The key assumption behind the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) is that the United States will have sufficient time and warning with which to win the wars it is in now and then “pivot” to address. . . Read more.
Friday's announcement that BAE Systems has settled long-running corruption cases with the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.K. Serious Fraud Office is very big and very good news for the world's. . . Read more.
On February 2, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Admiral Dennis Blair, USN (Ret.) and his main subordinates from the CIA, DIA and FBI, appeared before Congress to deliver their annual threat. . . Read more.
Sixteen months ago, in October of 2008, I wrote an improbable issue brief titled, "Five Reasons Weapons Spending Won't Fall." It argued that if Barack Obama won the White House, he wouldn't slash. . . Read more.
On Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee to give testimony on the FY2011 defense budget. In response to a question from Colorado Senator Udall. . . Read more.
During budget briefings this week, defense secretary Robert Gates has gone out of his way to insist that the time has come to end production of the C-17 airlifter. Gates acknowledges that the C-17. . . Read more.
One of the innovations in the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) much lauded in the media is the abandonment of the so-called two major regional conflicts or wars standard. This was the central. . . Read more.
An important feature of the future security environment according to the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) will be something called “hybrid warfare.” This is the idea that states will use a variety. . . Read more.
The 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) is supposed to take a twenty year view of the threats to U.S. security and the requirements for U.S military forces. One of this QDR’s assumptions is that. . . Read more.
If you've been following congressional hearings about the near collapse of America's financial system, then perhaps you have already figured out why both political parties were so blind to the danger.. . . Read more.
One of the oddities of the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review is its treatment of the private sector. The document has an entire chapter devoted to changing the way the Department of Defense (DoD) does. . . Read more.
The Washington Post reported on January 26 that a long decline in pregnancy rates among American teenagers ended at mid-decade, and the pregnancy rate has begun rising again. The story, based. . . Read more.
In general, Quadrennial Defense Reviews (QDRs) are like State of the Union addresses: long on vision and short on practical steps to be taken. Having reviewed a draft of the 2010 QDR I can say that. . . Read more.
Details of the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review have begun to circulate, and it looks pretty much like my colleague Dan Goure predicted: a warmed-over version of the Bush defense posture. That isn't. . . Read more.
The Department of Defense is about to release the unclassified version of its 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) which will provide high-level guidance to the department for the remainder of the. . . Read more.
A draft overview of the defense department's fiscal 2011 budget request highlights a handful of weapons programs as key to current and future military operations. The document was leaked last week,. . . Read more.
The Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI) is the biggest intranet in the world. With 800,000 users, some people say the only network that's bigger is the Internet itself. But NMCI has spawned more than. . . Read more.
It has become commonplace for analysts to suggest that China offers an alternative economic model to the democratic capitalism espoused by the United States. The Western model is based on the idea. . . Read more.
Two weeks ago the Airborne Laser (ABL) conducted a successful full-up, non-destructive test against a boosting target. This test was in preparation for the first-ever shoot-down test planned for later. . . Read more.
The federal budget is trapped in a structural deficit that the White House says will average 6% of gross domestic product over the next ten years. Since federal spending only claims about 20% of. . . Read more.
Although the most recent version of the Quadrennial Defense Review is classified "secret," an unclassified overview of the fiscal 2011 defense budget circulating in Washington reveals the basic outlines. . . Read more.
Tuesday’s level 10 earthquake on the political Richter scale may not bode well for defense, specifically future defense spending. One interpretation of Scott Brown’s surprise victory in Massachusetts. . . Read more.
Yesterday I had the honor of testifying before the Seapower & Expeditionary Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee concerning Navy shipbuilding plans. My prepared remarks are . . . Read more.
The convincing win of Republican candidate Scott Brown in yesterday's special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Ted Kennedy is being attributed to many factors -- a weak economy,. . . Read more.
Yesterday, Iran’s minister of defense fired a verbal shot across the bow of the United States, warning that his country could attack our warships in the Persian Gulf in the event of any attack upon. . . Read more.
How dysfunctional does the intelligence process in Afghanistan have to be for three senior intelligence officials, including Major General Michael T. Flynn who is currently Deputy Chief of Staff for. . . Read more.
The story of how Oshkosh Corporation beat out incumbent BAE Systems to win an Army contract for 23,000 trucks and trailers just keeps getting worse and worse. First the Government Accountability. . . Read more.
In April 2009, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates cancelled the Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS) program. At the time, he said that the FCS had been designed for a different environment than the one. . . Read more.
Ten years ago, renowned author James Gleick published a book called Faster: The Acceleration of Just About Everything. The book documented how new information technologies were speeding up the. . . Read more.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and the Obama Administration are committed to getting our soldiers in combat the critical equipment and support they need to do their jobs. Secretary Gates has made enhancing. . . Read more.