This is not a debate about manned versus unmanned, nor about exquisite versus cheap. It is about operational effectiveness.
Modernizing the deeply entrenched acquisition process is certainly a formidable task, but one that is essential.
Where we once the U.S. made 30 percent of the world supply of printed circuit boards, the U.S. now makes only 4 percent.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command must modernize networks, data environments and coalition structures. It must also enhance cybersecurity strategies to achieve decision dominance by 2027 and beyond.
The prospect of losing a large defense contractor seems particularly ill advised considering the administration’s national defense strategy that demands vast defense expertise and industrial capacity amid growing threats.
Europe must match its rules to its goals. If it wants shared capability, it must fund shared programs.
The Trump administration can’t meet its “Arsenal of Freedom” goals without the combined efforts of the full range of American expertise: new entrants, prime innovators and commercial crossovers.
Addressing concerns about the V-22 Osprey is a necessity. But so is preserving a platform unlike any other in the U.S. inventory.
“Resilience” means designing ground systems that can survive a contested environment, adapt to changing commercial offerings and still deliver reliable communications.
AFRICOM is uniquely positioned to forge and strengthen the partnerships essential for building long-term stability and prosperity.
Successful defense across land, sea, air, space and cyberspace depends on technology that can perform reliably across multiple domains and with limited connection.
The Navy currently is composed of approximately 290 ships centered around 11 nuclear aircraft carriers. The responsibilities outlined in the strategy suggest a larger Navy of approximately 350 manned ships and 12 flattops.
The U.S. Navy should pursue the concept of teaming manned units — like attack submarines — with unmanned units as the best method to maximize combat potential.
The aircraft carrier remains an incredibly flexible platform due to the infinite changes possible in its main battery air wing.
Modern air defense systems have become important instruments, shaping contemporary politics.
Defense electronics are the endgame, and scaling up mineral capacity without doing the same for electronics will lead to failure.
Three critical elements must be considered to ensure the architecture is both viable for the short term and flexible for the long term.
An accurate digital twin could guide Navy maintenance and avoid the costly surprises often found when shipyard workers open sections of a ship below deck and behind bulkheads.
Problems arise when the military services become infatuated with advanced technologies regardless of their relevance.
The lack of U.S. manufacturing for flat panel displays and reliance on Chinese sources present significant, potentially catastrophic risks to the U.S. military, economy and infrastructure.
The Navy’s program executive office for unmanned systems and small combatants is potentially on the chopping block. That’s a bad idea.
When compared with similar and more expensive U.S. warships, foreign vessels have come up remarkably short in combat capability.
For the U.S., the lesson is clear: fifth and upgraded fourth-generation fighters are essential for maintaining operational mobility and strategic flexibility.
Introduction of smaller, unmanned ships as an adjunct to the existing Navy fleet solves the problem of large ships not able to distribute combat capability.
The rapid rise in housing prices across the country is the result of a housing supply deficit in the U.S. This lack of housing supply is now a defense readiness issue.
The military services are successfully embarking upon continuous improvement of the V-22, an aircraft absolutely essential to our military’s concepts of operation, especially in the Indo-Pacific.
It’s time to fix the frigate, and produce it in numbers, even at the expense of the larger DDG, and pair all manned combatant ships with unmanned “sidekicks.”
But several recent developments should lead policymakers to rethink the wisdom or feasibility of clearing a “pipeline” from this critical band for 5G expansion.
Defense technology has advanced a lot since the 1980s and offers new opportunities that the U.S. is determined to seize.
Adopting agile practices from the commercial sector allows government organizations to deliver the flexibility, innovation and readiness the mission demands while strengthening national security.
