Month: June 2019

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Quick Analysis

The Whole Climate Story, Part 2

This series of articles was written for the New York Analysis of Policy and Government by noted author and researcher Alex Bugaeff. We continue the comprehensive look at the climate change debate.

Is the Globe Warming?

Believers in climate change as a menace contend that the globe is warming, that it is warming at an alarming rate, and that the greenhouse gas, CO2, is to blame. But, is the globe warming? We must first look to the history of the earth’s temperatures.

There have been periods in long-term history when global temperatures were higher than they are today. If technological ice core readings are any measure, the Eemian Interglacial period (140,000 to 120,000 years ago) temperatures were significantly higher. During the Medieval Warm, the melting of glaciers over Greenland allowed the populating and farming of that island, hence the name. Even during the so-called Industrial period, temperatures during the mid-1930’s were higher than at present.

 “Periods of Earth warming and cooling occur in cycles. This is well understood, as is the fact that small-scale cycles of about 40 years exist within larger-scale cycles of 400 years, which in turn exist inside still larger scale cycles of 20,000 years, and so on.”

 Do Sea Levels Indicate Global Warming?

Sea levels have risen and fallen naturally over time with the arrival and departure of cold and warm periods. During glacial periods, sea levels were some 500 feet below their current levels. The Bering Land Bridge was exposed as a result of glaciation and people and animals crossed it from the Asian land mass to North America.

Since 1850, sea levels have been rising at the overall rate of about a half inch per year. These rates are affected primarily by the following: changes in the earth’s crust (mostly volcanic, tectonic plate and earthquake activity), by subsidence of lowland and unstable substrates, such as in Venice, Italy and in Atlantic Ocean barrier islands, by built-upon landfills, such as the San Francisco International Airport and the Manhattan Battery, and by glacial melting and growth (of Arctic and Antarctic glaciers). Sea levels can appear to rise because coastlands sink.

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Dr. Judith Curry, PhD, Department Chair of Earth and Atmospheric Science, Emeritus, Georgia Tech University, estimates that at their current rate, sea levels will rise about 30 inches by the year 2100. She calculates that about half that increase can be attributed to global warming.

So, is the globe warming? Not, it appears, because of increases in CO2 or other greenhouse gases. In addition to the natural highs and lows of previous eras, during the 1970’s and 1980’s there were claims that global cooling was taking place instead and that IT was a threat to civilization. Greenhouses gases were accused of cooling the earth, just as they are now accused of warming it. So, temperatures go up and down, but are the temperatures actually as they are claimed to be?

How Accurate Are Global Temperature Readings?

We should not assume that the temperatures reported, even by NASA, are accurate.

The earth’s temperatures are measured primarily using surface and satellite devices. Historically, surface devices consisted of thermometers housed in ventilated boxes set on waist-high stilts – “Stevenson screens.” Starting in the 1890’s, approximately 11,000 such devices were set around the globe and were monitored by US and British laboratories. Many of these locations were in “urban heat islands” – places where heat builds up and is stored in asphalt streets and concrete buildings, thereby giving false high readings on the thermometers placed there.

Then, in 1985 big changes were begun: Stevenson screens were replaced by a supposedly more accurate device – the Platinum Resistance Thermometer – and the number of surface stations was reduced to approximately 6,500. Also, thermometer devices were housed in buoys and were set afloat on the oceans to measure air temperatures over the seas. They have been free to drift with the currents from the beginning, raising the question of where the readings are being taken. And, all of this has introduced the question of data reliability.  https://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/04/19/systematic-error-in-climate-measurements-the-surface-air-temperature-record/

From space, satellites have been “measuring” global temperatures since about 1979, but they don’t actually measure air temperature. Instead, satellites measure the radiance of earth’s features through radiometry – radio waves emitted by water, rock, soil, and the like. Air temperatures are then inferred through comparisons with trends in surface readings, as described above. That is, mathematical formulas are used to derive trends in atmospheric temperatures from the thermometer readings on the earth’s surface. 

