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Army MV-75 Has A “Digital Backbone” To Stand Up To China In The Pacific (From National Security Journal)
By Rebecca L. Grant, Ph.D., Vice President, Lexington Institute. October 20, 2025  The full text of this article is available below and on the National Security Journal website here. Key Points and Summary – The U.S. Army is accelerating its new MV-75 tiltrotor program, a long-range assault aircraft that is “twice as far, twice as fast” as the Black Hawk. -While its performance is a leap forward, its most revolutionary feature is its “digital backbone.” -The MV-75 is the first military aircraft designed from the ground up with a modular open systems architecture using Time Sensitive Networking (TSN). -This approach, borrowed from the auto industry, allows for rapid, “plug and play” upgrades, avoids vendor lock, and ensures the platform can be easily modernized for decades to come. The MV-75 Is Coming  The Army needs the operational agility of the MV-75 for the Pacific, but multidomain success for Soldiers also depends on the digital backbone of next-generation systems. China’s tactics in the Pacific lean on a number of different elements, from gray-zone operations to missile threats. The U.S. Army is countering with a strategy for operational agility that could deter China in both low-intensity conflicts and all-out wars. Speeding up the arrival of the future MV-75 long-range assault aircraft is a key part of the U.S. strategy. The Army is accelerating both the testing and production schedule for the program. It is “the most modern, transformational, game-changing aircraft that the Army has ever seen,” MV-75 program manager Col. Jeffrey Poquette said in a recent video.
October 20, 2025
Trump’s Aircraft Carrier Visit Sends China A Message: US Sea Power Still Rules The Waves (From FOX News)
Trump’s Aircraft Carrier Visit Sends China A Message: US Sea Power Still Rules The Waves (From FOX News) The full text of this article is available below and on the FOX News website here. The sight of President Donald Trump on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush was a great reminder that no one fears U.S. aircraft carriers more than China. Trump flew onto the carrier, underway in the Atlantic, as part of the Navy’s 250th Anniversary celebrations. He brought along First Lady Melania Trump, wearing a sleek leather flight jacket and more importantly, closed-toe, low-heel shoes, per Navy regulation for personnel on the flight deck. Together they watched a firepower demonstration from F/A-18EF Superhornets, F-35C fighters and the Aegis destroyers of the strike group in the Navy’s Atlantic training range. Later, Trump applauded carrier operations, with a speech back at the pier at Norfolk Naval Base, Virginia. “They land screaming jets on pitching decks in the dark of night with no room for error,” he said.
October 13, 2025
America First: Rubio And Trump Just Drew A Red Line For Narco-Terrorists (From FOX News)
By Rebecca L. Grant, Ph.D., Vice President, Lexington Institute. September 16, 2025  The full text of this article is available below and on the FOX News website here. When U.S. forces destroyed a Tren de Aragua drug runner’s fast boat with a missile on Tuesday, it opened a new chapter in the drug war and in the defense of the Western Hemisphere. Tren de Aragua is a designated terrorist organization and invasion force. In tactical terms, the strike was no different from hitting ISIS or Houthi targets in the Middle East. “If you’re on a boat full of cocaine or fentanyl or whatever, headed to the United States, you’re an immediate threat to the United States,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a speech in Mexico City. “I’ve been saying for many years that a law enforcement solution is not good enough to address these global terrorists operating in the Western Hemisphere,” former acting DEA chief Derek Maltz told USA Today. This is truly America First. President Donald Trump is the first American leader to construct a policy framework for direct military operations against cartels. His new approach also gives Americans greater transparency into how he plans to carry it out. Part of the shock factor was that Americans got a rare chance to see U.S. military forces in action close to home. Trump wants it out in the open. The video of Tuesday’s strike was labeled UNCLASSIFIED in bright green, meaning officials had stripped out the range and location data normally seen around the frame. The strike was clearly calculated, likely backed by communications intercepts and maritime surveillance. The weapon may have been a Hellfire from a helicopter or another anti-ship missile. The footage was likely captured by a drone. Regardless of the platform, the point was unmistakable: the U.S. won’t tolerate cartel activity. The strike was a direct message to Tren de Aragua’s Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, known as “Niño Guerrero.” He has morphed TdA from a Venezuelan prison gang into “an organization with growing influence throughout the Western Hemisphere,” according to the Treasury Department. TdA is more than a cartel. Yes, this is the same Tren de Aragua whose members took over the Aspen Grove apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, last year. Its activities include drug trafficking, human smuggling, extortion, sexual exploitation, money laundering and more. The group also fueled mass migration into the United States during President Joe Biden’s open-border era.
September 16, 2025
China’s Massive Missile Forces: A Paper Tiger? (From National Security Journal)
By Rebecca L. Grant, Ph.D., Vice President, Lexington Institute. September 9, 2025  The full text of this article is available below and on the National Security Journal website here. Key Points and Summary – Despite its massive size and impressive parades, China’s People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) may be a “paper tiger” in a real conflict. The PLARF’s effectiveness is severely undermined by deep-rooted corruption, a complete lack of modern combat experience, and finite missile stockpiles. While China boasts of “carrier-killer” missiles like the DF-21D, the immense difficulty of targeting and hitting a moving, well-defended U.S. aircraft carrier is a major operational challenge. Meanwhile, the U.S. is deploying advanced counter-hypersonic defenses, stretching China’s limited resources and diminishing the PLARF’s perceived threat.
