Home › Projects › U.S. Military Forces and Operations
Syndicate content
 

U.S. Military Forces and Operations

CNAS examines the force structure, roles, missions, and overall health and wellness of America's military in order to help ensure our forces are prepared for the demands of 21st century conflict.

In September 2010, CNAS published An Indispensable Force: Investing in America’s National Guard and Reserves. The report concluded that despite commendable progress in recent years, the U.S. government still is not investing sufficiently in the policies, laws, and budgets required for the National Guard and Reserves to fulfill their current and future role in U.S. national security. In February 2010, CNAS released a report on military officer education. Titled Keeping the Edge: Revitalizing America's Military Officer Corps, the report provided recommendations for how the United States can keep its edge in the officer corps amidst an ever-increasing array of challenges.

In 2011, CNAS will undertake work on such vital topics as the future of the all-volunteer force, defense acquisition reform, military planning and budgeting, and the future of America’s “hard power.”

For other work related to U.S. Military Forces and Operations, see the CNAS projects on Military Wellness, Special Operations Forces, and Contracting in Conflicts.

Related Content

  • The Generals, Thomas Ricks, CNAS, military leadership
    The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today
    Author(s): Thomas E. Ricks
    Type of Publication: Book
    Date: 10/30/2012

    In The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today, CNAS Senior Fellow Thomas E. Ricks explores the history of American military leaders and the growing divide between military performance and accountability.

    | more |
  • Revenge of Geography, Robert Kaplan, Asia, CNAS
    The Revenge of Geography: What the Map Tells Us About Coming Conflicts and the Battle Against Fate
    Author(s): Robert Kaplan
    Type of Publication: Book
    Date: 09/11/2012

    In The Revenge of Geography: What the Map Tells Us About Coming Conflicts and the Battle Against Fate, CNAS Non-Resident Senior Fellow and Stratfor Chief Geopolitical Analyst Robert D. Kaplan builds on the insights, discoveries and theories of great geographers and geopolitical thinkers of the near and distant past to look back at critical pivots in history and then forward at the evolving global scene. 

    | more |
  • Asad Under Fire: Five Scenarios for the Future of Syria
    Asad Under Fire: Five Scenarios for the Future of Syria
    Author(s): Melissa Dalton
    Type of Publication: Policy Brief
    Date: 09/10/2012

    The brutal conflict underway in Syria jeopardizes key U.S. strategic interests, but leaves Washington with few attractive options to protect them and little leverage over the future of the country. In Asad Under Fire: Five Scenarios for the Future of Syria, Visiting Fellow Melissa Dalton argues that the United States must prepare for a range of potential future scenarios and implement policies now to mitigate future risks to its interests in the event of a transition of power from Syrian President Bashar al-Asad.

    | more |
  • Little America, Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Afghanistan
    Little America: The War Within the War for Afghanistan
    Type of Publication: Book
    Date: 06/26/2012

    In Little America: The War within the War for Afghanistan, Rajiv Chandrasekaran, former CNAS Writer-in-Residence and senior correspondent and associate editor at The Washington Post, discusses the complex relationship between America and Afghanistan reaching back to the Cold War.

    | more |
  • Risk and Rivalry: Iran, Israel and the Bomb
    Risk and Rivalry: Iran, Israel and the Bomb
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 06/06/2012

    As Iran's nuclear progress continues and negotiations fail to reach a breakthrough, the threat of an Israeli preventive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities grows. In Risk and Rivalry: Israel, Iran and the Bomb, authors Dr. Colin H. Kahl, Melissa G. Dalton and Matthew Irvine argue that despite the abhorrent threats by some Iranian leaders to "wipe Israel off the map," the actual behavior of the Islamic Republic over the past three decades indicates that the regime is not suicidal and is sufficiently rational for nuclear deterrence.

    | more |
  • Strategic Adaptation: Toward a New U.S. Strategy in the Middle East
    Strategic Adaptation: Toward a New U.S. Strategy in the Middle East
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 06/06/2012

