NATIONAL PRESS CLUB: The ambitious arms export reforms proposed and largely prepared by the Obama administration may founder if the White House changes hands.
The State, Commerce and Defense departments have completed “for all intents and purposes” the drafts of the major reforms after a week of all-day meetings. Keep reading →
WASHINGTON: In a poll sure to be read with some trepidation on Capitol Hill, a Harris poll has found that almost 80 percent of “likely voters in critical battleground states” want lawmakers to do something to avoid the automatic budget cuts known as sequestration.
The poll, commissioned by the Aerospace Industries Association as part of its Second to None lobby campaign, contacted 4,042 voters in Florida, Missouri, Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Keep reading →
UPDATED: AEI Analyst Eaglen Argues Strong Economy Best National Security
Remember the Republicans, those muscular supporters of America’s military, those vigorous champions of an ascendant Western military alliance. Where are they now?
Well, they’re around, but you are unlikely to hear more than a few sentences about defense during the GOP convention. The Romney campaign is completely focused on the economy and on President Obama’s record. Even the GOP’s talking points for the convention fail to contain a single word that even hints at national security issues. The official party platform, which means virtually nothing, supports American exceptionalism and accuses President Obama of “weakness” in facing the many threats we face and making things worse by “fighting” GOP efforts to stop sequestration. Keep reading →
WASHINGTON: Rep. Todd Akin, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee and major supporter of Boeing’s F-18, has stumbled horribly in his Senate race against Sen. Claire McCaskill, speaking of “legitimate rape.”
Akin’s defense knowledge and experience in the House would have made him a likely shoo-in for a spot on the Senate Armed Services Committee, where the current chairman of the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces could have wielded significant influence on the F-18 and other systems. But Akin’s gaffe brought unusually sharp negative comments from senior Republicans about a race that could determine which party controls the Senate. Keep reading →
Colin Clark
Sydney J. Freedberg, Jr.
Iran Attack Could Be Game-Changer For Defense Stocks
By Loren ThompsonIn the latest evidence that bad news for everyone else can often be good news for military contractors, defense investors are perking up as rumors spread that Israel might attack Iran’s nuclear complex in the Autumn.
Any new Middle East war would give a boost to the stocks of military suppliers, while also making equities in other sectors look less attractive as broader markets responded to a likely spike in oil prices. Keep reading →