The Pentagon’s strategic shift to the Asia-Pacific has come under increasing scrutiny as conflicts continue in the Middle East, particularly in Israel. Former Assistant Secretary of Defense Paul McHale recently contributed to this debate at the annual El Pomar Conference in Colorado Springs, saying, “The Administration’s strategy fails because it …
On November 29, the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) had its first successful test run, during which it intercepted an air-breathing target (that is, a missile that does not fly outside the Earth’s atmosphere). While the Pentagon decided not to procure the MEADS program, Congress recently eliminated the funding …
In the aftermath of the September 11 attack on the U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi, the Obama Administration announced efforts to investigate the facts behind the attack and the state of U.S. security at overseas diplomatic facilities. While the reports, undertaken by the State Department’s Accountability and Review Board (ARB) …
The Iron Dome rocket and mortar defense system shatters arguments against missile defense, writes Juan Williams, a Fox News political analyst, in his recent op-ed. He is correct: The system not only works and provides protection for civilians, but also allows the Israeli leadership to take more time to decide …
The House passed a bill on Friday that would abolish the immigrant “diversity lottery” and replace it with a new program that would give green cards (permanent legal residency) to certain foreign-born science and technology graduates of U.S. schools. An unwise policy since its inception in 1986, the diversity lottery—the …
During last year’s civil war in Libya, the Muammar Qadhafi regime’s weapon stockpiles were looted, and highly destructive arms quickly spread throughout Libya and the region. Twenty-one months into the revolution in Syria, the country is witnessing a similar experience. Though the United States officially opposes the provision of weapons …
The Department of Defense is currently preparing to conduct a Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR). The end goal of this process is the production of a document that will guide U.S. strategic planning and procurement for the next two decades. In past QDRs, the process regrettably amounted to the Pentagon’s way …
A recently released report from the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, “Strategic Choices: Navigating Austerity,” argues that allowing some hollowing out of our military forces is acceptable. The report is raising eyebrows around Washington, mainly because it is so at odds with what Pentagon leadership is saying. The individuals …
Earlier this year, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments conducted an exercise that purported to show how a smaller defense budget wouldn’t be so bad after all. However, the assumptions behind this exercise have significant shortcomings. The exercise forced the participants to accept defense funding levels mandated in the …