September 9, 2025
Will Alaska Summit Make America Safer? Trump Could End Ukraine War, But a Larger Threat Looms (From FOX News)
By Rebecca L. Grant, Ph.D., Vice President, Lexington Institute. September 2, 2025  Hint: it’s China. President Donald J. Trump wants a Ukraine ceasefire.  Even if Putin agrees, America won’t be safer.  For the Ukraine war has also turned the China-Russia alliance into the greatest military danger America faces. Read from FOX News hereand below. The China-Russia alliance has grown by leaps and bounds since Trump last met with Putin in 2019 on the sidelines of the G20 Summit on Osaka, Japan.  China gave Russia the greenlight to try to take over all of Ukraine in 2022.  China and Russia engage in high-stakes military exercises and tech deals.  Both are sprinting ahead on new nuclear weapons and missiles.  Don’t forget Iran and North Korea, junior partners whose drones and troops have added to the bloodshed. So while Trump looks Putin in the eye at Joint Base Elmendorf, he will also weigh how close Putin really is to China’s Xi Jinping.  It’s a scary scenario. China counts on Russia as a partner in global confrontation.  “Grynch,” NATO’s new commander Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, United States Air Force, is widely known by his callsign from his days as an F-16 and F-22 pilot.  He recently said he worries that China could synchronize an invasion of Taiwan with a new Russian attack on the Baltics or another part of Europe.
September 2, 2025
Trump’s Nuclear Submarine Chess Move Should Send Chills Down Putin’s Spine – And Yours (From FOX News)
By Rebecca L. Grant, Ph.D., Vice President, Lexington Institute. August 8, 2025 -The full text of this article is available below and on the FOX News website at the link here. Forget Tom Cruise and Top Gun 3. After President Donald Trump’s astonishing comments about repositioning Ohio-class nuclear submarines, perhaps Hollywood should remake The Hunt for Red October. The classic 1990 submarine thriller starred former 007 actor Sean Connery as a Russian navy captain trying to prevent nuclear war by defecting to the United States with the Soviet Union’s killer nuclear-armed submarine, the Red October. The SSBN Ohio-class Trident ballistic missile submarines or “boomers” carry 20 intercontinental missiles with multiple nuclear warheads apiece. They patrol underwater for weeks at a time without resurfacing. U.S. presidents basically never talk about their tactical locations. Yet last Friday, Trump broke that rule for a good reason: reminding Russia that the deadly Trident submarine fleet assures Russia will never win a nuclear war. “I have ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,” Trump wrote Aug. 1.
August 8, 2025
E-7 Wedgetail Shock Threatens Air Superiority in the Pacific (From National Security Journal
August 5, 2025 -The full text of this article is available below and in National Security Journal at the link here. Key Points and Summary – The Pentagon’s shocking decision to cancel the E-7 Wedgetail program threatens decades of American air superiority. -Intended to replace the aging E-3 AWACS, the E-7 provides critical airborne early warning and battle management essential for combat in the Pacific. While the Defense Department points to future space-based systems, experts warn this technology is not mature enough to fill the void. -This premature cancellation creates a dangerous capability gap, forcing a reliance on inadequate “Band-Aid” fixes, jeopardizing operations against China, and risking billions of dollars in allied investment in the proven Wedgetail platform. Elon Musk and his team are no longer prowling Washington, DC, but at the Pentagon, there is still damage control needed from the rush to slash programs.
August 5, 2025
MAGA Country Thriving From Tech AI Investments, But Risks Abound (From American Greatness)
MAGA Country Thriving From Tech AI Investments, But Risks Abound (From American Greatness) Much has been made about the growing internal battles within the Trump Administration between supporters of tech bros, such as Elon Musk, and those on the populist right who are slamming the tech industry, like Steve Bannon. These divisions came to a head as the U.S. Senate considered a 10-year moratorium on state AI legislation as part of the massive budget reconciliation bill, siding with Team Bannon in opposing such a ban.
July 29, 2025
The Trump Tank
By Merrick "Mac" Carey. July 25, 2025 -President Donald Trump is leading a renaissance in U.S. Army and allied tank capability. During his first term as President, he reversed the Obama Administration’s plan to end American tank production and close the only tank manufacturing plant in America. Trump increased Abrams tank modernization funding by $1 billion per year, upgrading one armored brigade (90 tanks) annually. The tank industrial base was operating at full capacity with thousands of new jobs. President Trump also reintroduced Abrams tanks into NATO’s force structure after the Obama Administration withdrew them from Europe. Trump also encouraged Poland to modernize its armored forces with the U.S. Abrams tank, resulting in Poland’s purchase of nearly 400 Abrams tanks to date. Poland still has a requirement for 800 additional tanks. As Trump’s first-term National Security Council chief of staff, Alex Gray, has said:
July 25, 2025
Trump Gives Putin Strict Ultimatum To Make A Deal On Ukraine Or Face Consequences (From FOX News)
By Rebecca L. Grant, Ph.D., Vice President, Lexington Institute. July 22, 2025 - The full text of this article is available below and on the FOX News website here. President Donald Trump put Russian President Vladimir Putin on a 50-day clock. To drive Putin to a deal on Ukraine, Trump has a new plan: massive air defenses backed up by the Trump doctrine, where trade wins wars. But what’s truly at stake is Trump’s unique vision for U.S. power and prosperity. In the Oval Office with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday, July 14, Trump announced more U.S. aid to Ukraine and a 100% tariff to hit Russia’s oil customers like China by early September. “I use trade for a lot of things … it’s good for settling wars,” Trump said. Trump cited the example of how he employed trade threats to simmer down India and Pakistan in May. However, as he said Monday, “The only one we haven’t been able to get to yet is Russia.” So, Trump has turned up the heat. The 100% tariffs would hit the $240 billion Russia-China trade and reverberate to India, Brazil and others. This tariff appears to be distinct from the potential 500% secondary sanctions in the Senate bill co-sponsored by Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and Connecticut Democrat Sen. Richard Blumenthal, which Trump views as a back-up plan.
