March 10, 2020
The Case for a Pacific Deterrence Initiative
When war broke out in Ukraine in 2014 the Department of Defense moved swiftly to invest billions in near-term enhancements in Europe to address growing military-operational shortfalls. The European Reassurance Initiative, later renamed the European Deterrence Initiative, invested $22 billion since then in increased presence, exercises, prepositioning, infrastructure, and partner capacity efforts all focused on ensuring the U.S. military and its NATO partners have the right capabilities in position to deter Russia. The Defense Department requested an additional $4.5 billion for the initiative in its new budget request for 2021.
No similar initiative, or urgency, exists for the Indo-Pacific.
Read the full article in War on the Rocks.
More from CNAS
-
Ep. 72: What “China” means in 2020
Podcast
We take a new look at what China means to American voters, and how opinions and perceptions about China have changed since President Trump took office three and a half years a...
By Kara Frederick
-
In Myanmar, A Rare Glimmer of Hope for Indian Regional Policy
Commentary
In the barren, high altitude Himalayan region between China and India, a clash on June 15 left twenty Indian soldiers dead. Nationalists on both sides called for demonstration...
By Coby Goldberg
-
The U.S.-China confrontation is not another Cold War. It’s something new.
Commentary
With U.S.-China relations in free fall, the Trump administration’s chief arms control negotiator recently proclaimed that "we know how to win these races and we know how to sp...
By Richard Fontaine & Ely Ratner
-
Thrones Wreathed in Shadow: Tacitus and the Psychology of Authoritarianism
Commentary
On May 10, 1626, Sir John Eliot — an English parliamentarian and statesman — delivered a blistering speech to the House of Commons. One of the finest orators of his day, Eliot...
By Iskander Rehman