    In Strategic Adaptation: Toward a New U.S. Strategy in the Middle East, authors Dr. Bruce W. Jentleson, Dr. Andrew M. Exum, Melissa G. Dalton and J. Dana Stuster chart the fundamentals of a revised strategy for U.S. Middle East policy, starting with a reevaluation of U.S. interests and an assessment of the evolving strategic context. The approach they propose is one of “strategic adaptation” to meet immediate challenges while simultaneously responding to regional trends that will affect the region – and U.S. engagement – for decades to come.

    | more |
  • America's Path: Grand Strategy for the Next Administration
    America's Path: Grand Strategy for the Next Administration
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 05/31/2012

    In America’s Path: Grand Strategy for the Next Administration, editors and CNAS experts Richard Fontaine and Dr. Kristin M. Lord bring together four strategists - Dr. Robert J. Art, Dr. Richard K. Betts, Dr. Peter Feaver and Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter - with diverse backgrounds and perspectives to advance a common mission of promoting informed debate about America’s role in the world and the best ways to fulfill it.

    | more |
  • U.S. military, responsible defense, hard choices, defense budget, strategy
    Sustainable Pre-eminence: Reforming the U.S. Military at a Time of Strategic Change
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 05/23/2012

    Maintaining the U.S. military’s global pre-eminence is vital to protecting American interests and promoting American values. However, the Pentagon still has not enacted the types of reforms that are necessary to sustain that pre-eminence into the future. In Sustainable Preeminence: Reforming the U.S. Military at a Time of Strategic Change, CNAS experts LTG David W. Barno, USA (Ret.), Dr. Nora Bensahel, Matthew Irvine and Travis Sharp argue that DOD should organize and operate America’s armed forces in new ways. Click here to read the transcript from the May 29 live web chat with the authors of Sustainable Pre-eminence.

    | more |
  • marc lynch, cnas, syria, un, annan plan, us military
    Dr. Marc Lynch Testifies before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia on Syria
    Author(s): Dr. Marc Lynch
    Type of Publication: Congressional Testimony
    Date: 04/25/2012

    In his testimony before  the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, CNAS Non-Resident Senior Fellow Marc Lynch emphasizes the importance of the international community utilizing diplomacy and pressure thoroughly before engaging in military action.

    | more |
  • Investing in the Best: How to Support the Nonprofits that Serve Veterans, Servic
    Investing in the Best
    Author(s): Nancy Berglass
    Type of Publication: Report
    Date: 04/11/2012

    In a field that is currently saturated with tens of thousands of organizations seeking to support veterans, service members and their families, potential donors are left feeling overwhelmed. In Investing in the Best: How to Support the Nonprofits that Serve Veterans, Service Members and Their Families, author Nancy Berglass offers guidance and baseline criteria for those interested in responsibly supporting nonprofit organizations addressing the needs of military and veteran communities.

    | more |
  • John McCain and the Lessons of History
    Type: News Item
    Source: The National Interest

    April 19, 2013 — Robert W. Merry of The National Interest discusses Senator John McCain's address to the Center for New American Security, in which he called for American internationalism and stressed America's responsibility to uphold its foreign policy values in a rapidly changing world. 

    | more |
  • McCain: On foreign policy, I may have more in common with Obama than with some in own party
    Type: News Item
    Source: Foreign Policy

    April 19, 2013 — Dana Stuster of The Cable reports on Senator John McCain's speech to the Center for New American Security on internationalism.   

    | more |
  • The Stakes for America in the Race to Replace Karzai
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Wall Street Journal

    April 17, 2013 — In the aftermath of a recent trip to Afghanistan, Michѐle Flournoy, Co-Chair of the CNAS Board of Directors, pens an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal with Brookings Senior Fellow Michael O’Hanlon outlining steps the international community should take to ensure more free and fair presidential elections in 2014.