July 22, 2025
AI, Fair Use and the Arsenal of Democracy (From RealClear Defense)
By Rebecca L. Grant, Ph.D., Vice President, Lexington Institute. July 9, 2025 -AI, Fair Use and the Arsenal of Democracy (From RealClear Defense) Two California Rulings Impact America’s AI Race with China. Read here and below. National security has been barely a whisper in the rollicking debates on AI rules and regulations.  However, more and more defense programs are tapping directly into the products of what might be termed the “AI industrial base.”  From Air Force battle management to Navy shipbuilding and Army sensors and offensive cyber ops, AI is becoming an important element in U.S. multi-domain dominance. AI is now part of the arsenal of democracy.  That phrase, coined by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in December 1940, included large auto factories, small tool and die shops, pharmaceutical manufacturers, boat builders and more, producing everything from jeeps to electronics. As every indicator shows, the struggle with China is increasingly focused on AI.  U.S. military programs are counting on the AI lead over China established by American technology companies. That’s why two California court rulings on AI models and the Fair Use doctrine – seemingly just a boisterous Hollywood issue – have implications for national security, too.
July 9, 2025
The M1 Abrams On Parade And Containing Putin (From RealClearDefense)
By Rebecca L. Grant, Ph.D., Vice President, Lexington Institute. June 16,2025 - The full text of this article is available below and on the RealClearDefense website here. Look for 28 Abrams tanks on the parade route in Washington, DC on Saturday, June 14 as the U.S. Army celebrates its 250th Birthday. Those Abrams tanks display a famous legacy. On December 26, 1944, 30-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Creighton Abrams led the 4th Armored Division’s breakthrough to Bastogne during World War II’s Battle of the Bulge. He called his tank the “Thunderbolt.” The Abrams tanks aren’t just on parade as part of the past glory of the Army. The Abrams Main Battle Tank remains the most lethal tank in the world and a centerpiece of combined arms maneuver – the way the Army wins its wars. Just as it took tanks to liberate Europe in World War II, tanks are essential to containing Russia in 2025 and beyond.
June 17, 2025
New Yorkers: Will Trump’s Golden Dome Missile Defense Work? (From AM970 The Joe Piscopo Show and Shake it Off with Mert and Lucas)
June 12, 2025- Golden Dome missile defense is such a hot topic that it’s breaking through on New York radio. On May 28, deep into a discussion of Putin’s chaos in Ukraine, Joe Borelli, guest host of The Joe Piscopo Show, asked about President Donald Trump’s plan for Golden Dome, a missile defense shield for America.  Highlights below.Joe Borelli noted that “President Trump has been talking about the Golden Dome for the last couple of weeks.  Is this really a way to neutralize Russian nuclear attacks, that could sideline Putin and make him less of a threat?”
June 12, 2025
‘MOP Up Option’: Inside the U.S. Plan to Hit Iran’s Underground Nuclear Sites (From 1945)
The full text of this article is available below and on the 1945 website here. The Iran MOP Up Option: Air Force’s Biggest Bombs are Ready to Teach Iran a Lesson: As talks about Iran’s nuclear weapons program move forward, the U.S. military is keeping up the pressure with an array of forces in place under United States Central Command. “We do not want to see war. This is not a president that campaigned on starting wars. And as he said very clearly
May 27, 2025
Trump Warns Putin ‘STOP!’ But History Says That’s Not Enough – Just Ask Reagan (From FOX News)
May 1, 2025 - “Vladimir, STOP! 5,000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the peace deal DONE,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday. Oh, the frustration of negotiating with Russia. But this sounded like the cry of a hoop-skirted heroine tied to the railroad tracks. President Donald J. Trump is a master communicator, but with the single-word plea, he brought back bad memories of one of the low points of President Joe Biden’s foreign policy. That came Sep. 16, 2022, when 60 Minutes asked then-President Joe Biden what he would say if Putin threatened to use nuclear or chemical weapons.
May 1, 2025
For T-45 Replacement, Young Navy Carrier Pilots Need AI And “Air Under Their Butts” (From RealClearDefense)
April 18, 2025 - The Navy is ready to unveil a secret sixth-generation fighter for its Ford and Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, but that’s not the only plane on their shopping list.  The Navy also needs a future-focused advanced trainer for its carrier pilots to replace the T-45 Goshawk. Carrier air wing operations are more vital than ever.  Just look at the constant carrier sorties in  Central Command’s campaign against the Houthis – and China’s activity near Taiwan with its carrier Shandong.  Even with advances in uncrewed aircraft and collaborative drones, the Navy must produce pilots for fleet combat and support aircraft for years to come.  Drones are only just making their debut in carrier air wings, with the MQ-25 Stingray set to fly this year and go to sea in 2026
April 18, 2025
American Advantage: The Strategic Value of Aerospace-Grade Carbon Fiber Composites
April 7, 2025 - U.S. defense programs are becoming more reliant than ever on lightweight carbon fiber composites. From helicopter blades to the wings and fuselage of the F-35 stealth fighter, most major military aerospace platforms that form America’s advantage today depend on carbon fiber composites for their lightweight designs and advanced shaping and performance to increase range and reduce fuel consumption. For future systems, composites have been a design factor from the beginning. The Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone family and the Boeing F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance fighter systems incorporate composites. So does the new carrier-based F/A-XX fighter plane. The Army’s Future Long Range Attack Aircraft also relies on advanced composites.  On the list are other drones, missiles, space and satellite systems covering a wide swathe of the most advanced U.S. military capability.
April 7, 2025
B-21 “Bomber on a Budget” Boosts Confidence in 6th Gen Aircraft (From RealClearDefense)
April 03, 2025 - Boosting Confidence in Sixth-Gen Aircraft Even in the era of DOGE, President Donald J. Trump is doubling down on American investment in sixth-generation aircraft.  The Air Force F-47 fighter and a new Navy carrier plane will restock American airpower.  While air dominance is priceless, the fact remains that experience with the B-21 Raider bomber has quietly given Trump, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg, and the new leadership team the confidence to invest in advanced aircraft programs.  Saving money and executing on a predictable schedule is now a must for the survival of Pentagon programs. Read here and below.
