October 28, 2020
Retooling U.S. Security Sector Assistance
One of America’s most important foreign policy tools is not fit for purpose. U.S. security sector assistance — the means by which the United States strengthens alliances and partners — is stuck in the past. Crucially, it is out of sync with U.S. priorities when it comes to where resources are needed most and the types of capabilities required by America’s allied and partners.
One of America’s most important foreign policy tools is not fit for purpose.
Despite widespread agreement on the need to prioritize strategic competition with Russia and China, the United States still directs a disproportionate amount of assistance toward the Middle East. An emphasis on counter-terrorism since 9/11 has also contributed to an emphasis on building the wrong capabilities. The United States is not equipping allies and partners with the capabilities they need to deal with competitors who are adopting increasingly sophisticated strategies in the areas of cyber security, strategic communications, and illicit commercial activity. Moreover, the mechanisms needed to integrate security sector competition with other instruments of national power, including diplomacy, military operations, strategic communications, and other foreign assistance, are underdeveloped at best. These shortcomings hinder U.S. allies and partners, in turn leaving them vulnerable to Chinese and Russian influence.
Read the full article in War on the Rocks.
More from CNAS
-
Defense / Technology & National Security
Which Technology Offers the Best Defense Against Drones? Lasers or Mobile Gun Trucks?Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Romania and Norway are some of the European countries that have reported -- just this month alone -- drone incursions into their airspace. So far, the...
By Stacie Pettyjohn
-
Defense / Transatlantic Security
NATO’s Counter-Drone ConundrumOver the last two weeks, Russia has repeatedly violated NATO airspace. Seventeen Russian military drones entered Polish airspace on September 10th, followed by another drone i...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend & Stacie Pettyjohn
-
Countering the Swarm: America’s Drone Deterrence Strategy
Host Jim Cardoso is joined by Dr. Stacie Pettyjohn, senior fellow and program director at the Center for a New American Security, and Molly Campbell, research assistant at the...
By Stacie Pettyjohn & Molly Campbell
-
Sharper: Defending Against Drones
After three decades of air dominance, the United States faces a more hostile world brought about by the proliferation of inexpensive military and commercial drones. In any fut...
By Molly Campbell & Charles Horn