Since direct measurement of temperatures is so inconsistent, researchers have taken to applying mathematics and statistics to its analysis. If observed results stray from the expected outcomes, these researchers “adjust” the data. If the difference is too great, they may “reconstruct” past data (reduce it) so that the current data looks warmer. As Carlin, et al found, “…each new version of GAST (Global Average Surface Temperature) has nearly always exhibited a steeper warming linear trend over its entire history. And, it was nearly always accomplished by systematically removing the previously existing cyclical temperature pattern. This was true for all three entities providing GAST data measurement, NOAA, NASA and Hadley CRU (Jones, IPCC).”f The sum total of the temperature accuracy question is that we cannot be sure that temperature reports are accurate or stable. The temperature devices or methods themselves, our inability to compare “apples to apples” over time because of the changes to them, and the error introduced through mathematical and other inferences cannot be relied upon to be as precise as claimed. Then, we have the issue of how the scientists’ “goals” factor in? How is human error introduced into the process?

The Report concludes tomorrow.

Illustration: Pixabay

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Quick Analysis

The Whole Climate Story

This series of articles was written for the New York Analysis of Policy and Government by noted author and researcher Alex Bugaeff. Over the next three days, it takes a comprehensive look at the climate change debate.

Introduction

The earth’s climate changes naturally and always has. Yet, the proponents of global warming insist that changes in the earth’s climate are instead caused by mankind and that these changes will doom civilization unless something is done. They blame the burning of fossil fuels and they want to tax it to fund their political schemes.

There is an unspoken climate change agenda. Climate changes naturally and by small increments (with the exception of catastrophic events such as volcanic eruptions and asteroid impacts.  Greenhouse gases named as the culprit for change are naturally as well as artificially produced and that they have relatively little effect on climate.

Climate consists of long term patterns of weather and atmosphere. The morning weather forecast is not climate, although it is born of it. To be considered climate, a pattern must persist over decades, at least, and more properly over centuries and millennia. It must be shown to demonstrate consistent attributes of temperature, wind, precipitation, humidity, and the like.

The last major Ice Age was a climate pattern that ended at about 12,000 BC. During the Ice Age, much of North America was covered with glaciers. Since then, we have been in a warming period called the Holocene Interglacial (between glacial periods). Glaciers have receded, making the northern hemisphere habitable. During that time, we have had periods of relative warming (e.g. the Medieval Warming 950 to 1250) and cooling (e.g. the Maunder Minimum or Mini Ice Age 1645 to 1720).

These dramatic temperature and climate changes are caused by a complex group of factors, primarily solar activity, cosmic radiation, ocean currents, the earth’s crust, the earth’s magnetic field, and earth’s rotation and orbit. These factors have had massive impacts on the earth’s climate long before mankind’s activities. More about them later.

“Greenhouse gases” have only recently been cited as having an influence on climate. These gases consist of methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, carbon dioxide, and miscellaneous other gases. Such gases occur naturally and have for eons. 

Carbon dioxide (CO2) has been accused as the major cause of climate change in the modern age despite its being only 4/10,000ths of the total gaseous volume in the atmosphere – the equivalent of a shoebox of air in your house. The claim is that, since the presence of CO2 in the atmosphere has risen since the earth exited from the Mini Ice Age 300 years ago, it must be guilty of warming.

The Factors that Affect the Earth’s Climate

““Periods of Earth warming and cooling occur in cycles. This is well understood, as is the fact that small-scale cycles of about 40 years exist within larger-scale cycles of 400 years, which in turn exist inside still larger scale cycles of 20,000 years, and so on.” —Geocraft

The sun sends energy through space and impacts the earth, producing heat, wind and rain. Additional solar events intensify its effect, primarily in the form of sun spots, solar flares and other surface upheavals. The sun is the single most important factor influencing the earth’s climate. Recently, there have been few to no solar events, perhaps a forecast for a period of cooler temperatures.

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Oceanic activity influences climate through two phenomena. First are Atlantic and Pacific Oscillations. Every ten to 30 years, the cold waters at lower depths tend to circulate to the surface in massive currents that force the warmer waters toward the bottom. These oscillations have a cooling effect on temperatures and other climatic elements.

Second are El Nino and La Nina – two periodic Pacific Ocean phenomena. El Nino appears when west-to-east winds predominate near the equator and drive warm surface waters toward the west coasts of North and South America. During El Nino, rain and storms increase in the western hemisphere. La Nina is the opposite – when equatorial winds predominate from east-to-west, they drive warm surface waters away from the western hemisphere, reducing rain and storms there and increasing them in the western Pacific. These phenomena typically last from six to eighteen months.

