Defense

David J. Stuckenberg, Founder and Chairman of the Board

December 3, 2014

David Stuckenberg is the Founder and Chairman of the American Leadership and Policy Foundation and a veteran military instructor pilot with over 900 combat hours flying intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and transport aircraft.

Joseph Butta, Senior Fellow

March 7, 2016

ALPF welcomes international relations and ideological expert Joseph Butta as a senior fellow. Mr. Joseph “Joe” Butta began his service with the United States Government in 1986 as an investigator for the Department of Defense. After five years, Joe entered a government internship that focused on issues in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Balkans. Mr. Butta graduated from this program as an Intelligence Analyst in 1995. In addition to becoming a Middle East North Africa Desk Officer, Joe spent approximately five years with NATO’s Southern Command as an Analyst and Liaison Officer in support of allied operations in the Balkans.

Stephen Maddox, Senior Fellow

January 27, 2015

Maddox has led in many positions, including Flight Commander, evaluator, instructor, and launch and recovery pilot. His he also served as the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron Director of Operations. During his operational assignments he completed a Master of Engineering Management with California National University.

A National Priority in 2017: Safeguard the U.S. Electric Grid Against Electromagnetic Pulse & Coronal Mass Ejections

As the Trump Administration ushers in uncertain change, one of those changes must become certain if the Administration is serious about national security: a resilient U.S. electrical grid. Our continued failure to allocate the manageable expense of shoring up our grid against phasic-probability, high-impact destructive events is an unabating gamble with the survival of 350 million people and the progress of our predecessors. Some have defended the slow pace of proofing the U.S. electric grid, citing the low-probability of high-impact risks posed by Electromagnetic Pulse and/or solar Coronal Mass Ejection events. However, our nation’s resilience, defense, and security should not be left to luck. No one would step into an escape room with a 10% chance of death during the game, yet Lloyd’s of London assessed that there is a 12% chance per decade that North America will be impacted by a significant CME event. Furthermore, the insurance syndicate notes CME impact is “almost inevitable.”

Misguided Victory of Millennials

For thousands of years, victories of almost any kind have been hard-fought and often accompanied or brought about by great struggle and sacrifice, and often the loss of life. Yet, somehow over the course of 100 years, an expectation has been created that people can enjoy the fruits of victory without the labor required to produce it. This has led to a sense of entitlement and an aversion to anything that causes discomfort – even words and ideas.