The Trump administration’s funding priorities display an apparent strategy to play “catch-up” with the growing Russian and Chinese hypersonic threat capabilities — and to rely totally on the Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) strategy of the Cold War. Does President Trump really want a new Cold War, now involving a multilateral offensive nuclear arms race? I hope not! Read Full Story
“So . . . the Republicans had a plan of about 750 [million] . . . The Democrats were a little less than a trillion and I’m suggesting two trillion dollars. We redo our roads, our highways, our bridges, we fix up our tunnels.” ~ President Donald J. Trump Read Full Story
“There are a million warnings out there on a million serious things. We add one: Everything works — and will continue to work — as long as we have electricity. It’s what keeps the lights on, the oxygen flowing, the information going. Everything is the grid, the grid, the grid.” (Emphasis added) ~ Peggy Noonan in the March 21-22, 2020 Wall Street Journal Read Full Story
This message provides a direct link to a very important report, “Preserving Operational Continuity for Electric Utility Control Rooms During the COVID-19 Pandemic” from the Foundation of Resilient Societies on whose Board of Directors I serve. Read Full Story
Little public attention has been paid to the vital role of electricity to America’s ability to confront the growing COVID-19 pandemic — and to assuring viable operations of the electric power grid through this stressful time. Not only are there external threats to our ability to assure this capability, the pandemic itself could cause cascading failure of the grid, leading to numerous fatalities. Read Full Story
The source of COVID-19, without exaggeration, was in Wuhan, China, justifying some to refer to it as the Wuhan or China coronavirus, notwithstanding claims of some that such a label is racist. Moreover, we should be wary of the rapid pace at which COVID-19 may expand in the United States and the possibilities of unanticipated consequences. Read Full Story
“Regrettably, both Congress and the Administration appear to present ambiguities in their approach to missile defense policy. The U.S. Congress can do better, as the FY 2017 NDAA demonstrated. And the Administration will have to get on the same page consistently if it wants to effectively communicate the value of ballistic missile defense to the American people and members of Congress who represent them.” Michaela Dodge in her March 2020, National Institute for Public Policy Report, The Backward Step on Missile Defense in the FY 2020 NDAA Read Full Story
“I appreciate the urging that we not let our guard down … recognizing that this [threat] is complicated and multifaceted … truly daunting … and that we need to start out locally … It is important that we in congress be reminded of the urgency and imperative of our task and I think we were given that message this morning.” Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) Chairlady of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee at the conclusion of her May 4, 2017 Hearing on EMP and policy options to protect the grid. Read Full Story
“Mr. Kissinger grew the council to include one deputy, 32 policy professionals and 60 administrators . . . By the end of the Obama administration, 34 policy professionals supported by 60 administrators had exploded to three deputies, more than 400 policy professionals and 1,300 administrators.” John Lehman Read Full Story
“. . . don’t lose sight of the competition from China that is already present in your state. Let’s all rise to the occasion and protect our security, our economy, indeed all that we hold dear.” ~ Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Read Full Story
We will be adding key policy briefs as we progress.