Defense
The Dumbest Weapons Decision of the Decade
One of the eternal mysteries of large organizations is the way they bring smart people together in support of dumb ideas. Invading Iraq. Merging with AOL. Building the Edsel. It's hard to believe the best and . . .
Maritime Security Policy Gains Money & Muscle
The war in Iraq so thoroughly dominates public discussion of national defense that many Americans (even some members of Congress) are unaware of other big changes the Bush Administration has made . . .
China’s Military Power: Shadow Over Central Asia
China’s growing military power is seen already by many observers as a threat to the balance of power in the western Pacific. What has received less attention is China’s efforts to transform its air and ground . . .
Marine Corps Equipment After Iraq
The United States has understandably focused on the tremendous human costs of the war in Iraq, yet there are other costs that must be addressed as well. Earlier this year the Center for American Progress . . .
Four Camps in the Terror War
The two American political parties are splitting into four camps on how to handle the Terror War. With the defeat of Senator Lieberman in the Connecticut Democratic primary, and the possible takeover of . . .
Crusade In Arabia: The Hard Lessons
As the fifth anniversary of the 9-11 attacks approaches, the Bush Administration's "global war on terror" is not going well. Key Al Qaeda leaders are still at large. The Taliban is resurgent in Afghanistan. . .
Fate of Secret Radar Reflects Transformation’s Waning Role
History will remember Donald Rumsfeld as a dedicated defense secretary whose vision of military change was derailed by his own self-defeating idiosyncrasies. Rumsfeld's prescription for what needed to be done . . .
Defeating Hezbollah: An Alternative To Bombs
It is evident by now that the traditional Western superiority in conventional military forces is all but neutralized in the face of the strategic challenge posed by terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas . . .
Air Force Plans for Surveillance Planes are in Disarray
You can learn a lot about the management skills of rival organizations by comparing the way they pursue similar goals. Consider airborne surveillance. Each of the military departments maintains a fleet of . . .
Netting the Navy
If there is one lesson all Americans should have learned from the strategic surprises of the last few years, it is that military preparedness never goes out of style. We may not be able to predict precisely what . . .