The acquisition of new tankers for the USAF remains challenging, as it gets underway for the third iteration. Virtually every aspect of the bids has been contested in blogs, newspaper, the GAO and commented on by various pundits. Whether the politics surrounding the bids can be attenuated to ultimately serve…
Dick Kugler has recently published an interesting examination of the tough question of how one would deter a nuclear-armed Iran.[1] (http://www.ndu.edu/ctnsp/Def_Tech/DTP%2067%20Deterring%20Iran.pdf). He examines this from the standpoint of how the U.S. could spearhead an extended deterrent regime to deal with the emergence of a new nuclear power in the Middle East.…
A new approach to maritime security which provides for layered defense of the American homeland built around maritime domain awareness is viewed as a crucial effort in the United States. To build capabilities for the new approach requires redirecting U.S. maritime capabilities away from an emphasis on overseas presence and…
[caption id="attachment_630" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Michael Wynne at Normandy"][/caption] Secretary of the Air Force Donley together with the Air Force Chief of Staff Schwartz wrote an oped over this past summer wanting to put the contentious F-22 debate behind them. With their then recent installation and the heated debate on 'next…
Reports of China's impending decision to restrict exports of rare-earth minerals has suddenly awoken the U.S. government to its dependence on China for virtually all of the permanent magnets and rare-earth materials used throughout the defense industrial complex. China controls more than 95 percent of the world's supply of rare-earth…
[caption id="attachment_408" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="A multi-national naval force, including the San Antonio class-amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde, USS Doyle, USCGC Mohawk, the Colombian navy frigate ARC Independiente, the Dutch navy auxiliary ship HMNLS Amsterdam, and the Uruguayan navy frigate General Artigas, underway in formation as part of FuerzasAliadas…
[caption id="attachment_537" align="alignleft" width="137" caption="Ambassador Jon Glassman"][/caption] Ambassador Glassman addresses the important question of how the new governments of the industrial democracies will address defense modernization. The global economic crisis could lead to a significant reduction in the capability of these democracies to defend themselves and their interests. Short-sided economic…
[caption id="attachment_627" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Robert Johnson"][/caption] The shape of tactical vehicle modernization impacts on other services and on other procurement choices. We discuss elsewhere the C5M modernization effort: determining what vehicles the lift fleet will carry is an important driver in debates about what to modernize and what to buy…
