Aerospace’s Bullish Hawk

Thirty years ago, before he jumped into securities analysis, Richard Whittington paid his dues working in the bowels of the U.S. Department of Defense and the Rand Corp. (a think tank catering mostly to the U.S. government). He ran budget analyses and worked over different Cold War scenarios, like what kind of troop levels were sufficient to block a Soviet thrust into Western Europe.

Now at JSA Research, an independent equity research boutique focused on aerospace and defense, Whittington has a worldview that remains very much informed by those Cold War days.

“There is an emerging threat,” says Whittington, 58. “China is spending an increasing sum of money on its military, including frontline aircraft.” He also points to China’s moves to secure energy supplies, a historically rich source of global conflict.

Full story at Forbes.com