PUBLICATIONS BY Baker Spring
Research
Commentary
Media Appearances
2008 Research
September 25, 2008
Europe, Missile Defense, and the Future of Extended Deterrence
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #2080)
During the Cold War, the U.S. supported the security of its allies by threatening a possible nuclear response to an attack on them by the Soviet Union. This policy, which was based on retaliatory threats, was referred to as “extended deterrence.” Today, the policy of extended deterrence is no less important to overall U.S. security than during the Cold War.
September 19, 2008
Time to Move Iraq and Afghanistan Funding into the Regular Budget Process
By Brian Riedl and Baker Spring
(WebMemo #2068)
The U.S. military has been engaged in major combat operations overseas for seven years in Afghanistan and five in Iraq. Congress has provided annual funding for these missions through the use of emergency supplemental spending bills. The Pentagon should no longer use supplementals to pay for these contingencies. Instead, Congress should begin funding these operations as part of the regular defense budget.
August 14, 2008
Congressional Commission Should Recommend "Damage Limitation" Strategy
By Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #2172)
The Strategic Posture Commission will need to choose from three options (nuclear disarmament, multilateralized deterrence, and damage limitation strategy) in making its recommendation to Congress. The best option is a damage limitation strategy, which entails protecting and defending the United States and its allies against attack in service to a broader concept of deterrence than applied during the Cold War.
August 14, 2008
Executive Summary: Congressional Commission Should Recommend "Damage Limitation" Strategy
By Baker Spring
(Executive Summary #2172)
Executive Summary: The Strategic Posture Commission will need to choose from three options (nuclear disarmament, multilateralized deterrence, and damage limitation strategy) in making its recommendation to Congress. The best option is a damage limitation strategy, which entails protecting and defending the United States and its allies against attack in service to a broader concept of deterrence than applied during the Cold War.
July 11, 2008
Congress Should Not Permit Negative GAO Report to Curtail Weapons Programs
By Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #2160)
The Government Accountability Office recommends an additional layer of bureaucracy to review acquisition programs under a "knowledge-based acquisition approach." But this course, if adopted, could exacerbate the Defense Department's overly cautious, risk-averse approach and lead Congress to consider a "procurement holiday" of the sort taken in the 1990s, which would harm national security.
June 30, 2008
U.S. Should Defy Chinese-Russian Attack on Missile Defense
By Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #2154)
China and Russia need to recognize that the more defensive strategic policies that have been formulated by the Bush Administration, including support for missile defense, are the best hope for maintaining peace under very tenuous circumstances. Instead of using multipolarity to further aggressive postures and seeking to keep others vulnerable, they should support the move toward non-aggressive defensive postures.
June 24, 2008
Missile Defense in Europe: The Window of Opportunity Is Closing
By Sally McNamara and Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1966)
Despite a number of positive signals regarding America’s plan to field a U.S. missile defense system in Europe, two setbacks now threaten the possibility of concluding a final deal before the end of the Bush Presidency.
April 28, 2008
Congress Should Fund Development of Air-to-Air Missile Defense Technology
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1904)
Congress should make certain that development of the Network Centric Airborne Defense Element interceptor continues into the 2009 fiscal year. Assuming continued interceptor success on the test range, Congress must also be prepared to provide longer-term funding to this program, thus assuring a stable path to continued interceptor deployment.
March 11, 2008
Nuclear Games: A Tool for Examining Nuclear Stability in a Proliferated Setting
By Baker Spring
(Heritage Lecture #1066)
The United States can address the threat posed by nuclear proliferation and start taking steps to reverse a disturbing trend. “Nuclear game” exercises showed that the more widespread the presence of defenses, the lower the propensity to ready nuclear arms and fire shots with these arms.
March 10, 2008
President Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative Proposal 25 Years Later: A Better Path Chosen
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1841)
President Reagan's visionary proposal for a missile defense system was based on principles that remain valid today.
