The U.S. Air Force recently stripped 17 officers of their authority to control and launch intercontinental-range ballistic missiles (ICBMs) after inspections indentified potential problems that could endanger U.S. national security. Although the incident did not impact security and operational readiness of U.S. ICBM forces, the Air Force is right to …
Just days before President Obama released his fiscal year (FY) 2014 budget request, the Air Force reported that it will have to ground one-third of its aircraft due to budget constraints. Operations and maintenance accounts will be hit particularly hard, causing the Air Force to severely restrict which of its …
Amidst increased sequestration cuts and North Korean threats of hostility, U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel expressed deep concern on Thursday over the increased danger that North Korea now poses requiring the U.S. to be prepared for “any eventuality.” Hagel’s concern is in agreement with Heritage Foundation expert Bruce Klingner, …
President Barack Obama laid out an ambitious agenda last night. Here are some highlights of our experts’ analysis of his claims, his plans, and his promises. Responding to Newtown All Americans, no matter what our backgrounds or political perspectives, abhor the death of innocent human beings. We were shocked by …
The Navy has acknowledged its budgetary concerns and is hedging for further cuts by laying out priorities and describing what will be hit hardest, according to a Department of Navy memo obtained by Politico. The document acknowledges that both Navy and Marine Corps operations and maintenance (O&M) accounts will be …
On Tuesday, Wired chastised the New York Army National Guard for its decision to continue to send 450 guardsmen to a training exercise in Missouri despite the events of Hurricane Sandy. The article writes: “It seemed like a good use of troops—until their fellow guardsmen were suddenly called in to …
This Thursday, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) will hold a hearing on sequestration’s impact on defense and national security in light of the Sequestration Transparency Act Report, which the White House released on September 14. The report unfortunately brings very little insight to the impacts of sequestration on U.S. …
In the past, readiness simply meant the status of U.S. military might. Today, however, national security readiness requires a much broader definition that includes not only conventional defense but also homeland security. If the U.S. persists in restricting the discussion only to the state of military readiness, it will present …