Changes in the earth’s magnetic field and its orbit appear to impact temperatures in the earth’s atmosphere more than on the surface. According to Dr. Ingrid Crossen of the British Antarctic Survey, changes in the earth’s magnetic field have resulted in cooling in northern atmospheres and warming in southern atmospheres.

Cosmic radiation in the form of gamma rays and other galactic bursts of energy has a periodic association with the earth’s climate, but a causal relationship has not been established. The strongest association appears to be that gamma rays tend to increase clouds, thus increasing rain and reducing temperatures.

As alluded to earlier, historic climate periods have been irresistible factors or trends in the earth’s climate. It is difficult to imagine that anything could have reversed the Ice Age, the Eemian and Holocene Interglacials, the Medieval Warm, or the Maunder Minimum. The complexity of the factors causing them is overwhelming. We are fortunate to live during the Holocene with its moderate climate features.

Greenhouse Gases

The so-called “greenhouse” gases (really just “atmospheric” gases) – methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, carbon dioxide, and miscellaneous other gases – have been portrayed as hovering in layers above the earth’s surface, blocking solar energy from reaching us and warm air from escaping.

To some extent, this picture has validity. We need greenhouse gases to reflect excess energy back into space and to keep needed warmth from escaping the planet. Without greenhouse gases, life on earth would be very different, if not impossible.

The question is, “To what degree do greenhouse gases determine climate?” Consider the other factors – solar activity, ocean activity, activity of the earth (volcanos, quakes, magnetic fields, and orbits), cosmic rays, and historic climate periodicity – and we must conclude that greenhouse gases together play a role, but a small one.

Now, look more closely at CO2. As mentioned, CO2 consists of only 4/10,000ths of the atmosphere, or as it is cited in the reports, 400 parts per million (ppm), and its volume varies according to the seasons. It results from natural processes, such as the breathing and flatulence of the entire animal kingdom, and from artificial processes, such as the burning of fossil fuels.

Today’s CO2 level is low by historical standards. Ice core measurements indicate that CO2 has been as high as 3,000 ppm. While it is true that CO2 is increasing, it is doing so at an extremely slow rate. Here is the link to NASA/NOAA’s data posting where you can see the actual figures in real time.

What does CO2 do? How is it supposed to effect climate? Consider first that CO2 does not hover over the earth in a layer any more than the other gases do. It diffuses evenly throughout the atmosphere making it available as food for plant life and for absorption by the oceans. Beyond that, the direct effect of CO2 on climate is uncertain – it absorbs solar energy and releases it back to the surface and into space. There is only an inferential relationship between the amount of CO2 and reported temperatures. “A Primer on Carbon Dioxide and Climate,” CO2 Coalition, Arlington, VA, 2017.    

And, we must recognize that with world population increasing, we will need more food to feed them -mostly plant food. Since plants require CO2 to grow, more plants will need more CO2, not less. “What Rising CO2 Means for Global Food Security,” (CO2 Coalition, Arlington, VA, 2017)

The Report continues tomorrow.

Illustration: Pixabay

Parts of the medieval period were warmer than the current climate.

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Tiananmen Square: 30 Years, No Improvement

Thirty years ago this day, the hopes for freedom of nearly a billion people were dashed.  Their dreams were crushed by a tyrannical governing system, Communism, that had already taken the lives of a hundred million in their own homeland, as well as in Russia, Cambodia, and elsewhere across the globe. An enduring symbol, of a courageous man standing in front of a tank, failed to inspire world leaders to take a firm stand against the evil regime that destroyed any hope of personal liberty.

The bloody repression of the Chinese people at Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, ended a move towards freedom. In up to 400 cities across China, protests, hunger strikes, sit-ins and the occupation of public squares failed to move the Communist Party leaders towards any meaningful reforms.