    | more |
  • Navy Lags, Coast Guard Leads, In Building Ties With China
    Type: News Item
    Source: AOL Defense Blog

    April 12, 2013 — Sydney Freedberg, Jr. of the AOL Defense Blog cites comments on U.S.-Chinese military-to-military relations by Patrick Cronin, Senior Director of the CNAS Asia-Pacific Security Program, at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space conference.  

    | more |
  • Outlining Prospects, Implications of Hostile Action From North Korea
    Type: News Item
    Source: PBS

    April 12, 2013 — Dr. Patrick Cronin, Senior Director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program, discusses the simmering tensions between the Koreas and how past interactions with North Korea may affect future U.S. policy in the region with Margaret Warner of the PBS NewsHour.  Click here to watch.

    | more |
  • ASPI Suggests
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Australian Strategic Policy Institute Blog

    April 12, 2013 — Harry White recommends At What Cost a Carrier? by Captain Henry J. Hendrix to his followers at The Strategist, the blog of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. 

    | more |
  • Which Military Opinions to Listen To
    Type: News Item
    Source: The National Interest

    April 11, 2013 — The National Interest's Paul Pillar discusses a recent CNAS publication, Listening to the Generals: How Military Advice Affects Public Support for the Use of Force, and examines the critical questions it raises regarding the military's direct role in shaping the public's perception of the armed forces. 

    | more |
  • Defense Analysts Slam Pentagon for Ignoring Sequester
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Hill

    April 10, 2013 — The Hill's Jeremy Herb quotes Non-Resident Fellow Travis Sharp in citing uniform negative reaction by defense think tanks to the Pentagon's FY 2014 budget proposal.

    | more |
  • President's Plan Would Trim Defense Spending
    Type: News Item
    Source: The Washington Post

    April 10, 2013 — The Washington Post 's Federal Eye blog, cites CNAS Non-Resident Fellow Travis Sharp’s claim that the budget’s exclusion of sequestration cuts makes it a “placebo, a placeholder with no effect.”

    | more |
  • North Korea's Threats: Predicable Pattern Or Provocation?
    Type: News Item
    Source: NPR

    April 8, 2013 — Senior Advisor and Senior Director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program Dr. Patrick Cronin participates in a discussion on NPR's "Talk of the Nation" about the tension between North and South Korea.

    | more |
  • ng eng hen, singapore, defense minister, cnas, asia-pacific security
    Security in the Asia-Pacific Region: A Singapore Perspective
    April 4, 2012 - 10:30am - 11:30am
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel's Willard Room
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On April 4, CNAS hosted Dr. Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Defense of the Republic of Singapore, for a speech on "Promoting Peace and Stability in the Asia-Pacific through Stable Military-to-Military Relationships". The event featured introductory remarks by the Honorable Jon Huntsman, former United States Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore.

    | more |
  • The Arab Uprising, Marc Lynch, Center for a New American Security
    The Arab Uprising: The Unfinished Revolutions of the New Middle East
    March 27, 2012 - 5:30pm - 8:30pm
    The W Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On March 27, 2012, the Center for a New American Security hosted the book launch for The Arab Uprising: The Unfinished Revolutions of the New Middle East by Dr. Marc Lynch, Non-Resident Senior Fellow at CNAS and Director of the Institute for Middle East Studies at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.

    | more |
  • responsible defense, david barno, defense budget, cnas, senate, testimony
    Perspectives on the President’s Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of Defense
    March 6, 2012 - 10:00am - 12:00pm
    608 Dirksen Senate Office Building
    Washington, District of Columbia

    CNAS Senior Advisor and Senior Fellow LTG David Barno, USA (Ret.) testifies before the Senate Budget Committee in an open hearing on President Obama's FY 2013 budget request for the U.S. Department of Defense.

