Can Civilian Agencies Pick Up the Slack?

04/26/2012
By Richard Weitz The fourth discussion panel at the April 2012 Army War College Annual Strategy Conference assessed the roles and missions of the U.S. civilian agencies in coming years, especially those of the State Department. Dr. Peter Feaver Dr. Peter Feaver, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at…

Russia and Nuclear Arms Control: A Way Ahead

04/25/2012
By Richard Weitz U.S. officials say it is too early to begin formal negotiations with Moscow on the next step in nuclear arms control. In the interim, they will concentrate on “doing their homework” on the complexities involved, both within the U.S. government, as a follow-on to the 2010 Nuclear…

The Military Sealift Command Plays the Fountain of Youth Role: The Ponce Back to Sea

04/24/2012
4/24/12 The USS Ponce (LPD-15) was launched on 20 May 1970. It was last in action off of the coast of Libya and was a member of the ARG-MEU, which was part of the transformation evident in the air operations off the shores of Tripoli. She faced the end of…

Foreign Perspectives on U.S. Strategy

04/24/2012
By Richard Weitz The second panel discussion at the April 2012 Army War College annual strategy conference offered international perspectives on the U.S. role in the world. LTG (UK, Ret) P.R. Newton, Director of the Centre for Strategic Studies at Exeter University in the United Kingdom, discussed the meaning of…

North Korea’s Missile Crisis: The South’s Response

04/22/2012
By Richard Weitz From the perspective of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and its allies, the situation on the Peninsula is extremely unsettling. The DPRK looks set to resume testing its nuclear weapons as well as test launch more long-range ballistic missiles. Together, these capabilities could render the continental United…

Reducing Nuclear Weapons is Not a Limbo Dance

04/21/2012
By Lieutenant General (Retired) Michael Dunn, President, Air Force Association I have been seeing “trial balloons” in the press about the Administration's desire to go to lower numbers of nuclear warheads … beyond those listed in New START. Some of the numbers are as low as 300 warheads. (For example…

Strategic Thinking and Austerity

04/19/2012
By Richard Weitz The first panel at the U.S. Army War College conference assessed the meaning and consequences of the United States having entered “An Age of Austerity.” Lawrence Korb Lawrence Korb, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, argued that defense planners always have to accept some risk…

An Asian Pivot? Perhaps

04/18/2012
By Richard Weitz This year’s U. S. Army War College Strategy Conference, which met from April 10-12, focused on  “The Future of U.S. Grand Strategy in an Age of Austerity: Challenges and Opportunities.” The Hon. Richard Armitage, a career diplomat and the former Deputy Secretary of State for the George…