According to the U.S. State Department’s Office of the Historian, “The demonstrations began on April 15, when Chinese students gathered in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, where so many student and mass demonstrations had taken place since the early 20th century, to mark the death of the popular pro-reform Chinese leader Hu Yaobang. The demonstration became a forum to protest corruption and inflation, and call for broader political and economic reforms to build on the reforms that had already transformed China considerably in the post-Mao era… On the night of June 3 and 4, the People’s Liberation Army stormed the Square with tanks, crushing the protests with terrible human costs. Estimates of the numbers killed vary. The Chinese Government has asserted that injuries exceeded 3,000 and that over 200 individuals, including 36 university students, were killed that night. Western sources, however, are skeptical of the official Chinese report and most frequently cite the toll as hundreds or even thousands killed. Similar protests that had taken place in other Chinese cities were soon suppressed and their leaders imprisoned…In the aftermath, President George H.W. Bush denounced the actions in Tiananmen Square and suspended military sales as well as high level exchanges with Chinese officials. Many members of the U.S. Congress, the American public, and international leaders advocated broader economic sanctions, some of which were implemented. U.S. leaders met with Chinese nationals studying in the United States as a symbolic gesture of commitment. Questions of relations with China, in particular the granting of Most-Favored-Nation trading status, were controversial questions for the remainder of President Bush’s term and into the term of President Bill Clinton.”

Washington’s reaction was short-lived. President Clinton permitted the sale to the Chinese government of a Cray “supercomputer” which allowed Beijing’s military to make extraordinary strides forward. Several years later, the Chinese Army attempted to funnel campaign contributions to Clinton’s  re-election campaign through an intermediary, Johnny Chung.  As his administration drew Smoking in the United States and Canada has cialis 40 mg purchase at web-site fallen more precipitously among men than women since the 1950s, but more men smoked 50 years ago. Testosterone is viagra sans prescription canada necessary to produce erection and give sexual drive. Berries in viagra order shop particular are full of antioxidants, and fortunately these antioxidants are readily found in many forms and names. Therefore the implementation of a medication is the cause cheap viagra without prescriptions of the symptoms. to a close, Clinton signed legislation giving China full and permanent trading privileges in the U.S. Millions of U.S. jobs were subsequently lost.

China’s cash diplomacy towards western politicians was resurrected in the Obama Administration. As the New York Analysis of Policy and Government previously noted, Peter Schweitzer, writing in the New York Post notes that Democratic primary contender and former Vice President Joe Biden’s bizarre denial of China’s danger to the U.S. is the result of his family’s business contacts. “In 2013, then-Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden flew aboard Air Force Two to China. Less than two weeks later, Hunter Biden’s firm inked a $1 billion private equity deal with a subsidiary of the Chinese government’s Bank of China. The deal was later expanded to $1.5 billion. In short, the Chinese government funded a business that it co-owned along with the son of a sitting vice president. If it sounds shocking that a vice president would shape US-China policy as his son — who has scant experience in private equity — clinched a coveted billion-dollar deal with an arm of the Chinese government, that’s because it is.”

President Trump’s current trade battle with China attacks Beijing’s rapacious practices of intellectual property theft, espionage, product dumping, forced technology transfer, industrial subsidies, and various barriers against American goods. However, the same conflict-of-interest problems that have occurred previously has limited support for his initiative. That same issue limits what should be significant international support for the end of repression of Chinese citizens.

Photo: Pixabay

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Lower Courts and National Law

This article was written by the distinguished retired judge, John H. Wilson

It is no secret that the Ninth Circuit is the place to go if you want to block any measure taken by the Trump Administration.  The President himself admitted as much in February when he declared his intention to declare a National Emergency at the Southern Border; “we will have a national emergency, and we will then be sued, and they will sue us in the Ninth Circuit, even though it shouldn’t be there, and we will possibly get a bad ruling and then we will get another bad ruling, and then we will end up in the Supreme Court, and hopefully we will get a fair shake and win in the Supreme Court.”

In San Francisco (which is within the Ninth Circuit), Federal District Judge Richard Seeborg has already blocked two of the President’s initiatives.  In March, he issued an injunction blocking the Administration from adding a question on citizenship to the 2020 census form;  then, less than a month later, Judge Seeborg ruled that asylum seekers could not be returned to Mexico while their claims for asylum are under consideration.  Both of these decisions are currently being appealed by the Department of Justice.

At the outset, there is a question at issue here that is little understood by the majority of people – how can a federal judge, sitting in a lower court in San Francisco, issue a ruling that is binding on the entire federal government, across the entire nation?

