Defense
Sometimes The BRAC Process Gets It Wrong
Over the past 12 years there have been five Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC) commissions leading to the elimination of some bases and other military facilities. The process for determining which facilities . . .
Is The Terrorist Threat Over-Rated?
There's a concept in psychoanalysis called "parataxic distortion" that describes how traumatic experiences can distort perceptions of subsequent events. The victim is so upset by the trauma that later . . .
Iraq: Stop The Bombers, Win The War
The Washington Post and ABC News released a survey this week revealing dramatic deterioration in public support for the administration's handling of the military campaign in Iraq. Three-quarters of the . . .
Air Guard Attacks BRAC Process with Dumb Bombs
If the U.S. Air Force and the Air National Guard were a married couple in some television sitcom, you'd have to marvel at how such mismatched people manage to stay together. Their love-hate relationship has . . .
High Tea On The Titanic
There is a program on public broadcasting called Antiques Roadshow that features professional appraisals of family heirlooms and flea-market treasures. Last week's program provided a metaphor that . . .
Curing Jitters
There's a saying among psychotherapists that when every other remedy fails, the mere passage of time can work wonders. Unfortunately, that wisdom doesn't apply to weapons programs, especially the . . .
Base Closure Plan Shows Pentagon’s New Direction
After hinting last year that the military might be headed for the Mother Of All Base Closings, defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld is scaling back expectations as he prepares to send a list of proposed changes . . .
Saving Army Aviation
On October 23, 2004, the United States Army announced its decision to cancel the Comanche helicopter program. At the time, this decision was criticized by many. The Comanche was a state-of-the-art . . .
QDR 2005 Issues Facing the Navy
From its fragile birth on the eve of American independence to its global reach at the dawn of the Third Millennium, the U.S. Navy has continuously adapted to new challenges and opportunities. The threat . . .
Sino-Myopia In The Pentagon’s Strategic Review
Remember that golden summer of post-communist optimism called the Clinton years? Back then, globalization of the economy seemed like an undiluted benefit of human progress that could produce . . .