The United States is beset by fiscal crises that have forced a new age of austerity onto American government and society. This budgetary pressure comes while the U.S. military remains actively involved in Southwest Asia and prepares to reset and reorient itself for future security threats. In this challenging strategic environment, CNAS’ defense budget project, known as “Responsible Defense,” seeks to answer a fundamental question: How should the United States maximize its security in an era of defense budget cuts?
In 2012, CNAS’ Responsible Defense project, led by Senior Advisor and Senior Fellow LTG David W. Barno, USA (Ret.), Deputy Director of Studies and Senior Fellow Nora Bensahel, and Bacevich Fellow Travis Sharp, will continue to produce research reports and host private working groups and public events.
Reports from Responsible Defense: Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity (October 2011).
Outside Publications from Responsible Defense: “Hard Choices for Ground Forces” in Defense News (October 17, 2011), “How to Cut the Defense Budget Responsibly” on ForeignAffairs.com (November 2, 2011), “You Can’t Have It All” on ForeignPolicy.com (January 6, 2012), “An Unfinished Strategy” on NationalInterest.org (forthcoming), and “Pivot but Hedge: A Strategy for Pivoting to Asia While Hedging in the Middle East” in Orbis (forthcoming April 2012).
Related CNAS Reports: Cooperation from Strength: The United States, China and the South China Sea (January 9, 2012), Driving in the Dark: Ten Propositions about Prediction and National Security (October 26, 2011), The Sacrifice Ahead: The 2012 Defense Budget (February 14, 2011), Fueling the Future Force: Preparing the Department of Defense for a Post-Petroleum Era (September 27, 2010), Arsenal’s End? American Power and the Global Defense Industry (February 19, 2010), Vision Meets Reality: 2010 QDR and 2011 Defense Budget (February 1, 2010), Contested Commons: The Future of American Power in a Multipolar World (January 25, 2010), Smart Defense Acquisition: Learning from French Procurement Reform (December 9, 2009), and Making America Grand Again: Toward a New Grand Strategy (June 11, 2008).
In Driving in the Dark: Ten Propositions About Prediction and National Security, Richard Danzig examines the nature of prediction in national security and offers strategic recommendations for how the U.S. Department of Defense can improve its predictive capabilities while also preparing for predictive failure.
Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity, a report authored by CNAS experts LTG David W. Barno, USA (Ret.), Dr. Nora Bensahel and Travis Sharp, outlines four budget cut scenarios and evaluates possible trade-offs among force structure, end strength, procurement and overhead.
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On September 21st, CNAS Fellow Christine Parthemore testified before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs’ Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. She testified regarding her work on national security vulnerabilities stemming from America’s dependence on imports of strategic minerals.
CNAS Non-Resident Senior Fellow Richard Weitz testified before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on the current status of Sino-Russian relations.
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The fiscal year 2012 defense budget request is a break from the past ten years of budget growth, but it does not go far enough to rebalance defense spending priorities given the fiscal pressures and threats the United States faces, according to this policy brief. The Sacrifice Ahead: The 2012 Defense Budget recommends that the Department of Defense (DOD) pursue additional efficiencies savings and make modest reductions in its base budget to help shore up the U.S. economy, the core of America’s global and military power.
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In this U.S.-India Initiative Series working paper, authors Kenneth I. Juster and Ajay Kuntamukkala examine the complex web of export controls and other issues surrounding bilateral defense trade between the United States and India and offer concrete recommendations to both Washington and New Delhi for deepening the relationship in this critical area.
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This report argues that the Department of Defense (DOD) must prepare to transition smoothly to a future in which it does not depend on petroleum – no small task given that 77 percent of DOD’s energy needs depend on petroleum for fuel. Authors Christine Parthemore and John Nagl offer 12 specific guiding principles that map a path forward for the Department, helping to ensure that DOD can weather change, protect its own interests, reduce its vulnerability to extreme price spikes and – most importantly – ensure that it can meet its mandate to protect the nation’s security.
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CNAS Non-Resident Senior Fellow David Kilcullen testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on the options for reconciliation in Afghanistan. Kilcullen’s testimony focused on stabilization issues within Afghanistan, including corruption, international aid and the drug trade.
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In both Iraq and Afghanistan, there are currently more private contractors than U.S. troops on the ground. This report calls for the U.S. government to embark on a path of ambitious reform that will increase federal oversight and better protect U.S. taxpayer dollars from potential waste, fraud and abuse.