    | more |
  • colin kahl, center for a new american security, cnas, iran, wmd, israel
    The Iranian Nuclear Dilemma: Risk of an Iraq Sequel?
    February 21, 2012 - 10:45am - 12:00pm
    Rayburn House Office Building
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On February 21, CNAS Senior Fellow Colin Kahl participated in a panel discussion hosted by the National Iranian American Council on the status of the Iranian nuclear program. Dr. Kahl indicated that there are a number of differences between the current situation in Iran and the lead-up to the war in Iraq, and addressed the possibility of an Israeli airstrike on Iranian facilities.

    | more |
  • thomas de maziere, center for a new american security, counterinsurgency
    Counterinsurgency and Afghanistan: Experiences, Strategies and Perspectives
    February 17, 2012 - 11:00am - 12:00pm
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel's Crystal Room
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On February 17, the Center for a New American Security and ISPK hosted Dr. Thomas de Maizière, Minister of Defense of the Federal Republic of Germany, for a public address titled “Counterinsurgency and Afghanistan: Experiences, Strategies and Perspectives.” Dr. de Maizière’s address was followed by a question and answer session chaired by Dr. John A. Nagl, CNAS Non-Resident Senior Fellow.

    | more |
  • Lt. Gen. Sher Mohammad Karimi, Afghanistan, ANA
    Roundtable Discussion with Lieutenant General Sher Mohammad Karimi, Chief of Staff for the Afghan Military
    February 8, 2012 - 9:00am - 11:00am
    Center for a New American Security
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On February 8, the Center for a New American Security hosted a discussion about the future of Afghanistan with Lieutenant General Sher Mohammad Karimi, Chief of Army Staff for the Afghan military. Lieutenant General Karimi discussed some of his current challenges and concerns, focusing on the Afghan Air Force and continued international support for the ANA beyond 2014.

    | more |
  • Cooperation from Strength: The United States, China and the South China Sea
    Cooperation from Strength: The United States, China and the South China Sea
    January 10, 2012 - 9:00am - 11:30am
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    At an event on January 10, 2012, from 9:00-11:30 a.m., the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) will release a report by CNAS experts Dr. Patrick Cronin and Robert D. Kaplan titled Cooperation from Strength: The United States, China and the South China Sea, which examines the future of U.S. strategy in the South China Sea. The event will feature a keynote address by Admiral Jonathan Greenert, Chief of Naval Operations. RSVP here or call (202) 457-9427.

    | more |
  • Losing the Battle
    Losing the Battle: The Challenge of Military Suicide
    November 1, 2011 - 4:30pm - 6:00pm
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel's Grand Ballroom
    Washington, District of Columbia

    The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) held an event, Losing the Battle, on November 1, 2011, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m., to discuss the issue of suicide in the U.S. military with a distinguished panel of experts, including the author of the CNAS report, Losing the Battle: The Challenge of Military Suicide, Dr. Margaret Harrell, who is a Senior Fellow at CNAS and Director of the Joining Forces Initiative; General Peter Chiarelli, Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army; Juliette Kayyem, national security columnist for The Boston Globe and a lecturer in public policy at Harvard University; and Dr. Jan Kemp, National Mental Health Program Director for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

    | more |
  • General Norton A. Schwartz with CNAS Fellows
    Discussion with General Norton A. Schwartz, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force
    October 19, 2011 - 12:00pm - 1:00pm
    The Willard InterContinental Hotel
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On October 19, the Center for a New American Security hosted a lunchtime discussion at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel with General Norton A. Schwartz, Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. The discussion was part of CNAS’ ongoing National Security Leaders Forum series.

    | more |
  • lieutenant general mark hertling, cnas, nate fick, europe, army, nato
    Roundtable Discussion with Lieutenant General Mark P. Hertling
    October 11, 2011 - 12:30pm - 2:00pm
    Center for a New American Security
    Washington, District of Columbia

    On October 11, the Center for a New American Security hosted a roundtable discussion with Lieutenant General Mark P. Hertling, Commander of U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army.  LTG Hertling discussed the U.S.’s ongoing strategic interests in Europe and the resources required to successfully secure those interests.