April 3, 2025
Can Cost Plus cheap medications help low income Americans?
March 12, 2025 - Marc Cuban is an American billionaire (net worth a bit shy of $ 6 billion) who made money in tech and as the co-owner of the Dallas Mavericks, a major basketball team. He is fairly well known because of his role as a possible investor in the popular Shark Tank TV show in which would-be entrepreneurs try to convince rich businesspeople (Cuban being one of them) to invest in their new business ventures
March 12, 2025
7 Combat Systems Ukraine Could Lose Without a Trump Deal on Aid (From FOX News)
March 11, 2025 - Ukraine fields high-tech weapons that rely on US technology and missiles to stay up-to-date Zelenskyy needs to Docusign that minerals deal right now. Zelenskyy’s stubbornness is about to leave Ukraine’s front lines and cities naked to the Russians.  Worst case, the war goes from static front lines to another attempted sweep toward Kyiv by Russia (backed up, as ever, by China.) Read here and full text below.
March 11, 2025
Global Diplomacy after Trump’s Meeting with Zelensky
March 07, 2025 - The recent Oval Office meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sent diplomatic shockwaves across the globe. What was intended to be a strategic discussion on U.S.-Ukraine relations quickly devolved into a debate, culminating in the departure of President Zelenskyy from the White House. The impact of this incident may extend far beyond this bilateral relationship, possibly affecting global alliances and altering the strategic calculations of key international players.
March 7, 2025
How Financial Institutions Are Using Data to Navigate Economic Uncertainty
February 28, 2025 - Leading financial intelligence firms are witnessing a surge in demand for data and analytics solutions in 2025. In February, both S&P Global and Moody’s Corporation reported stronger-than-expected profits, attributing their success to a market shaped by economic uncertainty and shifting U.S. policies. Their financial performance reflects a broader industry trend: companies are relying more than ever on data-driven decision-making to navigate volatile economic conditions.
February 28, 2025
Here’s How the Pentagon Purge Can Succeed (From FOX News)
February 25, 2025 - A reset of the Department of Defense brass could set us up to counter the threat from China. Read at FOX News here and full text below. Even with DOGE on the move, the firings of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General C. Q. Brown and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti on Feb. 21 stunned Washington.
February 25, 2025
Trump is Serious about Change in the Ukraine War (From the FOX News Rundown)
February 11, 2025 - Oil prices, Ukraine in NATO, the decimation of the Russian military and what about a meeting between President Donald J. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin?  FOX News Radio White House Correspondent Jared Halpern and I talked it all over on the FOX News Rundown, Full clip here, beginning at 12:08 and catch these edited highlights below.
February 11, 2025
Type 2 Diabetes in the U.S.: Very Costly, Preventable, and Reversible
February 5, 2025 - In 2021–2023, 40.3% of adults in the U.S. had obesity. The primary causes are bad diet and lack of exercise. Too many ultra processed foods, and a sedentary lifestyle. One of the main consequences of obesity is type 2 diabetes. It costs almost $ 20,000 a year to treat a type 2 diabetes patient in America. In 2022 the total estimated cost of diagnosed type 2 diabetes in the U.S. was $412.9 billion, including $306.6 billion in direct medical costs and $106.3 billion in indirect costs attributable to diabetes. These expenditures and others (also related to treating chronic conditions) help explain the massive health care spending in the U.S. that has now reached almost 18% of GDP, much more than the 10% average among developed countries.
February 5, 2025
Trump’s Blueprint for Iran, Plus Gaza, the Houthis, Saudi Arabia and AI:  Quick Takes from The Brian Kilmeade Show (FOX News Radio)
January 29, 2025 - Host Brian Kilmeade and I discussed the Gaza hostage deal, the heavy U.S. military pressure on Iran including rotation of five separate aircraft carriers, the defense of Israel with U.S. Navy destroyers, Saudi Arabia’s plans for investment in AI, and the status of Iran’s nuclear enrichment.  The interview wrapped up with a discussion of the number one geo-strategic problem left by Biden: the Russia-China alliance, with North Korea and Iran tacked on.  Highlights from the Jan. 15 interview follow or listen here.
January 29, 2025
America Has a Drone Problem (From FOX News)
January 13, 2025 - President-elect Donald J. Trump wants to create an Iron Dome missile shield over the USA. But what about the drones flying underneath it?   “Mystery Drone sightings all over the Country. Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge. I don’t think so! Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!” he wrote Friday on Truth Social.
January 13, 2025
Made in America T-shirts?
January 07, 2025 – Due to the shock waves of globalization, American industry lost all or most of the labor intensive sectors. In just a few years, millions of jobs moved to Asia, China in particular, on account of the comparatively much lower labor costs. A huge number of U.S. manufacturing plants closed down and outsourced production to factories in East Asia, especially in China. The U.S. textiles and apparel industries were hit particularly hard.
January 7, 2025
Navy Standard Missiles Divide and Conquer 62 Miles Up (From National Interest)
January 06, 2025 - The confusion over SM-3 highlights why the incoming Trump administration must pay closer attention to missile defense production priorities, as I wrote here for National Interest. Standard Missile 3 Block IB, launched by Navy destroyers, made its combat debut on April 13, countering Iran’s barrage attacks on Israel by intercepting Iranian medium-range ballistic missiles in the exo-atmosphere, more than 62 miles above the Earth’s surface.
January 6, 2025
Will AI Restructure U.S. Healthcare Policy?
