Transcripts to the Acquistion Talk episode with Steve Blank
Here are the transcripts to my discussion with entrepreneur Steve Blank. I apologize for the general lack of punctuation. ______________________ Eric Lofgren: i’m speaking with […]
Blog Posts
Could China’s ambitions turn to the use of military power?
In this current historical moment, [the Chinese] official documents talk about this as a time that is marked by certain inevitable trends of history. These […]
Aircraft production during WWII — US output far greater than combined enemy production
From 1941 onward aircraft production in the United States exceeded the combined output of both its major enemies by a generous margin. The implications of […]
Why defense programs should fix cost and schedule, not technical, baselines
Results of this research suggest that the defense acquisition system should break the concept of the PM’s triple constraint of cost, schedule, and performance. The […]
The birth of the F-18 and how the Navy defied of Congress
In some ways, the institutional challenges faced by the F-16 pale in comparison to those faced by the F-18. The program faced cancellation by Congress […]
What are the legal issues at stake in Trump’s border wall reprogramming, and how might it spell the end of rapid acquisition reform
Congressional action on the FY2021 appropriations bills comes amid ongoing efforts by the Trump Administration to redirect DOD funding to construct barriers along the U.S.-Mexico […]
Acquisition headlines
The last tank has left Marines Corps base 29 Palms, soon the entire service. “The Marine Corps plans to eventually divest the entirety of its […]
A new trajectory for the digital century series aircraft program?
The original Century Series was intended to master the critical emerging technologies of its time: revolutionary improvements in hardware for jet propulsion and supersonic flight, which were central […]
David Packard on the benefits of prototyping
The continuation of prototyping programs will clearly be helpful in preserving and strengthening industrial design teams which I am convinced can develop a great deal […]
Lessons on competition for defense policy-makers
Nathan Rosenberg: The historical outcome of this long-term freedom to conduct experiments which, as I have argued, has been the central feature of western capitalism, […]
Nassim Taleb says prepare for the worst-case in fat-tailed events like pandemics and war
Russ Roberts: Another way to say it–and, again, to put it into folksy terms that I also got from you–is that you care about–you don’t […]
Views on US-China tensions, preparedness, and the great decoupling
Tech companies with operations in both China and the United States are increasingly struggling to comply with values and laws that are systemically in conflict. […]
China’s tech is about speed and scale, and other differences with the US
For all intents and purposes, China plus the US is essentially the entire tech market. From a value perspective, the two countries have 90 percent […]
Acquisition headlines
Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt is working to launch a university that would rival Stanford and MIT and funnel tech workers into government work. “The National […]
Zumwalt’s advanced gun system woes
The LRLAPs [Long Range Land-Attack Projectiles] were to have been coordinate-attack weapons, guided by GPS satellite signals and inertial navigation systems to specific points ashore. […]