The White House (via OMB) strongly protests Congressional efforts within the FY 2027 NDAA to prohibit the purchase of warships from foreign shipyards. The Administration argues that these restrictions undermine national security by limiting flexibility and hindering its strategy of leveraging allied yards, such as in the 'Finland model,' to drive investment into U.S. shipbuilding capacity. This signals a significant policy shift toward integrating international partners into advanced naval construction, suggesting the Pentagon is prepared to bypass traditional domestic build requirements for future combat vessels.
Filling the "Missing Middle" to Scale Energy Breakthroughs: Public, Private, and Philanthropic Solutions
English Summary
A critical funding gap—the 'missing middle'—prevents promising energy companies and projects from scaling in the US, slowing technologies needed for energy security, affordability, and sustainability. This gap disadvantages American firms against Chinese and international competitors in clean energy innovation. CFR's Climate Realism Initiative addresses this through 'Financing the Missing Middle,' a policy collection offering strategies to bridge the gap through coordinated public, private, and philanthropic solutions.
中文摘要
一個關鍵的資金缺口——即「缺失的中間環節」(missing middle)——阻礙了美國有前景的能源公司和項目擴大規模,從而減緩了能源安全、可負擔性與永續性所需技術的發展。此缺口使美國企業在清潔能源創新方面處於對抗中國和國際競爭者的劣勢地位。CFR的氣候現實主義倡議(Climate Realism Initiative)透過「為缺失的中間環節提供資金」(Financing the Missing Middle)來應對此問題,這是一份政策彙編,提供協調的公共、私人和慈善解決方案,以彌補資金鴻溝。
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