December 26, 2024 - As we approach the end of 2024, the integration of AI in the U.S. healthcare sector continues to evolve dynamically. An article by DLA Piper provides some insights about the latest moves in Congress regarding AI in healthcare. This revealed increased activity within Congress and federal agencies around the topics of drug development, care delivery, and insurance coverage, thus reflecting a growing recognition of AI’s transformative potential in patient care, medical research, and healthcare economics nationwide.
December 26, 2024
Texas Will be a Green Hydrogen Hub
December 13, 2024 - When most people think of Texas, they think of old western movies. They envision vast open spaces, huge cattle ranches, cowboys, and plenty of oil rigs and refineries. Those who are more up to date can also picture many LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) terminals on the Texas coast filling tankers that deliver massive quantities of U.S. LNG all over the world –in particular to energy hungry Europe in support of its major effort to end dependence on Russian piped gas.
December 13, 2024
Aircraft Carrier Delayed by Budgeteers (From CBS Radio “Eye on the World”)
November 18, 2024 - Will Congress or the new Trump team fix the Biden administration’s shock decision to halt procurement of aircraft carrier CVN-82?  Stopping for two years could be catastrophic.  As I told CBS Radio, about 2,000 companies contribute to building an aircraft carrier, and “some of those long-lead suppliers may go out of business if there is a big gap.”  In a few years, we may not have enough aircraft carriers to cover all the hotspots in the world.
November 18, 2024
Can AI Help in Improving U.S. Military Logistics?
November 14, 2024 - The Wall Street Journal recently published an article highlighting what may be one of the biggest challenges that the U.S. military will face in case of a prolonged conflict in faraway regions: grossly inadequate logistics.
November 14, 2024
Finally, a Breakthrough in Battery Technology?
November 11, 2024 - Form Energy, a relatively unknown U.S. firm, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, and now also by many high-profile private sector investors, including Bill Gates, claims that it has created a new type of battery that will –finally– make renewable energy truly cost effective.
November 11, 2024
Will Nuclear Power Fuel AI Centers in America?
November 6, 2024 - AI revolution is gaining momentum in America. NVIDIA, maker of the coveted chips which constitute AI’s key components (85% of global supply), from nowhere reached a market capitalization of about $ 3.4 trillion, becoming overnight the second most valuable company in the world –higher valuation than Microsoft or Saudi Aramco. Having taken notice of the unfolding revolution, all the major tech companies have jumped into the AI space hoping to reap incredible profits.
November 6, 2024
Strike at Boeing Hits USAF KC-46 Tanker, Supply Chain
October 16, 2024 - With the strike at Boeing entering a second month, what about the impact on national security?  On Monday, President Joe Biden dispatched Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su to Seattle for the first in-person meeting between a government official and the two parties.  Su’s mandate was to “encourage both parties to move forward in the bargaining process,” according to a Labor Department spokesman.
October 16, 2024
Water Used in Hydraulic Fracturing is Now Recycled
October 1, 2024 - Hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking, is the phenomenal technological innovation that unleashed a U.S. boom in the production of oil and gas. Until a couple of decades ago, most energy experts agreed that America had practically exhausted most of its known oil and gas reserves.
October 1, 2024
America Needs Talented Immigrants
September 12, 2024 - It is a well-known cliché to affirm that America is “a country of immigrants.” That said, it is surprising that nowadays it is incredibly difficult, even for very talented foreign individuals, to become legal immigrants to the United States, and therefore be hired by tech companies or start their own.
September 12, 2024
US Nuclear Power Future: Small Reactors
August 7, 2024 - Could it be that the now moribund U.S. civil nuclear power sector will be lifted to new heights by innovative technologies? Maybe so, if the concept of small nuclear reactors gets traction in the U.S. and elsewhere, this way creating a new modality to supply low cost, emission free, electricity.
August 13, 2024
Kamala Harris Should Seize the Moment, Embrace AI (From RealClearMarkets)
July 12, 2024 - Enthusiasm for the vast number of problem-solving, transformative benefits that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can provide has driven the stock market significantly higher in 2024, attracted a bevy of venture capital and other investments, and helps explain why the White House is taking a much more positive look at AI.
August 1, 2024
America Needs Maverick
WASHINGTON – Recently I happened to watch three movies and a short docudrama that left a strong impression. The stories are quite different and yet they have a central theme. In different ways they are an inspiring celebration of American resourcefulness, sometimes against the rules, resilience and dogged determination: the “can do” Maverick spirit.
June 18, 2024
How The Left Long Ago Won The Moral High Ground
WASHINGTON — Beyond the complex Left versus Right debates, and the endless diatribes on the merit of this or that public policy advocated or opposed by either side, it is of crucial importance to stress that the Left has the enormous advantage of appearing to own the moral high ground. Whether by accident or by design, the Left defined its policies through words that have a positive and implicitly benign ring, and therefore an almost automatic moral appeal.
April 25, 2024
Patriots Among Us
February 22, 2024 - While we all enjoyed our President’s Day off on Monday, today is actually George Washington’s birthday. All hail to our first commander-in-chief. President’s Day was first consolidated to combine Washington and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays, which was a good cause. But it has become watered down in the public mind, and now for many people it is a celebration of all our presidents. That is too bad, so the Lexington Institute has decided to go ahead and celebrate Washington’s birthday on its own with the below article.
February 22, 2024
Army Modernization, And The Virtues Of Moderation (From Forbes)
November 18, 2022 - Issue Brief by GPI Senior Adviser Loren B. Thompson. The U.S. Army is in the midst of a successful campaign to modernize its equipment and close gaps in capabilities needed for an era of great-power competition. This is a distinct departure from the uneven performance of modernization efforts during the Bush and Obama administrations. What changed? Four lessons are apparent. First, the Army developed a clear plan, a roadmap for modernization, in 2018 and stuck with it.
