Military
“Double Whammy” on Defense: Against Backdrop of Furloughs, Defense Experts Urge Efficiency Reforms
May 15, 2013
Secretary Hagel announced yesterday that hundreds of thousands of civilian employees at the Department of Defense will face 11 days of furloughs as a result of sequestration. As training and readiness also take hits, nonpartisan analysts and senior military leaders point out that there are better, more comprehensive and sustainable ways to reform and reduce [...]
Top Pentagon Brass Outlines How to Save and Maintain Military Power
May 1, 2013
While Washington debates the political effects of sequestration, the Pentagon is exploring solutions to waste and inefficiency. In the midst of budgetary pressures, the Department of Defense is showing increasing signs of taking the challenge to reduce inefficiencies seriously – a top priority set by Secretary Chuck Hagel in his first major policy speech. Yesterday, [...]
Politics Endangers the Sustainability of American Military Power
April 17, 2013
Today, Secretary of Defense Hagel is testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee as Washington continues the difficult task of adopting a stable plan for Pentagon spending. While there are no easy solutions to that problem, a consensus continues to grow that the United States can maintain – or increase – its ability to confront [...]
2014 Pentagon Budget: Strategic Reshaping?
April 10, 2013
The Obama administration’s FY2014 budget requests $526 billion in Pentagon spending, $51 billion above the budget cap of $475 billion foreseen under sequestration. Observers from business, the military and the Hill expect that further reductions from the requested level in Pentagon spending are coming whether through sequester or part of a sequester replacement. In the [...]
Hagel’s Call to Reshape Pentagon Shows Way Forward
April 3, 2013
Today, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel delivered his first policy address and called for reshaping Pentagon strategy and budgets to meet future challenges and opportunities. His call to take advantage of the “opportunities that exist to fundamentally reshape the defense enterprise to better reflect 21st century realities” is an effort widely supported by military leaders, [...]
Beyond Sequester, Bright Future for Reshaping Defense
March 19, 2013
Yesterday, it was announced that Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has ordered a high-level review of defense strategy to “preserve and adapt” the U.S. military for the future security and fiscal environments. The consensus among outside experts and military leaders that Pentagon spending and strategy should be reshaped to be more efficient and effective continues [...]
The Iraq War Ten Years Later
March 14, 2013
Next week marks the tenth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, consequences of which continue to be felt both at home and in the region. While failing to improve the U.S. position in the Middle East, control deadly weapons or promote democracy, the war has and continues to cost America a great deal: in human [...]
REPORT: Reshaping Pentagon Spending and Capabilities: Setting Priorities for the Future
March 13, 2013
To read the full report, click here. By Bill French March 2013 A NEW PHASE of the debate over Pentagon spending is on the horizon. On March 1, sequestration went into effect as mandated by the Budget Control Act (BCA) and as modified by the American Taxpayer Relief Act. Under sequestration, Pentagon spending is to be [...]
Will North Korea Escalate?
March 12, 2013
In recent days, North Korea has increased its threats towards South Korea and the United States, including by withdrawing from the 1953 armistice that ended hostilities during the Korean War. These provocations are serious but likely intended to help Kim Jong Un achieve domestic political goals rather than start a war against superior South Korean [...]
Heather Hurlburt Quoted in Foreign Policy on The World’s Global Conflicts
March 7, 2013
Mad Libs: War Edition FP asked more than 70 top military thinkers to fill in the blanks on the world’s global conflicts — from the drone wars to the budget wars. March/April 2013 | Foreign Policy AMERICA’S NO. 1 GEOPOLITICAL FOE IS… Iran. —Graham Allison, David Barno, Gian Gentile, Seth G. Jones, Peter Mansoor, Barry Pavel, Dov Zakheim • China. —Douglas Birkey, Kenneth Gause, Paul Kapur, Thomas Keaney, Edward [...]