February 25, 2008
The FY 2009 Defense Budget Request: The Growing Gap in Defense Spending
By Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #2110)
Projected growth in entitlement spending, not defense spending, is at the core of the federal government's looming fiscal crisis. Current defense expenditures, or even spending equivalent to 4 percent of GDP, will not jeopardize either the health of the economy or the prosperity of the American people. A sustained commitment to defense is necessary to sustain liberty.
February 22, 2008
Satellite Shootdown Was a Necessary Operation
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1823)
The Bush Administration made an appropriate executive decision to protect human life, property, and the environment.
February 19, 2008
Providing for the Common Defense: What 10 Years of Progress Would Look Like
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Baker Spring, and Mackenzie M. Eaglen
(Backgrounder #2108)
The U.S. military must cap manpower costs, adapt Reserve Component forces, maintain access to cutting-edge technologies, deploy a robust missile defense system, obtain military space capabilities, and modernize the nuclear weapons force to address post–Cold War requirements. Congress should fund national defense at no less than 4 percent of GDP for the next 10 years and reform entitlement spending.
February 19, 2008
Executive Summary: Providing for the Common Defense: What 10 Years of Progress Would Look Like
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Baker Spring, and Mackenzie M. Eaglen
(Executive Summary #2108)
The U.S. military must cap manpower costs, adapt Reserve Component forces, maintain access to cutting-edge technologies, deploy a robust missile defense system, obtain military space capabilities, and modernize the nuclear weapons force to address post–Cold War requirements. Congress should fund national defense at no less than 4 percent of GDP for the next 10 years and reform entitlement spending.
February 08, 2008
Defense Trade Cooperation Treaties with Australia and the U.K. Will Improve Security
By Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #2107)
The U.S. arms export licensing process can be time-consuming and confusing. Ratification of defense trade cooperation treaties with the United Kingdom and Australia would reduce barriers to the advantage of all three countries, provide a more direct route to participation in U.S. defense acquisition programs, and help to expand and strengthen America's defense industrial base.
February 06, 2008
Administration Makes Needed Reforms in the Arms Export Control Process
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1798)
The Bush Administration should also lay the groundwork for more fundamental changes to an outdated system.
2007 Research
December 18, 2007
Omnibus Eliminates Funding for the Reliable Replacement Warhead Program
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1755)
Creating a new nuclear warhead is essential for the security of the United States and its friends and allies.
November 06, 2007
Missile Defense: Debunking Arguments Against the Third Site in Eastern Europe
By Sally McNamara, Baker Spring, and Peter Brookes
(WebMemo #1694)
Policymakers must show the resolve and leadership necessary to move forward with a system that is critical to the national security of the United States and its friends and allies in Europe.
November 05, 2007
The Advantages of Expanding the Nuclear Navy
By Jack Spencer and Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1693)
Congress should consider the benefits of calling for all future major combatant vessels to be powered by an integrated nuclear power and propulsion system.
October 16, 2007
Criticizing Success? The Test of the Long-Range Missile Defense System
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1664)
Congress should reject agenda-driven technical analysis and adopt a straight-forward policy of building the most effective missile defense system possible.
September 25, 2007
The Top Five Reasons Why Conservatives Should Oppose the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea
By Baker Spring, Steven Groves, and Brett D. Schaefer
(WebMemo #1638)
Twenty-five years after President Reagan rejected it, the convention remains a threat to U.S. interests.
September 06, 2007
Congressional Appropriators Should Not Undercut U.S. Negotiators on Missile Defense in Europe
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1599)
The House acts to undercut U.S. negotiations with Russia on missile defense.
August 14, 2007
U.S. Nuclear Agreement with India: An Acceptable Deal for Major Strategic Gain
By Lisa Curtis and Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1587)
The 123 Agreement will greatly strengthen the U.S. strategic position in Asia by solidifying a partnership with a 1 billion–strong, economically booming democracy that borders China.
June 29, 2007
Ratifying the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty: A Bad Idea in 1999, a Worse Idea Today
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1533)
U.S. ratification of the CTBT would jeopardize the national security of the United States by undermining its nuclear deterrent.
June 18, 2007
Keep Missile Defense on Track in the Senate
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1511)
The Senate should scrap two provisions in its Defense Authorization bill that would block space-based missile defenses and impose unreasonable delays on fielding a missile defense.
