Defense Industry

ACV 1.1

By James Hasik

Like Lockheed’s past efforts, SAIC’s foray into ground vehicles may herald wider competition for defense contracts.  Having just finished a 300-page dissertation on the MRAP program, I have had some time (years, really) to think about the armored vehicle industry across the world. Back in November, BAE Systems and SAIC were selected by the US Marine […]

Don’t learn the wrong lessons about LCS

By James Hasik

Military modularity done right is too valuable to forgo. Last week was Nordic Week in Washington DC, with a combined state visit by leaders from Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and Denmark. This week was Sea-Air-Space, the annual confabulation of the Navy League at National Harbor, Maryland. So there’s no better time to discuss the Royal […]

Can’t the Air Force be trusted to buy a few helicopters?

By James Hasik

Decisions about competition for the LRV and UH-1N show why McCain’s initiative against USD AT&L really matters. Senator John McCain of Arizona, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wants to blow up the Pentagon’s Under Secretariat for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics (USD AT&L). More specifically, his committee’s writing of the National Defense Authorization Act of […]

Australia’s big bet on submarines

By James Hasik

What might the RAN know that other navies don’t? The Australian submarine deal is old news at this point. As announced last week, DCNS of France will work with ASC (originally Australian Submarine Corporation) over the next three years to design a new class of submarines to replace the existing six Collins-class boats, built by […]

Bensahel Joins NPR’s All Things Considered to Discuss US Presidential Candidates Foreign Policy Toward ISIS

By Nora Bensahel

Barno and Bensahel in War on the Rocks: The Catastrophic Success of the US Air Force

By David Barno & Nora Bensahel

Read the full article here.

Not the school solution. Not even close.

By James Hasik

Using the LPTA criterion for the ENCORE III award is very bad idea. Last Friday, the Professional Services Council (PSC) and the IT Alliance for the Public Sector (ITAPS) sent a letter to Defense Under Secretary Frank Kendall about a seemingly innocuous contracting matter. The two trade associations criticized the decision back in March by the […]

Dupont in The Australian: Cybersphere is the Globe’s New Battlefront

By Alan Dupont

Read the full article here.

Dupont Quoted by Nikkei Asian Review on Submarine Arms Deal Between France and Australia

By Alan Dupont

Read the full article here.

Should Silicon Valley take the Pentagon seriously?

By James Hasik

Culture still trumps law in the quest for military innovation. On Tuesday evening, as part of the Council’s Captains of Industry series, our Lund Fellow Steve Grundman hosted a panel discussion amongst the CEOs of three Californian startup firms. Mylea Charvat’s Savonix is building a “mobile, clinically valid, reliable, neuro-cognitive assessment and brain health platform.” John De Santis’s […]