Defense

Specialty PR firms take on Goliaths (From Crain's New York)

By Elliott Suthers on February 18, 2013 - 11:53am

By Eilene Zimmerman

Social Media: Opportunities, Yes; But Also Limitations

By Erik Schechter on February 6, 2013 - 10:57am

I don’t know about you, but whenever I think of a defense contractor, the image furthest from mind is that of a hipster in an ironic T-shirt, downing PBR whilst uploading something cheeky to Tumblr.

Iron Dome is Great PR — But For Whom?

By Erik Schechter on November 30, 2012 - 2:38pm

The cease-fire between Israel and Gaza seems to be holding. Last month’s fighting did not, as so many worried, spawn a new Mideast war.

It did, however, produce a new war hero: the Iron Dome counter-rocket system, developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.

From The New York Times to CNN, to Slate, Iron Dome has been hailed in the media for its ability to reliably shoot down short-range Palestinian rockets.

NASA Curiosity Reaches All Time Highs

By Elliott Suthers on October 18, 2012 - 10:16am

When was the last time you heard someone say “Jeez, NASA has been doing some cool stuff lately”? Chances are, that unless you’re a contemporary of Don Draper and Roger Sterling, you probably haven’t.

It started with a video, but in recent months, NASA has been on the tip of everyone’s tongue.

The Great Green Fleet: The Military and Renewable Energy

By Benjamin Gorelick on September 25, 2012 - 1:19pm

Technology is a hard thing to predict. In 1961, for example, the commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission T.A.M.

The VA Goes Social in a Big Way

By Nina Dunn on September 12, 2012 - 4:40pm

Last summer, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released its social media policy. Often regarded as a massive bureaucratic department with communications challenges, the VA has come a long away. Its social media can be considered progressive, especially for the agency that takes its roots in the military.

Making a Case for Congressional Earmarks

By Elliott Suthers on July 12, 2012 - 8:32am

In an interesting article for Defense News last week, Kate Brannen rightly points out, that although earmarks are becoming more difficult to come across, they’re by no means extinct.

Affectionately known as “pork,” earmarks are used by a lawmaker to steer appropriations directly into projects that he or she finds particularly important.

Unfunded Requirements AWOL in 2013 Budget

By Elliott Suthers on May 7, 2012 - 9:52am

As the 2013 defense budget trudges its way through the House markup on Wednesday, there’s one very important element missing from the debate — the services’ annual unfunded requirements list.

Lesson #1 from Navy League

By Erik Schechter on May 2, 2012 - 11:00am

How do you get people excited about a non-descript widget? A while back, I wrote a blog post about the advertising challenges faced by components suppliers and offered some workarounds.

JLTV Program Offers Smaller Companies a Shot at the Big Time.

By Elliott Suthers on April 3, 2012 - 11:45am

The Army’s beleaguered Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) battle just keeps getting more interesting. Thought to be all but dead less than eight months ago, the $13 billion-plus Army and Marine troop carrier program is now being sought by no fewer than six contractors.