Any litigant who brings a case before a Court may ask that Court to issue an injunction – that is, an order that the defendant stop doing something, or do not act at all, because those actions of the defendant would be harmful to the Plaintiff.  When the party bringing the claim asks a Court to halt the actions of the defendant right at the beginning of the case, the relief requested is called a “Preliminary Injunction.”  In state court, the average preliminary injunction is granted to prevent the sale of a house, or some other piece of property, the theory being, once the property is sold, the plaintiff won’t be able to get it back and will be irreparably harmed.

After hearing more evidence, a Court can issue a “Permanent Injunction,” or a Court can lift the injunction all together, depending upon the proof offered to the Court regarding the harm a plaintiff would suffer by the proposed action of the defendant.

The federal court’s power to issue such an injunction, also known as a Temporary Restraining Order, is found in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65, which states that the Court may issue such an order, without prior notice to the defendant, when “specific facts…clearly show that immediate and irreparable injury, loss, or damage will result to the movant before the adverse party can be heard in opposition.”

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There is no specific, statutory description of the scope of this power.  But for many years, it has been held repeatedly by the US Supreme Court that the power to issue injunctive relief extends to whoever is affected by the injunction, whereever they may be.  For instance, in Steele v. Bulova Watch Co., a 1952 decision, the Supreme Court held that  “the District Court in exercising its equity powers may command persons properly before it to cease or perform acts outside its territorial jurisdiction” (emphasis added).  

Rulings supporting this authority can be traced back as far as 1932, when in the case of Leman v. Krentler-Arnold Hinge Last Co., the US Supreme Court upheld the ruling of a District Court which had enjoined a manufacturer from violating a patent held by one of their competitors –  “once the district court properly established jurisdiction over the defendant, it could issue a binding decree ‘not simply within the District of Massachusetts, but throughout the United States.’”

Thus, there is no geographical limit to a Court’s exercise of its power to issue an injunction.  But the question that now arises is whether or not the District Courts have been abusing this power in recent years.  

Vice President Mike Pence has made clear that he certainly thinks so.  In a recent statement, he “called on the Supreme Court to step in and order lower courts to limit their rulings to the parties in front of them.” “In the days ahead,” VP Pence stated, “our administration will seek opportunities to put this question before the Supreme Court — to ensure that decisions affecting every American are made either by those elected to represent the American people or by the highest court in the land.”

Unfortunately for the Trump Administration, the US Supreme Court is unlikely to curb the power of District Courts to issue nationwide injunctions.  Too many defendants appear in Federal Court with national, and even international contacts.  Suppose Wal-Mart, or Target, or Microsoft appear as a defendant in Federal Court in Wisconsin, where a plaintiff is alleging an unfair trade practice.  The District Court finds as a preliminary matter, that there is enough evidence to support the allegations made by the plaintiff, and that an injunction is in order.  Who would want that injunction to only apply in the state of Wisconsin?

Rather than curtail the power of the District Court, the real issue involves the appointment of Federal Judges who honor and respect the rule of law.  Here the Trump Administration has been very successful – in fact,  with the confirmation of Rodolfo Ruiz to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, as of May, 2019, President Trump has had 100 of his judicial nominees confirmed. e  This success is a source of panic for the left, who are used to appealing to progressive, activist judges like those who sit on the Ninth Circuit.  Instead, Trump has appointed Judicial Conservatives who leftist can now accuse of “oppos(ing) reproductive rights, gay rights, affirmative action, unions, government regulation, any form of gun control, and immigration.”

In the end, rather than reduce the power of Federal Judges to redress wrongs, the Trump Administration needs to continue to put the right people on the federal bench – ones who will not foster a political agenda of any kind.

Photo: Pixabay

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Foreign Policy Update

United States, Australia, India, and Japan to advance a free Indo-Pacific.

Senior officials from the United States, Australia, India, and Japan met in Bangkok on May 31, 2019 for consultations on their collective efforts to advance a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific.  The four nations reaffirmed their shared commitment to preserving and promoting the rules-based order in the region.  They underscored their intent to continue close coordination and collaboration in support of sustainable, private-sector led development, maritime security, and good governance.  Meeting participants discussed initiatives undertaken by each country to encourage transparent, principles-based investment in quality infrastructure in accordance with international standards and leverage the potential of the private sector.  They highlighted their efforts to maintain universal respect for international law and freedom of navigation and overflight.  The officials agreed to continue to explore opportunities to enhance cooperation, including in support of regional disaster response, cybersecurity, maritime security, counterterrorism, and nonproliferation.  Participants also noted their desire to work with like-minded partners and allies to promote a transparent, rules-based approach to trans-boundary challenges.

