Loren Thompson
Stories by Loren Thompson
In the difficult years since the 9-11 attacks, the U.S. Army has become proficient at quickly fielding equipment needed by troops at war. From improved night-vision devices to digital radios to up-armored vehicles, the Army’s acquisition community has proven it can be responsive when soldiers’ lives are on the line. But a very different story…
By Loren Thompson
If you are one of those people who believes the various conspiracy theories making the rounds about Lockheed Martin’s excessive influence over government decisions, the Pentagon’s fiscal 2013 budget request probably won’t make you feel any better. Having served as an advisor to Lockheed and many of its competitors for a long time, I don’t…
By Loren Thompson
The problem with military planners is that all they know is military stuff. The Pentagon may harbor some of the best strategists who ever gazed at a globe, but they seldom have much grasp of economics or demographics or cultural trends. So when a new threat arises, their natural inclination is to figure out how…
By Loren Thompson
If you are in the defense business, then you’re probably getting tired of speculation about how the so-called congressional “super-committee” is going to decide the fate of America’s military posture. That bipartisan panel of 12 lawmakers was established by the Budget Control Act to recommend $1.5 trillion in savings by November 23, and if it…
By Loren Thompson
The elimination of al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden from the world stage only months before the tenth anniversary of the 9-11 attacks was a major tactical success for America’s global campaign against the terrorist organization. However, the fact that it took the world’s most capable intelligence community nearly a decade to find the tallest…
By Loren Thompson
The people who run the U.S. defense industry aren’t real big on metaphors, and yet many of them subscribe to a distinctly metaphorical view of how military spending ebbs and flows. The prevailing view in the sector is that Pentagon spending occurs in waves that crest every 20 years or so, after which demand gradually…
By Loren Thompson
In the difficult years since the 9-11 attacks, the U.S. Army has become proficient at quickly fielding equipment needed by troops at war. From improved night-vision devices to digital radios to up-armored vehicles, the Army’s acquisition community has proven it can be responsive when soldiers’ lives are on the line. But a very different story…
By Loren ThompsonIf you are one of those people who believes the various conspiracy theories making the rounds about Lockheed Martin’s excessive influence over government decisions, the Pentagon’s fiscal 2013 budget request probably won’t make you feel any better. Having served as an advisor to Lockheed and many of its competitors for a long time, I don’t…
By Loren ThompsonThe problem with military planners is that all they know is military stuff. The Pentagon may harbor some of the best strategists who ever gazed at a globe, but they seldom have much grasp of economics or demographics or cultural trends. So when a new threat arises, their natural inclination is to figure out how…
By Loren ThompsonIf you are in the defense business, then you’re probably getting tired of speculation about how the so-called congressional “super-committee” is going to decide the fate of America’s military posture. That bipartisan panel of 12 lawmakers was established by the Budget Control Act to recommend $1.5 trillion in savings by November 23, and if it…
By Loren ThompsonThe elimination of al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden from the world stage only months before the tenth anniversary of the 9-11 attacks was a major tactical success for America’s global campaign against the terrorist organization. However, the fact that it took the world’s most capable intelligence community nearly a decade to find the tallest…
By Loren ThompsonThe people who run the U.S. defense industry aren’t real big on metaphors, and yet many of them subscribe to a distinctly metaphorical view of how military spending ebbs and flows. The prevailing view in the sector is that Pentagon spending occurs in waves that crest every 20 years or so, after which demand gradually…
By Loren Thompson
How To Cut The Defense Budget Without Killing The Force
The House passed the second Continuing Resolution of the year today, avoiding the direst scenario that had haunted many in American defense circles. But the CR’s passage does not mean anyone has avoided sequestration, as the mandatory budget cuts are known. And cutting $50 billion a year from the Pentagon budget for the next 10…
By Loren Thompson