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Using the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter program as a case study, this report analyzes how globalization has affected the American defense industry and its consequences for U.S. national security.
| more |February 2, 2012 — In The Washington Post, CNAS Senior Advisor LTG David Barno, USA (Ret.) and Senior Fellow Andrew Exum comment on the uncertain outcome in Afghanistan as U.S. troops transfer the bulk of the country's security to local forces.
| more |January 27, 2012 — Patrick Cronin, the Senior Director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program at CNAS, talks to CNN about a declining U.S. military presence and its possible transformation into a minor middle power.
| more |January 26, 2012 — CNAS Bacevich Fellow Travis Sharp comments in U.S. News and World Report on the challenges of implementing defense cuts that reflect President Obama's vision of a smaller and more agile military force.
| more |January 26, 2012 — In USA Today, CNAS Non-Resident Senior Fellow COL Robert Killebrew, USA (Ret.) comments on President Obama's willingness to take risks through the use of special operations forces.
| more |January 26, 2012 — LTG David Barno, USA (Ret.), Nora Bensahel and Travis Sharp write in The National Interest, advising Congress to set aside sequestration and for DOD to focus on operational adjustments for the military.
| more |January 25, 2012 — CNAS Senior Advisor LTG David Barno, USA (Ret.) is interviewed in Stars and Stripes, discussing the shift in the Obama Administration's defense strategy from a robust military force abroad towards a growing focus on special operations and counterterrorism.
| more |January 25, 2012 — In Defense News, CNAS Senior Advisor LTG David Barno, USA (Ret.) talks about the Defense Department's plan to reduce the size of the military's ground forces
| more |January 21, 2012 — The Editor of the The Diplomat discusses the significance of CNAS's recent report on the South China Sea.
| more |January 20, 2012 — CNAS Senior Fellow Andrew Exum comments in U.S. News on why Syria poses challenges to intervention different from those seen in Libya.
| more |January 19, 2012 — The Associated Press quotes CNAS's recent report on the South China Sea to highlight the geostrategic significance of the region.
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On October 7, 2011, CNAS released Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity at an event featuring a discussion with the report authors - LTG David W. Barno, USA (Ret.), Dr. Nora Bensahel and Travis Sharp - and leading defense and budget experts Gordon Adams and Tom Donnelly.
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On September 16, the Center for a New American Security hosted a roundtable discussion with NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Ambassador Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic on the key themes that will shape NATO's spring 2012 summit.
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On August 4, CNAS President John A. Nagl, Senior Advisor and Senior Fellow LTG David Barno, USA (Ret.), and Deputy Director of Studies and Senior Fellow Dr. Nora Bensahel led a roundtable discussion over breakfast addressing the challenges faced by the new U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.
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On June 23, 2011, CNAS hosted Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Gary Roughead, USN, for a speech on "A Global Navy in a Time of Change."
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The Center for a New American Security's (CNAS) fifth annual conference took place in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, June 2, 2011. Download the conference program, watch the videos and read the transcripts online.
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On May 24, 2011, CNAS hosted the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps General James F. Amos for a discussion among senior national security experts about the future of the Corps amidst a changing global strategic environment, and offered an assessment of the security situation in Afghanistan and continued challenges in the region.
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Major General Mills, USMC stopped by CNAS to share his perspective on the security situation in Afghanistan and the looming transition.
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On February 24, 2011, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) hosted a discussion with bestselling-author Bing West on his new book The Wrong War: Grit, Strategy, and the Way Out of Afghanistan.
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On February 22, a week after the defense budget was submitted to Congress, Dr. Ashton B. Carter delivered a keynote address on the Pentagon’s Defense Efficiency Initiative, which was launched to reduce the Department of Defense's overhead expenditures and improve efficiency. Read the transcripts and watch the video here.
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Dr. Joseph Nye Jr. spoke about his new book The Future of Power in a book talk with CNAS staff. This talk included former and current interns. The CNAS internship program is named for Dr. Nye.
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The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) hosted an evening event on Tuesday, January 31, 2012, to celebrate its Fifth Anniversary and to commemorate five years of promoting strong, pragmatic and principled national security and defense policies. The evening celebration featured a remarkable lineup of speakers, including a keynote address by General Martin E. Dempsey, the 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Click here to view photos from the event.
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On October 7, 2011, CNAS released Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity at an event featuring a discussion with the report authors - LTG David W. Barno, USA (Ret.), Dr. Nora Bensahel and Travis Sharp - and leading defense and budget experts Gordon Adams and Tom Donnelly. Watch the video here.
