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July 2009
Global security is about more than military matters, and this week there was a development on the trade front that may have security implications. European Union officials imposed preemptive penalties on imports of Chinese steel pipes to prevent harm to indigenous producers. In the past, E.U.
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Date:
7/31/2009
As the White House and the Pentagon shift attention from Iraq to Afghanistan, our civilian and military leaders must grapple with the realities of trying to establish security and stability in a land that has never known much of either. The situation there is looking increasingly grim. In a Westmoreland-like
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Date:
7/31/2009
Pentagon insiders know that a handful of Marine general officers such as Emo Gardner of the program analysis shop have a strong influence over the program views of defense secretary Robert Gates. However, the heavy Marine presence around Gates won't enable amphibious warfare capabilities to escape
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Date:
7/31/2009
Congressional Research Service analyst Stephen Daggett had some stunning numbers about the rise in military personnel costs in testimony he gave earlier this year. In constant 2009 dollars, the cost of an average service member has risen from $55,000 per year in 1998 to $80,000 today. And that
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Date:
7/30/2009
One of the Quadrennial Defense Review’s (QDR) central themes is the need to build partnership capacity. This means providing friends and allies with the capabilities and training needed to take greater responsibility for their own security. If senior defense leaders want to have a substantial and
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Date:
7/30/2009
Clinton-era defense acquisition czar Jacques Gansler gave a presentation in mid-July demonstrating the benefits of public-private partnerships in bolstering efficiency. But he also demonstrated something else: if you want to work with the Pentagon's civilian workforce, you better get used to dealing
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Date:
7/29/2009
Recognizing that the resource spigot will be closing, the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) organized a special cost group to find ways of saving money. This group has identified runaway health care costs as a critical issue. During the Bush years (2001-2008), military health care costs rose 144
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Date:
7/29/2009
One reason defense secretary Robert Gates decided the Air Force needed a change of leaders last year was his perception the service was too slow in providing intelligence to U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. His concern was mostly about the availability of Predator unmanned surveillance aircraft,
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Date:
7/29/2009
N is for net-centric and the Air Force’s latest move to get ahead in the ballistic missile defense game depends on it. The Net Centric Airborne Defense Element (NCADE) is a modified AMRAAM air-to-air missile primed to chase and hit enemy ballistic missiles. Fighters such as the F-15, F-16, F-22
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Date:
7/29/2009
If you think the Obama Administration's plan to hold defense spending steady over the next few years sounds feasible, consider this. The national debt has increased by nearly a trillion dollars since election day, and the deficit of tax receipts below federal spending will equal 13% of the economy
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Date:
7/28/2009
The new Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) will drag the United States even further down the dead-end road of seeking security through nation building and social engineering. Gone from the list of military objectives that will guide force development is the one about fighting and winning the nation’s
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Date:
7/28/2009
After spending big money to promote its F-22 Raptor during the early months of the Obama Administration, prime contractor Lockheed Martin barely lifted a finger to support the plane in last week's crucial Senate vote. The company decided shortly after defense secretary Robert Gates decided to kill
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Date:
7/27/2009
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ continuing war on the F-22 would benefit from less passion and more facts. The Secretary claims that studies prove that there is no need for additional F-22s beyond the currently planned 187. FACT: Numerous sources have testified before Congress that all known
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Date:
7/27/2009
Pentagon guru Michael Vickers is Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict, but he’s much more than just a top counterinsurgency expert. For over a year his office’s portfolio has included advising on the full range of integrated capabilities for force application
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Date:
7/27/2009