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Defense Industrialist

Apr 6, 2016

On the balance of forces in the east

By James Hasik

NATO doesn’t need more guns, money, or aircraft. It needs them where they’d count. Two data sets stood out in my news flow this morning. Byron Callan, a member of the Atlantic Council and the senior defense investment analyst at Capital Alpha Partners, observed in note that global fixed-wing fighter and attack aircraft inventories have dropping […]

Eastern Europe NATO

Defense Industrialist

Mar 31, 2016

Before Tallinn burns

By James Hasik

The Third Offset must address NATO’s local numerical inferiorities. As Inside Defense reported earlier this month, current events have the US Army questioning its organization, wondering if it’s otherwise destined to be perennially late to the game. The Russian Army, after all, has gotten rather good at showing up unannounced on short notice. It would […]

Defense Technologies Eastern Europe

Defense Industrialist

Mar 23, 2016

Ospreys across the no-man’s sea

By James Hasik

A new “island strategy” for reaction forces could make carrier and amphibious groups less essential. On Monday, the American Hellenic Institute hosted a luncheon with Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos on the occasion of the rollout of a paper by Dan Gouré’s of the Lexington Institute on “Souda Bay: NATO’s Military Gem in the Eastern Mediterranean.” I […]

China Defense Technologies

Defense Industrialist

Mar 18, 2016

Bending those cost curves, a year on.

By James Hasik

The Pentagon is making progress with better-faster-cheaper, just on a small scale. In January 2015 at the Atlantic Council, Air Force Secretary Debbie James delivered an address on “Bending the Cost Curve,” emphasizing that her department needed to get off the path towards Augustinian singularity. The initiative she outlined had three parts: enhancing communication with […]

Defense Industry Security & Defense

Defense Industrialist

Mar 16, 2016

Black boxes faster

By James Hasik

Mac Thornberry’s “Acquisition Agility” bill is a good start—but just a start—towards greater experimentation and prototyping. Congressman Mac Thornberry’s “Acquisition Agility” bill is thirty two pages long, but its intent can probably be summarized thus. Thornberry (R-TX) fundamentally wants the military departments, not the centralized bureaucracy of OSD AT&L, in charge of the day-to-day business of […]

Defense Industry Security & Defense

Defense Industrialist

Mar 10, 2016

A full-contact sport

By James Hasik

Transferring military technology takes time, teams, and money—for now. Technology transfer and national security—everyone talks about it, and most everyone needs it. This week the Atlantic Council hosted a discussion with some European diplomats on just how to make it happen, and afterwards, we jotted down some further thoughts. Transferring or co-developing technologies effectively demands […]

Defense Industry Defense Technologies

Defense Industrialist

Mar 5, 2016

The defense economics of John McCain, Part 2

By James Hasik

How more of “Economics 101” would slowly restructure the US armed forces Senator John McCain has a penchant for what the late Phil Hartman of Saturday Night Live might have called Simple Caveman Economics. As I review the pronouncements from his perch at the Senate Armed Services Committee, McCain seems to hew markedly to four […]

Defense Industry Economy & Business

Defense Industrialist

Mar 2, 2016

“General, you’re fired.”

By James Hasik

The business of defense under President Donald J. Trump Now that we’ve had a super Tuesday, it’s Groundhog Day. Perhaps Hillary and The Donald are seeing their shadows, and we’ll have another six weeks before the big parties’ nominees are absolutely known. And yet, I’m feeling a sense déjà vu after reading another round of anguished editorials: […]

Defense Industry Politics & Diplomacy

Defense Industrialist

Feb 26, 2016

The defense economics of John McCain, part 1

By James Hasik

What if all development contracts were fixed-price? Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Service Committee, is hopping mad about the bomber formerly known as the Long Range Strike Bomber. The B-21, as Air Force Secretary Deborah James named the LRS-B today, is to be developed by Northrop Grumman under a cost-plus-incentive-fee contract. McCain […]

Defense Industry Economy & Business

Defense Industrialist

Feb 23, 2016

How to kill the Long Range Strike Bomber, part 2

By James Hasik

Why not a drone? Some reasons for and against manning the next strike aircraft. As I noted last Friday, Northrop Grumman has been awarded development of the US Air Force’s hoped-for Long-Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B), and the political-industrial campaign to kill the project is on. Unsuccessful teamed bidders Boeing and Lockheed Martin may each see […]

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