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On October 7, 2011, CNAS released Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity at an event featuring a discussion with the report authors - LTG David W. Barno, USA (Ret.), Dr. Nora Bensahel and Travis Sharp - and leading defense and budget experts Gordon Adams and Tom Donnelly. Listen to the audio here.
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On October 7, 2011, CNAS released Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity at an event featuring a discussion with the report authors - LTG David W. Barno, USA (Ret.), Dr. Nora Bensahel and Travis Sharp - and leading defense and budget experts Gordon Adams and Tom Donnelly. View the photo slideshow here.
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They're three of the Pentagon's perpetual enemies: waste, fraud and abuse. It's so common it sometimes morphs an acronym – WFA. If it's such a big part of military spending, can the Defense Department make its needed cuts simply by ridding itself of the trio? John Nagl, of the Center for a New American Security, and I chat about it with Todd Harrison, of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, and Nora Benshahel, a defense analyst at CNAS.
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On October 7, 2011, CNAS released Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity at an event featuring a discussion with the report authors - LTG David W. Barno, USA (Ret.), Dr. Nora Bensahel and Travis Sharp - and leading defense and budget experts Gordon Adams and Tom Donnelly. Read the full transcript here.
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So just what is it that makes cutting the defense budget so difficult? How much is objectively hard, and how much is subjective, due to pork, politics and precedent? John Nagl, of the Center for a New American Security, and I discuss the topic with Todd Harrison, of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, and Nora Benshahel, a defense analyst at CNAS, to try to figure out why it's so tough to wield the budgetary knife.
There have been lots of rumbles rolling from Capitol Hill, the Pentagon and the White House about this so-called "Super Committee" of 12 lawmakers – officially the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction – designed to bring some fiscal order to the federal budget. It petrifies the Pentagon, and with good reason. John Nagl, of the Center for a New American Security, and I discuss the topic with Todd Harrison, of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, and Nora Bensahel, a defense analyst at CNAS, to try to figure out what's really at stake.
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In the decade after 9/11, just how much did the U.S. military have to recalibrate to fight the wars it found itself launching in Afghanistan and, 18 months later, in Iraq? This week, on Command Post, we discuss the retooling of the American armed forces with Eric Schmitt of the New York Times -- co-author of Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America's Secret Campaign Against al Qaeda -- and Margaret Harrell, a military manpower expert with the Center for a New American Security. I'm joined, as usual, by CNAS president John Nagl.
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It's a fair question as the 10th anniversary of the horrific attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon looms. After all, it was the most shocking macro-event most Americans alive have experienced. It changed our way of life, or at least our way of living. It also triggered two costly and continuing wars. If we did overreact, how should we recalibrate? This week, on Command Post, we're looking into the post-9/11 U.S. national-security mindset with Eric Schmitt of the New York Times -- co-author of Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America's Secret Campaign Against al Qaeda -- and Margaret Harrell, a military manpower expert with the Center for a New American Security. I'm joined by fellow questioner John Nagl, CNAS's president.
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.
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Nora Bensahel is Deputy Director of Studies and a Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security. She recently co-authored Hard Choices: Responsible Defense in an Age of Austerity. Her other research interests include stability operations, counterinsurgency, civilian capacity for operations abroad, and coalition and alliance operations. She is also an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Security Studies Program at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, where she teaches M.A.
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Nathaniel C. Fick was appointed CEO of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) in June 2009. He was previously the Chief Operating Officer of CNAS and has been a Fellow at the Center since its founding in 2007.
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Zachary Hosford is a Research Associate at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). He previously served as both the Executive Assistant and the Special Assistant to the two co-founders of the organization, Kurt Campbell and Michèle Flournoy, as well as the Special Assistant to the current CEO, Nathaniel Fick.
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Matthew Irvine is a Research Associate at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Mr. Irvine’s primary research focus is on defense policy and transnational threats, including terrorism, narcotics and insurgency. Previously, he was the Writers-in-Residence intern at CNAS working with Thom Shanker and Eric Schmitt of The New York Times, as well as with Senior Fellow Thomas Ricks.
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Ethan B. Kapstein is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security. He has held positions as Stassen Professor of International Peace at the University of Minnesota, Vice President of the Council on Foreign Relations, Principal Administrator at the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, and Executive Director of the Economics and National Security Program at Harvard University. He is a former international banker and has served as an officer in the United States Navy.
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Dr. John Nagl is the President of the Center for a New American Security. 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.
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Travis Sharp is the Bacevich Fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). 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.
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