To advance future capabilities that provide for long-term readiness, the armed services need well-trained, knowledgeable warfighters who have the capacity to integrate modernized systems into sustained arsenals. Instead, the budget’s reductions come at a point when the operational tempo of the force continues to increase as capacity investments are falling.
There are at least four essential reasons why making the U.S. aerospace and defense industry exclusively “Made in America” is neither feasible nor desirable.
Diplomacy that is not backed by military might will fail. It all comes down to credibility behind the words. The U.S. has lost its edge in that regard from both a military capability and capacity perspective.
With the service’s new Arctic strategy and the anticipated re-designation of Army Alaska as the 11th Airborne Division, the Army should also bring in more funding.
If a relatively low-cost, short-range missile can destroy one of the largest warships in the Russian Navy, how do we ensure that ships in our fleet are not doomed to the same fate?
Widespread, if not universal, support exists within NATO for Finnish membership. Unfortunately for Finland, and perhaps for the alliance, there is likely to be a significant delay.
Russian President Putin’s behavior stands in stark contrast with the Biden administration’s decision to postpone and then cancel a launch of an unarmed Minuteman III ICBM.
We should expect U.S. Space Command to meet the same expectations we hold for every other combatant command — securing military superiority within its assigned domain, while providing warfighting support as an equal member of the joint force. In addition to its work developing more resilient space architectures, the Space Force should take the lead in defining, developing, and fielding offensive and defensive space capabilities it can provide to U.S. Space Command.
Thomas G. Mahnken argues it is imperative for the United States and its allies to both increase their munitions capacity and adopt innovative approaches to munitions production.
The U.S. and Israel urgently need to replace their aging aerial refueling fleets with the modernized KC-46A. The problem is the aircraft has been plagued by development challenges and delays.
One of the key lessons from the Russian invasion of Ukraine for other militaries is to not abandon land-maneuvering capabilities in favor of investing too much in technology. Both abilities are needed, but not at the expense of one or the other.
The time has come to strike a new transatlantic bargain, in which European allies assume greater responsibility for their own security and defense and the United States becomes more willing to share military leadership of the alliance.