June 08, 2007
"Buy America" Provisions Hurt War Fighters and Taxpayers
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1494)
The House version of the National Defense Authorization Act would restrict the supply of certain specialty metals used in weapons construction to domestic sources. Congress must remove these provisions to preserve the benefits of fair and open competition in defense procurement.
June 07, 2007
Putin's Missile Defense Proposal Leaves Key Questions Unanswered
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1493)
A new openness on the part of Russia to missile defense in Europe? Perhaps.
May 29, 2007
Four Percent for Freedom: Spend More on National Defense
By Baker Spring
(Executive Memorandum #1027)
The Bush Administration's budget proposal shows the defense budget declining to 3.2 percent of GDP by 2012. Even with robust levels of economic growth, this too small to meet the nation's defense needs. Spending 4 percent of GDP on defense can provide for national security if it is combined with pro-growth economic policies that restrain spending and keep taxes low.
May 16, 2007
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea: The Risks Outweigh the Benefits
By Edwin Meese III, Baker Spring, and Brett D. Schaefer
(WebMemo #1459)
Nothing has occurred since 2004 that should lead the Senate to reverse its earlier decision to decline to take up the treaty.
May 11, 2007
Congress's Critical Role in the Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) Program
By Baker Spring
(Executive Memorandum #1026)
Post–Cold War security requires a new nuclear weapons policy, operational doctrine, arsenal, and infrastructure. Congress needs to accelerate the Reliable Replacement Warhead program, require a design that is accurate and effective against both hardened and mobile targets, and ensure that the RRW program is not limited by inadequate funding or unnecessary constraints on testing.
May 02, 2007
Post-Veto War Supplemental Must Eliminate Pork and Support Troops
By The Honorable Ernest Istook, Nicola Moore, Baker Spring, and Alison Acosta Fraser
(WebMemo #1440)
President George W. Bush was right to veto the war supplemental funding bill. In his second veto since taking office, the President rejected a bill that contained an unconstitutional usurpation of presidential authority as commander in chief and, by adding billions of dollars in pork and pet programs, made a mockery of the new Congress's pledges to return to fiscal discipline.
April 26, 2007
The Navy Needs to Close the Projected Gap in the Attack Submarine Fleet
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1432)
Attack submarines provide invaluable capabilities to the Navy and the nation, but without action from Congress, the fleet could fall beneath the number needed for national defense.
April 25, 2007
The Next Steps for Missile Defense
By Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #2028)
Congress and the American people need to understand that, despite recent progress in putting missile defense systems in the field, the U.S. remains largely vulnerable to the ballistic missile threat. The Bush Administration and Congress need to accelerate the effort to develop and deploy effective missile defense by focusing on systems that offer the greatest capability.
April 10, 2007
Four Percent for Freedom: Maintaining Robust National Security Spending
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Baker Spring, and Mackenzie M. Eaglen
(Executive Memorandum #1023)
Congress and the President should commit to spending 4 percent of GDP on national defense even after any drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan or Iraq, both to prevent a recurrence of the “hollow force” and to meet immediate modernization needs, and reform the major entitlement programs that threaten the budget and the economy over the long term.
April 09, 2007
A Step Forward in Reforming the U.S. Arms Export Control Process
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1416)
An industry proposal to streamline the arms export approval process deserves serious consideration by the Bush Administration.
March 30, 2007
Ten Myths About the Defense Budget
By Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #2022)
Despite the ongoing war against Islamic terrorists and the need to meet enduring national security requirements, the defense budget is not large. By itself, it poses no threat to the overall economy. With the future of free peoples at stake, spending 4 percent of the national economy for defense is well worth the cost.
March 27, 2007
House and Senate Defense Budgets Imply the Need for Future Supplemental Funding
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1411)
Congress needs to support plans to fill the gaps in the defense budget between FY 2009 and FY 2012 and pave the way to sustain defense budgets at 4 percent of GDP for the long term.
