Defense
Air Power: The Arithmetic of Victory (and Defeat)
Next year will mark two important milestones in the history of American aviation. It will be the 100th year since the Wright Brothers first flew at Kitty Hawk, and the 50th year since an American soldier was . . .
Stryker Drives to the Future: Opponents Fail to Grasp New Strategic Challenges
A new century requires a new military. This is what the transformation of the U.S. Army is about. Within a few decades, the U.S. Army will be almost unrecognizable. The key first step in this transformation is a . . .
Carrier Adrift: Delaying CVNX Has Big Consequences
The Pentagon's latest Defense Planning Guidance identifies four weapons programs as candidates for cutbacks in the 2004-2009 spending plan. The Navy's candidate is its next-generation aircraft carrier. . .
Reducing Raptor: This Is Transformation?
The Pentagon's senior civilian leadership is leaning toward cutting the department's commitment to the F/A-22 Raptor multirole fighter. It's a little hard to know what the emerging plan means, because there . . .
Military Transformation: Ahead of the Curve, or Behind?
Last week the U.S. Army and five other organizations sponsored a conference concerning how to cope with the new security environment. The Eisenhower Conference was an ecumenical affair, as reflected in . . .
Strategic Nuclear Forces in U.S. National Security in the 21st Century
The end of the Cold War brought with it a reduction in the size of strategic nuclear arsenals but not a diminution in the importance of nuclear forces in U.S. national security. The balance of terror has been . . .
Transformation, or Ideology? Bush Administration Needs Reality Check
On August 21, as President Bush's summer vacation was winding down, senior Defense Department officials traveled to Crawford, Texas to brief the chief executive on military spending plans. In a dozen . . .
Raptor’s New Designation is Long Overdue
Who says the Air Force isn't agile? Next week it will finally get around to fixing the misleading name of its next-generation fighter, and it only took a decade of deliberations to decide. The Raptor stopped . . .
Japan’s Death of Birth
In contrast to the astounding growth of its Asian neighbors, Japan's economic power went on the wane a decade ago. This development has important consequences for the American economy, and an . . .
The Bush Doctrine
During its first year in office, the Bush administration seemed to be struggling to find a strategic concept that would distinguish its security posture from what had come before. Aside from its emphasis on . . .