November 21, 2022
Arbitrary Drugs Expiration Dates Are A Waste Of Money
July 14, 2022 - Issue Brief by Ziv Harish. It has been said that American urine is the most expensive in the world due to the many expensive vitamins and supplements that we consume, but which our bodies do not absorb. The same may be said about American garbage, into which we dump millions of dollars’ worth of unused medications simply because they are past their marked expiration dates.
July 17, 2022
Metropolis Doomed
June 15, 2022 - Issue Brief by GPI Fellow Martin Hutchinson. We are constantly subjected to propaganda from media journalists living in tiny apartments in crime-ridden major cities about how wonderful those cities are. That is partly a matter of taste, of course. However, the technological and organizational changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic may finally end city life for those for whom that pathological taste is not politically and psychologically ingrained.
June 20, 2022
Navy’s Latest Shipbuilding Plan Is Not Good News For The Industrial Base (From Forbes)
May 13, 2022 - Issue Brief by GPI Senior Advisor Loren B. Thompson. The number of warships in the U.S. naval fleet has not managed to get above 300 for two decades. Meanwhile, the country the Chief of Naval Operations describes as “our pacing threat,” China, is headed for 400 warships in its own fleet at mid-decade. The disparity is even worse than it seems, because Chinese forces are concentrated close to home, where Beijing also sustains a growing arsenal of long-range, antiship weapons.
May 22, 2022
On January 6 The Unthinkable Was Done
November 20th, 2021 - Issue Brief by GPI President Paolo von Schirach. WASHINGTON— The efforts to precisely determine the intent of all who participated in the assault on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 are understandable but unproductive, because by now it is clear that the attack was not planned and executed by a cohesive force that had a clear strategic objective. What we saw on January 6 was a mob, a violent mob.
November 29, 2021
Forever Politicians Are Bad For America
August 09th, 2021 - Issue Brief by GPI President Paolo von Schirach. WASHINGTON – Beyond the numerous, fairly well documented allegations of sexual harassment against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, the lengthy report ordered by Letitia James, New York State Attorney General, reveals a powerful public official –Governor Cuomo– who routinely behaves like a moody despot. Based on this report, we learn that Governor Cuomo created a climate of fear and intimidation in his office.
August 15, 2021
When Americans Stopped Believing In America
July 28th, 2021. Issue Brief by GPI President Paolo von Schirach. WASHINGTON – Does anybody remember Lyndon LaRouche? He was a weird, if colorful, U.S. agitator who founded the National Caucus of Labor Committees through which he promoted a strange combination of crazy ideas mixed with a variety of outlandish conspiracy theories. LaRouche overtime built a national organization with significant international connections. He run for President many times as a candidate for his own US Labor Party.
August 6, 2021
U.S. Shipbuilding Is At Its Lowest Ebb Ever. How Did America Fall So Far? (From Forbes)
July 23rd, 2021 - Issue Brief by GPI Senior Adviser Loren B. Thompson. There was a time within living memory when America was the world’s biggest builder of commercial oceangoing vessels, and its ships carried a third of global trade. Those days are long gone. The U.S. now typically produces less than ten such vessels annually, compared with over a thousand in China. And barely one-percent of U.S. trade is carried on U.S.-registered ships.
July 26, 2021
Why We Know F-35 Support Costs Will Fall In The Future (From Forbes)
July 20th, 2021 - Issue Brief by GPI Senior Adviser Loren B. Thompson. The Government Accountability Office put out a report earlier this month purporting to show that the F-35 fighter costs more to operate and sustain than U.S. military services can afford to pay. Somehow, though, the report failed to mention that F-35 is already more reliable and maintainable than the aircraft it will be replacing–not to mention more effective at executing key missions.
New Government in Israel faces major challenges
June 21st, 2021. Issue Brief by GPI Fellow Ralph Amelan. We have a new government in Israel. A bizarre rough slouching beast, at first appearance. Eight parties reflecting widely divergent political views have banded together with two aims in common: to deny long-serving Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu another term in office, and to put an end to the seemingly endless cycle of stalemated elections: four in the space of two years. Will it survive? Three pointers to the future.
June 27, 2021
Fixing Our Most Important And Vulnerable Infrastructure–The Electric Grid (From Inside Sources)
May 05th, 2021 - Issue Brief by Paul Steidler. America’s most important infrastructure is also our most vulnerable – the electric grid. It is old and literally on the screens of foreign adversaries (e.g., China, Russia, and Iran) who have been attacking it and will continue to do so. For years numerous government agencies have warned about the many dangers to the electric grid. There are important roles for the private sector, the federal government, and state government to take in strengthening and protecting the electric grid.
May 19, 2021
Army Leaders Endorse Upgrades Of Chinook Helicopter, Cite Industrial Base Concerns (From Forbes)
May 06th, 2021 - Issue Brief by Loren B. Thompson. The U.S. Army’s objections to Block II upgrades of the Chinook helicopter seem to be softening. On Wednesday of this week, Army Chief of Staff James McConville told the House defense appropriations subcommittee that his service needs the additional lift provided by the upgrades, and is mindful of the industrial base impacts if the upgrades do not go forward. The industrial fallout really would be significant, potentially shutting the main production line at the biggest industrial complex in southeastern Pennsylvania and destroying thousands of skilled jobs across a vast supply chain.
May 6, 2021
US Leaving Afghanistan Is About Politics, Not Geopolitics
April 23rd, 2021. Issue Brief by GPI President Paolo von Schirach. WASHINGTON – Here we go. After some debate within his administration, President Joe Biden declared that all US troops will leave Afghanistan before September 11, a symbolic anniversary. This is not a decision contingent on conditions on the ground. We are leaving because of domestic politics calculations. Biden thinks that he will gain points with US voters by finally ending the now 20 year old “never ending war”.
April 26, 2021
Can Washington Borrow and Spend Without Limit?