March 05, 2007
Defense FY 2008 Budget Analysis: Four Percent for Freedom
By Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #2012)
Maintaining a healthy defense posture requires sustained funding for national defense at no less than 4 percent of GDP. Unless Congress continues to separate funding for ongoing military operations to combat terrorism from the core defense program, the cost of these ongoing operations will come at the expense of necessary long-term investments for defense.
March 01, 2007
Congress Should Not Lard Up the War Supplemental Bill
By Brian M. Riedl, Baker Spring, and Alison Acosta Fraser
(WebMemo #1376)
President Bush should draw a clear line in the sand and vow to veto any supplemental bill that would spend more than his requested total.
February 22, 2007
Russian Withdrawal from INF Treaty Will Put the Ball in Europe's Court
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1367)
This predicament should cause Europeans to reconsider their remonstrations to Russia that it needs to act to balance the power of the United States.
February 08, 2007
Bush's Budget: Protecting Homeland Security and Defense by Reining in Entitlements
By Baker Spring, James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Alison Acosta Fraser, Brian M. Riedl, and Will Packer
(WebMemo #1352)
The most important feature of the President’s budget proposal is its focus on reining in the crushing costs of entitlement programs like Medicare while adequately funding national defense and homeland security.
February 06, 2007
The Still Enduring Features of the Debate Over Missile Defense
By Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #2004)
The debate over missile defense has shifted from whether missile defense should be pursued as a matter of principle to whether deploying such a defense will be effective in practice. Victory in the debate over the principle of fielding a missile defense must be followed by victory in the debate over fielding a truly effective defense for the American people.
February 05, 2007
An Adequate Defense Budget That Must Be Sustained into the Future
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1342)
The U.S. government will need to devote no less than 4 percent of GDP to defense on a sustained basis to meet the nation’s defense requirements.
February 01, 2007
Executive Summary: How to Fix the 100 Hours Homeland Security Bill
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Baker Spring, James Sherk, Brian W. Walsh, Lisa Curtis, and Helle C. Dale
(Executive Summary #2003)
Executive Summary: The Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007, passed by the House as a part of the Speaker’s “100 Hours” agenda, muddles the mission of providing homeland security with misguided proposals. Congress should replace the most troubling provisions of H.R. 1 with initiatives that are more consistent with the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations.
February 01, 2007
A Successful Test Shows the Way Forward on Missile Defense
By Peter Brookes and Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1335)
A big step forward for the U.S.'s leverage against hostile regimes that would develop ballistic missiles.
February 01, 2007
How to Fix the 100 Hours Homeland Security Bill
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Baker Spring, James Sherk, Brian W. Walsh, Lisa Curtis, and Helle C. Dale
(Backgrounder #2003)
The Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007, passed by the House as a part of the Speaker’s “100 Hours” agenda, muddles the mission of providing homeland security with misguided proposals. Congress should replace the most troubling provisions of H.R. 1 with initiatives that are more consistent with the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations.
January 24, 2007
State of the Union 2007: What the President Should Have Said on Missile Defense
By Peter Brookes and Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1328)
Despite the deployment of launchers in Alaska and California for dealing with the North Korean nuclear and missile threat, more work needs to be done on missile defense.
January 19, 2007
How Congress Should Interpret the New Space Policy Directive to Provide for National Security
By Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #1998)
President Bush’s new space policy directive establishes a solid foundation for a unified national position for protecting vital U.S. interests, but establishing a truly unified position on a national security policy for space depends on Congress’s accepting a common understanding with the Bush Administration on the meaning and intent of the provisions found in the directive.
2006 Research
December 15, 2006
Evaluating Emergency Supplemental Spending: Advice for Congress
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Mackenzie M. Eaglen, and Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1288)
Congress should use emergency supplemental spending to provide our armed forces in the field with the support they need while being a good steward of tax dollars and providing appropriate oversight of federal programs.
October 04, 2006
Weapons of Mass Destruction: Current Nuclear Proliferation Challenges
By Baker Spring
(Heritage Lecture #968)
Congress therefore should not treat the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission’s report as a “take it or leave it” proposition. It needs to discriminate between the various recommendations on the basis of their individual contributions to the cause of nuclear nonproliferation.
