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 Elbridge A. Colby, Senior Counselor for Defense Robert O. Work, Senior Fellows Susanna V. Blume and 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.