April 07th, 2021. Issue Brief by GPI President Paolo von Schirach. WASHINGTON – Parts of the US are still suffering from the devastating consequences of the economic freeze enforced because of the ongoing pandemic that began in January 2020. Millions of Americans are still out of work. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with Washington directing emergency funds to the millions of unemployed Americans who lost their jobs because of draconian restrictions caused by the Covid emergency.
Big Oil Is Cutting Emissions. With Big Data It Will Do It Quicker. (From RealClearEnergy)
April 1st, 2021 - Issue Brief by Paul Steidler. The world’s largest oil and natural gas companies are sprinting to cut greenhouse gas emissions and making significant progress. By reengineering many operations through digital technology and cloud storage – Big Data – emissions will be cut sooner, and without unnecessary, drastic steps that will drive up the price of oil and gasoline, thereby imposing a de facto, regressive tax. While the oil and natural gas industries have been slow to adopt data analytics, cloud computing, and related practices, there are compelling reasons to do so now. Lexington Institute’s Paul Steidler discusses these matters
April 5, 2021
Irrational America Will Fail
March 12th, 2021. Issue Brief by GPI President Paolo von Schirach. WASHINGTON – Americans love biographies. A classic sub-category of this popular genre is books about the lives and deeds of past US Presidents. It is surprising to see how so many different authors keep coming up with new angles and new material on Presidents Washington, Lincoln or Johnson.
March 17, 2021
No Way Out: Why Nuclear Modernization Is Necessary (From Forbes)
February 24th, 2021. Issue Brief by GPI Senior Adviser Loren B. Thompson. Last week I participated in an online panel about nuclear modernization. My presentation focused on six slides that summarize why the U.S. has no choice but to modernize its triad of nuclear weapons. The argument comes down to this: (1) There is no effective defense against a large-scale nuclear attack; (2) The U.S. therefore deters attack by threatening unacceptable retaliation, but all the weapons in our triad must soon retire; (3) Maintaining an effective deterrent does not preclude nuclear reductions and costs a small fraction of the defense budget; (4) The Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine will host most U.S. warheads in the future because it cannot be destroyed in a surprise attack when at sea; (5) Land-based ballistic missiles need to be modernized because they greatly complicate the challenge of disarming the U.S. in an attack; and (6) Bombers provide flexibility in a crisis, but their cruise missiles are becoming unreliable and must be replaced to successfully penetrate enemy defenses.
March 8, 2021
Five Progressive Reasons Why President Biden Shouldn’t Cut The Pentagon Budget (From Forbes)
February 02nd, 2021 - Issue Brief by GPI Senior Adviser Loren B. Thompson. Some progressive members of the Democratic Party are calling for a cut in defense spending to free up money for domestic programs. However, that might create consequences that are at odds with what progressives want. The Pentagon budget is an economic stimulus and jobs generator for thousands of communities, not to mention the closest thing Washington has to an industrial policy. Only 3% of the budget is currently spent on prosecuting foreign wars in places like Afghanistan. Budget cuts could bring a return of readiness issues that endanger warfighters and undermine the new administration’s credibility on national security. Beyond that, the military needs a technology refresh if it is to keep up with China’s military modernization, and the jobs created in the process could impact voting in swing states.
February 5, 2021
No Easy Way To Silence Bad Speech
January 31st, 2021. Issue Brief by GPI President Paolo von Schirach. WASHINGTON – In our United States, the First Amendment to the Constitution establishing the protection of freedom of speech is the cornerstone of an institutional edifice proclaiming that this Republic was created to protect individual liberties. Without the full enjoyment of freedom of speech there is no real Liberty, and therefore no real Democracy. In America every citizen should feel absolutely free to publicly state, proclaim, broadcast pretty much whatever they want, without any fear of retribution. Others may agree or disagree with what I say. They may like or dislike it. But nobody has the power of censoring me or punishing me for what I said.
Trump’s Long Shadow
January 25th, 2021. Issue Brief by GPI President Paolo von Schirach. WASHINGTON – After the January 6th riots, for a brief moment we were led to believe that the Republican Party would do its best to come to terms with and shed the abominable legacy of Donald Trump. It was clear to all that the unprecedented violent attack against the US Capitol had been inspired and orchestrated by Donald Trump’s relentless barrage of lies regarding the November 3 “stolen elections”. He had convened his loyal supporters in Washington on January 6 as his last stand. His declared goal was to mobilize his followers so that they would do “something” to prevent the outrage of the final congressional validation of his opponent’s victory that was to take place that very day via a vote by both Chambers. The “something” that had to be done became the attack on the US Capitol, an unprecedented act of sedition.
America Should Be An Opportunity Society
December 30, 2020. Issue Brief by GPI President Paolo von Schirach. WASHINGTON – Come January 20, 2021, Joe Biden will be unable to effectively govern America without at least a modicum amount of bipartisan cooperation in Congress. While we will not know until the Georgia January 5th vote which party will be in control of the Senate, for Biden the very best congressional balance scenario is that the Democrats will keep their very thin House majority, while they will gain control of the Senate with a one vote majority, thanks to the tie breaker vote that will be cast by Vice President Harris. This not so rosy scenario is based on the rather optimistic assumption that the two Democratic candidates will win both Georgia Senate seats on January 5th, a possible but rather improbable outcome.
January 20, 2021
Beware Of Politicians Trying To Rescue You From Technology Companies (From RealClearMarkets)
December 17th, 2020. Issue Brief by Paul Steidler. During the pandemic America’s large technology companies have been critical to the economy while providing significant health and safety benefits. If America did not have the services of our large technology companies, we would hear calls for the government to invest tens of billions of taxpayer dollars to invent them. Instead, there are now aggressive antitrust actions against these companies by elected officials and central bureaucrats that pose major risks to the engine of our economy and our health and safety.