October 02, 2006
The Army Needs Adequate Funding
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1228)
Ongoing operational expenses inadequately covered by Congress’s supplemental appropriations may leave the Army in the hole, risking America’s security.
September 20, 2006
The Enduring Features of the Debate Over Missile Defense
By Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #1972)
The debate over missile defense has shifted from whether missile defense should be pursued as a matter of principle to whether deploying such a defense will be effective in practice. Victory in the debate over the principle of fielding a missile defense must be followed by victory in the debate over fielding a truly effective defense for the American people.
September 07, 2006
Maintaining Momentum on U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Deal
By Lisa Curtis and Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1206)
A historic agreement nears the brink of passage.
July 25, 2006
Nuclear Energy Cooperation with India Will Strengthen U.S.–India Ties
By Baker Spring
(Executive Memorandum #1007)
The Bush Administration's pursuit of civil nuclear cooperation with India is a critical part of a broader policy of improving the U.S.–Indian bilateral relationship for a variety of purposes, including advancing the fight against violent Islamic militants, discouraging the emergence of an aggressive China, and expanding economic freedom worldwide.
July 05, 2006
A Comprehensive Set of Military Options for Countering North Korea's Growing Missile Threat
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1144)
Starting on the Fourth of July, North Korea launched a salvo of seven short-, medium- and long-range missiles. Despite the failure of the single long-range missile, the Taepo Dong-2, the launches confirmed that North Korea is seeking to advance its missile arsenal in order to threaten both the United States and its allies in Asia. The short- and medium-range missiles, the Scud and No Dong respectively, all flew in the direction of Japan, so it seems that North Korea is focused on achieving a military capability to threaten Japan in particular.
June 30, 2006
Congress Must Not Shortchange the Military at a Time of War
By Baker Spring and Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1141)
On June 20th, the House of Representatives passed its fiscal year 2007 Defense Appropriations bill. Given that the nation is at war and is conducting extensive military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq to keep Americans at home safe, it is surprising that the bill reduces the Bush Administration's request for defense funding by $4.1 billion. The Bush Administration has responded negatively to the House action. Its June 20th Statement of Administration Policy on the bill states, "If the President is presented with a final DOD appropriations bill that significantly underfunds the Department of Defense to shift funds to non-security spending, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto that bill." This veto threat is the correct response. Congress should not be allowed to employ such budget trickery, and to shortchange vital defense operations, to boost questionable domestic spending.
June 21, 2006
Countering North Korea's Missiles: The Missile Defense System the U.S. Should Have
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1138)
The U.S. needs to intensify its efforts in building a missile defense system.
June 13, 2006
Ten Years Later, a Successful Demonstration of a Sea-Based Terminal Defense Against Ballistic Missiles
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1125)
In 1995, The Heritage Foundation's Missile Defense Study Team proposed to Congress a comprehensive plan for developing and deploying an effective global defense against ballistic missiles.
May 18, 2006
Nuclear India and the Non-Proliferation Treaty
By Dana R. Dillon and Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #1935)
The Bush Administration's initiative to sell civilian nuclear technology to India will have a lasting effect on the international nonproliferation regime. To deal with the growing impact of de facto nuclear-weapon states on U.S. security, policymakers should pursue a two-track policy for nuclear nonproliferation and develop criteria-based policies for emerging nuclear technology relationships with these states.
May 17, 2006
Congress Should Accelerate Submarine Procurement
By Baker Spring and David D. Gentilli
(WebMemo #1084)
The Department of Defense must prepare to meet the wide variety of challenges of the long war against terrorism. As well, Congress must establish spending priorities for the military and allocate funds accordingly. In general, Congress should increase the portion of the defense budget spent on acquisition, allocate funds to reduce per-unit costs, and invest in platforms that provide the greatest range of capabilities. Soon, Congress will decide when to begin procuring Virginia class submarines at the rate of two per year. To make the best use of taxpayer dollars and ensure that the nation's submarine fleet doesn't fall short, it should authorize and appropriate funds to meet this target in fiscal year 2009.
