Today, President Obama acknowledged the myriad terrorist threats around the world during his remarks at the National Defense University. Yet his description was much rosier than reality: “Today, the core of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan is on a path to defeat.” That point is debatable by itself, but it …
A recent report illustrates how miles of red tape are hindering the nation’s ability to properly fund and equip the military. The Army Science Board’s report on the strategic direction of the U.S. Army’s science and technology (S&T) efforts warned that the Army’s 2012 S&T Master Plan “lacks an S&T …
After more than a decade of intensive ground combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. military is facing a security environment very different from that which defined the first years of the 21st century. The threats facing the United States abroad are increasingly maritime in nature, whether it’s China’s aggressive …
Even as the U.S. withdraws from Iraq and Afghanistan, the world has certainly not become a safer place. North Korea continues to advance its ballistic missile capabilities, the conflict in Syria has grown increasingly violent, and Iran threatens the U.S. constantly with its developing nuclear program and its daily barrage …
Senator John McCain (R–AZ) bombarded top U.S. commander in Afghanistan General Joseph Dunford at a recent Senate Armed Services Committee hearing with tough questions when he refused to give a concrete recommendation on the post-2014 U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan: Don’t you understand, general, that…one of the reasons why we’re …
A recent Washington Post op-ed asked the question, “[C]an the U.S. rely on SOF [Special Operations Forces] power?” As the U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan, and a combination of defense budget reductions and isolationist sentiments reduce America’s military presence, U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) intends to expand its “non-kinetic” actions across …
The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) recently informed its workforce about sequestration cuts to Voice of America’s (VOA) shortwave and medium-wave broadcasting. Ironically, the Board is cutting the most cost-effective part of its organization: radio. It would be more rational to cut the bloated management and administration of the International …
European troops have begun training Malian forces to help ensure security and stability following a planned French withdrawal in July. From the start, the mission is unlikely to succeed. The program has too few European trainers and will train a paltry four Malian battalions—roughly 2,600 soldiers—to secure a country twice …
