][/caption] The role of the air element for the USMC is essential to the future of the USMC. One can have a police force with military uniforms or one can have a flexible military force enabled by full spectrum capability. The choice depends upon…
In an interview with Colonel Turlip of the USMC in mid-2007, the nature and status of the USMC logistics modernization effort was discussed. Colonel Doug Turlip at the time was head of the Logistics Vision and Strategy Center (LPV) within the Logistics and Installations Division of Headquarters USMC. Colonel Turlip's…
Much lost in the U.S. scurrying for dollars in dealing with "overseas contingency operations" and paying for the Obama "stimulus package" and "health care reform" is the significant question of the role of manufacturing in the evolution of the U.S. economy and its global competitiveness. Notably when President Obama delivered…