December 27, 2020
Why Lloyd Austin Is A Superior Pick To Run The Defense Department (From Forbes)
December 08th, 2020. Issue Brief by GPI Senior Adviser Loren B. Thompson. President-elect Biden’s reported decision to nominate retired Army general Lloyd Austin to become Secretary of Defense is a wise move. Neither Biden nor the other announced members of his national security team have any intimate understanding of what modern war is like. They need at least one peer in their deliberations who has seen war up close, a professional who grasps the human dimensions of conflict. General Austin has seen combat at close hand from several perspectives, and has distinguished himself as one of the preeminent warfighters of his generation.
December 14, 2020
America Still in Trouble
November 15th, 2020. Issue Brief by GPI President Paolo von Schirach. WASHINGTON – According to rosy pre-election predictions made by the Democrats and an army of pro-Democratic Party political commentators, November 3rd was supposed to mark not just the end of the Trump presidency but the strong national affirmation of a reinvigorated and now much more progressive Democratic party.
November 24, 2020
Biden Win Would Be A Mixed Blessing For Aerospace, But A Trump Win Could Be Worse (From Forbes)
October 20th, 2020. Issue Brief by GPI Senior Adviser Loren B. Thompson. President Trump has been a friend of the domestic aerospace sector during his first term, increasing Pentagon weapons outlays and promoting overseas arms sales. However, a second Trump term could be problematic if he tries to decouple from China, withdraws from NATO, or ends U.S. membership in the World Trade Organization. Such moves could make it harder for companies like Boeing to compete with foreign rivals. As president, Joe Biden wouldn’t do any of those things, but he would be less favorably disposed to weapons spending and would inject greater concern about human rights into the consideration of arms exports. Biden would also raise corporate tax rates, increase regulation, and limit the access of industry executives to the White House and federal agencies. So no matter who wins the election, challenges lie ahead for America’s aerospace industry.
November 7, 2020
Will President Biden Make The Same Mistake On Missile Defense That President Obama Did? (From the National Interest)
October 24th, 2020. Issue Brief by Daniel Goure. All the services understand that both their legacy fixed facilities (such as Guam) and new expedient bases will be subject to an an expanded array of threats, including attempts by unconventional forces to penetrate their perimeters. Expedient bases face the additional challenge of providing perimeter security while simultaneously setting up a new base, conducting missions, and eventually conducting a withdrawal. While the main threat to military facilities may come from enemy ballistic and cruise missiles, it is time to consider the possibility of unconventional attacks involving small drones and infiltrators. Defending these facilities will require rapidly deployable sensor systems.
October 29, 2020
Will President Biden Make The Same Mistake On Missile Defense That President Obama Did? (From Forbes)
October 23rd, 2020. Issue Brief by GPI Senior Adviser Loren B. Thompson. When Barack Obama became president in 2009, he almost immediately set about scaling back missile defense efforts for protecting the American homeland that he had inherited from his predecessor. In the end, he killed almost everything. The only program that remained, Ground-based Midcourse Defense, languished for years. Then Obama’s team discovered that all the warnings they had received about North Korea’s nuclear program were true. So they had to begin building back what they had cut or killed. Will President Biden make the same mistake? If he does, the U.S. could be left vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated North Korean ballistic missiles and a new generation of Russian/Chinese hypersonic weapons.
The use and abuse of Supreme Courts
October 08th, 2020. Issue Brief by Martin Hutchinson. Every economic textbook trumpets the need for the rule of law as a safeguard for economic transactions, and will tell you that one major reason for many Third World countries’ poverty is their uncertain legal system and bribery-susceptible judges. Yet to have a rule of law, we need a court system to enforce the law and general agreement on what the law says. Since words can have multiple meanings which change over time, Supreme Courts of some sort or another have been instituted in many countries to interpret them. That is where the trouble starts.
October 8, 2020
House Acting On Nonpartisan Postmaster General Act
September 16th, 2020. Issue Brief by Paul Steidler. On August 25, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), chair of the committee, introduced H.R. 8109, the Nonpartisan Postmaster General Act. The crux of the measure is to prevent anyone who has held elected office in the past four years, or served as “an officer, director, or employee” of a political party from becoming Postmaster General. It also bars those serving on the Board of Governors from soliciting campaign funds or holding elected office.
September 27, 2020
The Arrogant: “Rules Do Not Apply To Me”
August 29th, 2020. Issue Brief by GPI President Paolo von Schirach. A commentator who apparently knows Steve Bannon quite well, (Bannon is a conservative politics strategist who advised Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign), expressed surprise when the news broke that Bannon and others had been arrested and charged with the crime of defrauding donors who had given money to a symbolic project about building a piece of the “famous” US-Mexico border that Donald Trump campaigned on. (The Trump administration has no part in this project). Well, if the charges can be proven, it appears that Bannon and other associates misappropriated part of the money donated and illegally diverted it to other pursuits, this way betraying the donors and breaking the law.
August 30, 2020
When Education Is Valued
August 23rd, 2020. Issue Brief by GPI President Paolo von Schirach. Discussing Joe Biden’s pick for Vice President, it has been noted that Senator Kamala Harris’ mother came from the top placed Brahmin caste in Tamil, a state in south eastern India. While we know that the Indian caste system created hereditary privileges for those lucky enough to be born in the Brahmin caste, slated to become priests and academics, it is important to stress that the Tamil Brahmins, (colloquially known as Tambrams), were not just an entitled social class with hereditary power and prestige. They strongly cultivated education, for themselves and their offspring, as an extremely important value and key priority.
We Lost A Shared Reality
August 20th, 2020. Issue Brief by GPI President Paolo von Schirach. May be this was never true; but for a very long time many in America could argue that, whatever our political or ideological differences, we all shared the same facts based reality. We may have differed on what to do about issues and problems; but at least in a broad sense we were basing our judgments, opinions and counsel on the same facts.
August 21, 2020