May 05, 2006
Holding Troops Hostage to Pork Barrel Spending Is No Way for Congress to Fight the War on Terror
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1062)
Unreasonable spending demands threaten funding for the troops.
May 05, 2006
Iran's Nuclear Ambitions are a National Security Issue that Go Beyond the Purview of International Institutions
By Baker Spring and James Phillips
(WebMemo #1065)
Iran's nuclear ambitions are a major threat to U.S. security.
April 26, 2006
Congress Must Expand the Nation's
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1049)
In March 9 testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Lieutenant General Henry A. Obering, the Director of the Missile Defense Agency, stated that his agency made history in 2004 by establishing a "limited defensive capability" for protecting the United States against ballistic missile attack. Congress, as it undertakes the task of drafting the fiscal year (FY) 2007 Defense Authorization bill, must recognize that this defense is very thin and needs to be strengthened. It can do so by making several significant changes in the missile defense budget, such as adding funds to accelerate the concurrent testing and operation program for the long-range missile defense interceptors in Alaska and California and to improve and expand the sea-based interceptors on the Navy's AEGIS ships. Looking to the future, Congress should direct the Agency to start serious work on placing missile defense interceptors in space.
March 23, 2006
Assessing "Rights" Under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
By Baker Spring
(Heritage Lecture #930)
Because all international treaties require the good-faith efforts of participating states to make them work, U.S. nuclear nonproliferation policy must go beyond the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to include other diplomatic and military options while seeking to preserve the treaty and work against the forces that would seek to dilute it or render it irrelevant.
March 02, 2006
A Defense Budget Strategy for Winning the Long War
By Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #1918)
U.S. leadership is essential to winning the "Long War" against the forces of Islamic fascism. Given the open-ended nature of this conflict, this means a long-term commitment to making the necessary resources available to the military. A sustained annual military budget of 4 percent of GDP should be sufficient to prosecute the war on terrorism effectively without placing an unreasonable burden on the economy.
February 10, 2006
The Quadrennial Defense Review: Satisfactory but Not Sufficient
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Baker Spring, and Alane Kochems
(WebMemo #996)
The Pentagon needs to forge long-term strategic plans.
February 02, 2006
Congress Needs To Focus on the Big Picture in Defense Acquisition Reform
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #984)
Cutting the defense modernization budget will only exacerbate the problems in defense acquisition.
2005 Research
December 15, 2005
Getting it Right: A Congressional Guide to Grading the 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Baker Spring, and Alane Kochems
(Backgrounder #1905)
The QDR must address issues of strategy, force structure, roles and missions, and budget, as well as emerging strategic imperatives including China's military modernization and space, missile defense, nuclear weapons policy, and the U.S. network of alliances, and make both tough choices and clear recommendations so that the U.S. can secure its national security interests in the 21st century.
October 28, 2005
Congress Should Back Bush Administration Plans to Update Nuclear Weapons Policy and Forces
By Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #1890)
Congress can move to restore confidence in America's strategic and nuclear forces by reaffirming the policy established by the Nuclear Posture Review; pledging to meet the military requirements spelled out in the new draft Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations; and funding the specific nuclear weapons research, development, and modernization programs that will assure that these military requirements are met.
October 19, 2005
Congressional Restraint Is Key to Successful Defense Acquisition Reform
By Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #1885)
Congress's tendency to micromanage contributes to a cumbersome defense acquisition system and, most important, drives DOD personnel to adopt a risk-averse mentality in managing acquisitions. The Defense Acquisition Performance Assessment Panel has been given a sweeping mandate to assess the defense acquisition system and recommend reforms.
July 29, 2005
India and a Two-Track Policy to Combat Nuclear Proliferation: Guidelines for Congress To Balance Regional Security with Nonproliferation
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #810)
The Bush Administration charts a difficult--but probably realistic--course.
July 22, 2005
U.S. Strategy For the Six-Party Talks
By Baker Spring and Balbina Y. Hwang
(WebMemo #802)
On the heels of successful swings through Europe and the Middle East, Rice's first visit to Asia as After a 13-month boycott, North Korea has finally agreed to return to the Six-Party Talks, which will resume on July 25th in Beijing.
