The Coming Drone Arms Race By Alejandro Sueldo

Politico.com April 11, 2012 Another terrorist overseas dies in a U.S. armed drone strike. This far from uncommon occurrence is an impressive reminder of the U.S. drone program’s remarkable success rate. Washington’s success, however, is proving a double-edged sword. Drones' reliability and cost-effectiveness have made them the U.S. weapon of choice. Most notably, drones play …

Next Air Force Chief Likely To Be Former CIA Military Deputy; ‘Absolute Best Pick’

AOL Defense (defense.aol.com) April 10, 2012 By Colin Clark WASHINGTON--The likely pick for next Air Force Chief of Staff possesses acquisition experience and would bring a vibrant leader and strong communicator to head the nation's air and space force. Gen. Mark Welsh, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, served under both Mike Hayden and …

Disruptive Thinkers: Military Entrepreneurship, Terms and Concepts

by Jonathan Jeckell Business, military and political leaders claim to value innovation, and leaders of many organizations develop formal programs to foster innovation. Professionals have an obligation to develop and improve the profession’s processes and body of knowledge. Military organizations in particular struggle with innovation because they receive little feedback on how well they are …

American National Security Strategy: The Leadership Factor by Richard Wetiz

The Making of US National Security Policy: The Leadership Imperative Successful policy development, implementation, and outcomes are often associated with direct and sustained presidential engagement. For example, the study of U.S. policy during the East Timor crisis found that it was only after President Clinton intervened to enforce a coherent U.S. interagency approach that the …

Being ‘Army Strong’ Gets Weak Backing With Obama’s Strategy

Washington Times April 9, 2012 Pg. 1 Being 'Army Strong' Gets Weak Backing With Obama's Strategy Equipment plans left behind as technology forges ahead By Rowan Scarborough, The Washington Times The Army is coming out of a decade of war beat up and strapped for cash. The force that arguably did most of the fighting …

New Refueling Voyager Planes Found Incompatible With British Jets

Defenseworld, 5 April 2012, Unattributed In a major setback for the Britain’s Royal Air Force, a fleet of supersize refuelling planes meant for the RAF were found incompatible with British jets, according to local media reports. Tests conducted on the massive new Voyager air-to-air tankers revealed that they are not compatible with the RAF Tornados. …

America’s Place In The New World By Charles A. Kupchan

New York Times April 8, 2012 Pg. SR4 Washington--IT’S election season again, and the main contenders for the Oval Office are knocking themselves out to reassure Americans that their nation remains at the pinnacle of the global pecking order. Mitt Romney recently declared that “this century must be an American century.” Not to be outdone, …