Are We Confusing Budget Cuts with Savings? by Bill Anderson Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting one of our larger U.S. military installations. As I spoke to the men and women charged with the tough line responsibility of maintaining readiness in this challenging budget environment, I immediately noticed two…
Key states in the Middle East are increasingly operating under the assumption that Iran will become a nuclear power and are bolstering their defenses to deal with the prospect of an emboldened Iran. In many ways, the UAE is the key state in shaping a comprehensive policy. UAE policy makers…
By Dr. Richard Weitz 02/26/12 - China and Kazakhstan have generally achieved a harmonious relationship in which the two countries can engage in mutually beneficial economic, energy, diplomatic, and security partnerships that produce a “win-win” outcome for both parties. For centuries, Kazakhstan’s leaders perceived China as their main security threat,…
by Michael W Wynne, 21st Secretary of the USAF All of the services were and are confronted by the new realities of the future defense budget in a very straightforward manner. Not only through the first budget agreement wherein the outgoing Defense Secretary volunteered to yield some $450 Billion; but…
by Robbin Laird In recent testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Directors of National Intelligence and the Defense Intelligence agency laid out their review of global threats and then answered questions from the Committee. If one wanted proof of the mental leaps the U.S. will need to make…
by Ed Timperlake, Editor, Second Line of Defense Forum I had the opportunity in December to see an advanced preview of the movie “Act of Valor,” an action thriller about US Navy SEALs, and my first impression was that it was sending a very powerful message to the enemies of…
With the maturing of the combat systems on the F-35 demonstrated in the maneuver warfare from the sea Bold Alligator 2012 exercise, and the weapons testing about to begin, the F-35 is ready for ramped up production. 4 a month will be produced this summer. There will be little excuse…
by Richard Weitz The final panel of the Jamestown Conference addressed China’s civil-military relations. Andrew Scobell, Senior Political Scientist at the RAND Corporation, spoke about “PLA Professionalization and the Civil-Military Gap.” He argued that “civil-military relations in China” no longer is the same as “party-army” relations. Today, the relationship is…