In reviewing recent developments in the region, they welcomed ASEAN’s efforts to develop an Indo-Pacific Outlook.  The four countries further affirmed their strong support for ASEAN centrality and ASEAN-led regional architecture, as well as their support for other regional institutions, including the Indian Ocean Rim Association and Pacific Islands Forum.  The four countries underscored their intent to continue regular consultations on Indo-Pacific engagement and initiatives together and with other interested countries and institutions.

U.S.-Brazil Disarmament and Nonproliferation Dialogue

Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation Dr. Christopher A. Ford will travel to Brazil and Argentina on June 1-6, 2019.

In Brazil, Dr. Ford will participate at the U.S.-Brazil Disarmament and Nonproliferation Dialogue in Brasilia.  This meeting is one of several ongoing exchanges held by the United States and Brazil to strengthen bilateral cooperation in nuclear disarmament and arms control; export control; IAEA safeguards, and nuclear, biological and chemical weapons proliferation issues.

In Argentina, Dr. Ford will attend the 11th Plenary Meeting of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT) in Buenos Aires.  The GICNT aims to strengthen global capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to nuclear terrorism.  All GICNT partners have voluntarily committed to implementing the GICNT Statement of Principles, a set of broad nuclear security goals encompassing a range of deterrence, prevention, and response objectives.  The meeting will also provide a forum for partner nations to showcase their contributions and share recommendations that will inform the direction of GICNT activities for 2019–2021.

Pompeo to Switzerland

Secretary Pompeo will travel to Switzerland on May 31, where he will meet with President Ueli Maurer and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis.  The Secretary’s visit will mark the first official visit of a U.S. Secretary of State to Bern in more than 20 years.  The Secretary will underscore our countries’ strong economic partnership, security cooperation, and bilateral ties.  The Secretary will also meet with Swiss business leaders and World Health Organization Director General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus.

PROMOTING AND STRENGTHENING OUR ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP

  • Switzerland and the United States have enjoyed long-established and productive bilateral relations since a unified Swiss state was formed in 1853.  In 2017, total U.S. goods and services trade with Switzerland reached $121.9 billion, up from $65.9 billion a decade ago.
  • Our two democracies enjoy high levels of economic freedom, a strong rule of law, and a welcoming business environment.  The U.S. is one of the top destinations for Swiss investors.  Conversely, the U.S. is one of the largest foreign investors in Switzerland.  Secretary Pompeo and Swiss Federal Councilor and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis met in Washington in February to discuss ways to deepen our economic and trade relationship.  Our two nations continue to explore a potential bilateral trade agreement.
  • The United States and Switzerland also enjoy robust tourism ties.  Almost half a million (441,270) Swiss visited the United States in 2017, and millions of Americans visit Switzerland annually.  Tourism is a great boost to our respective economies and helps to deepen cross-cultural understanding.
  • Swiss experience in vocational education offers a compelling model for developing the American workforce.  In December 2018, Switzerland and the United States signed a Memorandum of Understanding to advance our cooperation in this area.  We are grateful to the Swiss, particularly to those companies investing in the United States, for sharing their expertise.
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SHARED INTERESTS AND SECURITY COOPERATION

  • Switzerland and the U.S. benefit from ongoing security cooperation.  We exchange expertise on anti-money laundering efforts, counterterrorism, cybersecurity, and crisis preparedness.
  • Experts from our countries exchange expertise on anti-money laundering efforts, counterterrorism, regulatory cooperation, and intellectual property rights.  We also collaborate on crisis management preparedness and cybersecurity.
  • Two U.S. companies – Boeing (F/A-18 Super Hornet) and Lockheed Martin (F35) – are competing in Switzerland’s New Fighter Jet Acquisition tender.  Raytheon (Patriot system) is the sole U.S. competitor for Switzerland’s ground-based air defense system.  We are honored to be represented by these three companies and are proud of the high-quality products they offer.

DARIA NOVAK served in the United States State Department during the Reagan Administration, and currently is on the Board of the American Analysis of News and Media Inc., which publishes usagovpolicy.com and the New York Analysis of Policy and Government.  Each Saturday, she presents key updates on U.S. foreign policy from the State Department.

Illustration: Pixabay