    | more |
  • David Barno
    Lieutenant General David W. Barno, USA (Ret.)
    Senior Advisor and Senior Fellow

    General Barno, a highly decorated military officer with over 30 years of service, has served in a variety of command and staff positions in the United States and around the world, to include command at every level. He served many of his early years in special operations forces with Army Ranger battalions, to include combat in both the Grenada and Panama invasions. In 2003, he was selected to establish a new three-star operational headquarters in Afghanistan and take command of the 20,000 U.S. and Coalition Forces in Operation Enduring Freedom. For 19 months in this position, he was responsible for the overall military leadership of this complex political-military mission, devising a highly innovative counterinsurgency strategy in close partnership with the U.S. embassy and coalition allies.

    | Read Full Bio |
  • Nancy Berglass
    Non-Resident Senior Fellow

    Nancy Berglass is a Senior Non-Resident Fellow at CNAS, the Director of the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund, and Principal of Berglass Community Investment Consulting.

    Widely respected as among the nation’s leading strategists for the independent sector, Nancy Berglass has worked for over 25 years to address the needs of families, children, low-income communities, troops and veterans, women and other underserved populations through a variety of leadership positions in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors.

    | Read Full Bio |
  • Richard Fontaine
    President

    Richard Fontaine is the President of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). He served as a Senior Advisor and Senior Fellow at CNAS from 2009-2012.  He previously served as foreign policy advisor to Senator John McCain for more than five years.  He has also worked at the State Department, the National Security Council and on the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

    | Read Full Bio |
  • Robert Kaplan
    Robert Kaplan
    Non-Resident Senior Fellow

    Robert D. Kaplan has been a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security since March 2008, and has been a foreign correspondent for The Atlantic for over a quarter-century. He is currently Chief Geopolitical Analyst at Stratfor. He is the author of Monsoon: The Indian Ocean and the Future of American Power, published by Random House in October, 2010, with the paperback to be released in September.

    | Read Full Bio |
  • Dr. David Kilcullen
    President and CEO, Caerus Associates

    Dr. David Kilcullen is a former Non-Resident Senior Fellow and Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security. Dr. Kilcullen was also a Non-Resident Senior Fellow with CNAS in 2007 and collaborated with CNAS on Iraq and Afghanistan reports, as well as violent extremism and grand strategy Solarium projects in 2007 and 2008.  

    | Read Full Bio |
  • Michele L. Malvesti
    | Read Full Bio |
  • John Nagl
    Dr. John A. Nagl
    Non-Resident Senior Fellow

    Dr. John Nagl is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security and the Minerva Research Fellow at the U.S. Naval Academy as part of the Department of Defense Minerva Initiative program.  He was previously the President of CNAS. He is also a member of the Defense Policy Board, a Visiting Professor in the War Studies Department at Kings College of London, a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Veterans of Foreign Wars and a member of the International Institute of Strategic Studies.  Dr.

    | Read Full Bio |
  • Dr. Michael O’Hanlon
    Director of Research and Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution

    Michael O'Hanlon is a senior fellow in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution, where he specializes in U.S. defense strategy, the use of military force, homeland security and American foreign policy. He is a visiting lecturer at Princeton University, and a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Council on Foreign Relations.

    | Read Full Bio |
  • Thomas E. Ricks
    Senior Fellow

    Thomas E. Ricks is a Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Concurrently with his duties at CNAS, Mr. Ricks writes an online blog for ForeignPolicy.com called, “The Best Defense," for which he won the 2010 National Magazine Award as the best blog of the year, and serves as a contributing editor for Foreign Policy.  

    | Read Full Bio |
  • Travis Sharp
    Travis Sharp
    Non-Resident Fellow

    Travis Sharp is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and was previously the Bacevich Fellow. He is currently a Master's candidate at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Prior to joining CNAS, he served as Military Policy Analyst at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, where he started as a Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellow.

    | Read Full Bio |