In a recent report titled “A Historical Perspective on ‘Hollow Forces,’” the Congressional Research Service (CRS) surveyed past efforts to keep the military from going “hollow.” The CRS is spot on in bringing attention to the issue. We need to look for the warning signs that budget cuts are leaving us with a military that is not up to the job of defending us. But rather than getting bogged down over academic definitions of hollowness, we need to focus on objective measures that America’s armed forces are becoming less capable. …
As President Obama has hastily drawn down forces in Iraq and Afghanistan to meet arbitrary timelines, he has taken the opportunity to ramp up rhetoric on a strategic military shift to the Asia–Pacific region. He recently made it clear in the new defense strategy guidance that military focus will be directed toward emerging threats in the region and stressed that security needs will drive the budget, contrary to recent concerns that fiscal constraints have directed miserly defense spending. In spite of this rhetoric, the defense budget has been cut dramatically …
Please join us today at 3 PM ET for a live chat on Homeland Security 4.0. We will be joined by Dr. James J. Carafano and he will be taking your questions about the current state of the military, where it needs to be, and the future. If you would like to be reminded about the event, please leave your name in the form below. Online Chat with Jim Carafano
Hoping to reverse the trend of “enormous [defense] cuts” ahead, House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee chairman J. Randy Forbes (R–VA) held a hearing on the state of the military. Testifying before Congress were the vice chiefs of the four services: Army General Peter Chiarelli, Navy Admiral Jonathon Greenert, Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, Jr., and Air Force General Phillip Breedlove. One of the primary drivers of decreased military readiness, according to the vice chiefs, is the unrelenting pace of operations for the past decade. No military service has been immune …
On Wednesday, President Obama praised America’s servicemembers for their remarkable response to the crisis in Haiti. He included the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard in an appropriate acknowledgment. These exceptional men and women deserve all our gratitude and appreciation for their tireless work at home and around the globe. A useful way to truly thank them is for Congress and the Administration to provide all the necessary resources for those in uniform to get the job done quickly while minimizing losses and maximizing mission success. Unfortunately, …
Americans would do well to ponder the unrelieved strains on the nation’s military readiness on this Veterans Day, one short week after the election of a new president and Congress. The Army’s readiness is particularly low. Seven years of combat overseas have exacted a grinding toll on all our military services, including the National Guard and Reserves. Among the symptoms: compromised training, shortfalls in deploying personnel and equipment, less maintenance for worn-out weapons, and truncated downtime at home before troops must redeploy. Despite the economy’s woes, President-elect Barack Obama and …
