In the years following the end of the Cold War, the United States enjoyed an enormous military edge over potential adversaries. This advantage played a central role in defending U.S. interests and deterring major wars. Today, however, that superiority is fast eroding against China and Russia. Absent urgent efforts to reverse this trend, war—and the prospect of American defeat—will become more likely. Such a defeat, or even the perception that it is possible, could have significant negative consequences for American security. The U.S. defense enterprise must therefore change dramatically to restore and sustain its military advantage.
The CNAS’ Defense Team is the leading institution arguing for change and thinking through what such change requires. With Defense Team Director Susanna V. Blume, Senior Counselor for Defense Robert O. Work, Senior Fellow Christopher M. Dougherty, and the Team’s adjuncts and affiliated experts, CNAS and its Defense Team are the nation’s premier think tank focused on the shift to great-power competition and what that means for the nation’s defense. CNAS produces the most innovative, rigorous, and high-impact work designed to illuminate the way forward in these competitions and drive meaningful change in the U.S. defense enterprise.
Highlights
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Why America Needs a New Way of War
Reports
For the first time in decades, it is possible to imagine the United States fighting—and possibly losing—a large-scale war with a great power....
By Chris Dougherty
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Strategy to Ask
Reports
Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan promised a “masterpiece” for 2020. The critical question this report asks is: Has he made good on that promise?...
By Susanna V. Blume
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Beating the Americans at Their Own Game
Reports
China is keenly focused on blunting the U.S. military’s technological superiority, even as it strives to achieve technological parity, and eventually technological dominance....
By Robert O. Work & Greg Grant