May 10, 2005
Slipping the Surly Bonds of the Real World: The Unworkable Effort to Prevent the Weaponization of Space
By Baker Spring
(Heritage Lecture #877)
The United States now finds itself in a favorable position regarding the use of space for military purposes, but its lead should not be taken for granted. Today's emerging space powers, such as China, Iran, and North Korea, are not likely to be the benign force that the United States is today and will be in the future.
April 13, 2005
The Role of Nuclear Weapons in the 21st Century
By Baker Spring and Kathy Gudgel
(WebMemo #721)
Experts consider the U.S. nuclear posture.
March 11, 2005
Canada's Self-Defeating Decision on Missile Defense
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #683)
Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin announced on February 24th that his government had decided not to enter into an agreement with the United States to facilitate broader cooperation in the field of missile defense.
February 17, 2005
National Security Requires a National Perspective—and Congressional Action
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Baker Spring, and Jack Spencer
(Executive Memorandum #959)
Comprehensive assessments of national defense and homeland security efforts within the context of the overall interagency national security effort would enable the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to focus on known responsibilities and help to ensure that agencies beyond DOD and DHS are not burdened with responsibilities that should fall under the purview of other government entities.
January 11, 2005
Defense Priorities for the Next Four Years
By Jack Spencer, James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and Baker Spring
(Executive Memorandum #953)
Although defense spending has increased, underfunding continues to burden all of the armed services. America must prepare itself for the rigors of post-conflict operations in the 21st century. U.S. basing infrastructure must be recalibrated for changing national security requirements.
2004 Research
November 24, 2004
Iran's Latest Nuclear Charade
By James Phillips and Baker Spring
(Executive Memorandum #951)
To avoid a charade like the 1994 Agreed Framework with North Korea, which masked a proliferation crisis while giving the proliferator the means to accelerate its weapons program, any European agreement with Iran on its nuclear programs should restrict Iran's access to nuclear technologies and materials. Iranian compliance should be verifiable, and noncompliance should automatically trigger broad-based economic sanctions.
September 22, 2004
The Operational Missile Defense Capability: A Historic Advance for the Defense of the American People
By Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #1798)
President Bush's expected declaration of an operational missile defense capability is a historic achievement, but the threat remains. Congress should continue to improve existing missile systems and interceptors; support the development and deployment of sea-, land-, and space-based missile interceptors; and construct a worldwide command and control system that ties together all the U.S. missile defense capabilities.
September 22, 2004
Executive Summary: The Operational Missile Defense Capability: A Historic Advance for the Defense of the American People
By Baker Spring
(Executive Summary #1798)
Executive Summary: President Bush's expected declaration of an operational missile defense capability is a historic achievement, but the threat remains. Congress should continue to improve existing missile systems and interceptors; support the development and deployment of sea-, land-, and space-based missile interceptors; and construct a worldwide command and control system that ties together all the U.S. missile defense capabilities.
August 04, 2004
CBO's Cost Estimate for Boost-Phase Missile Defenses Should Not Lead Congress To Terminate These Programs
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #552)
Since boost-phase programs are all in the development phase, it is impossible to determine their advantages or their precise costs.
July 20, 2004
The Defense Authorization Bill: A Survival Guide
By Jack Spencer, Baker Spring, Nile Gardiner, Ph.D., Brett D. Schaefer, and John J. Tkacik
(Backgrounder #1780)
As the conference committee reconciles the House and Senate versions of the 2005 defense authorization bill, some of the most important differences that must be resolved include the issues of missile defense; base realignment and closure; the U.N. Oil-for-Food scandal; U.S.–Taiwan military-to-military exchanges; Rapid Acquisition Authority; and "Buy America" and other protectionist purchasing requirements.
June 23, 2004
"International Smuggling Networks: Weapons of Mass Destruction Counterproliferation Initiatives"
By Baker Spring
(Testimony #9999)
The policy of the United States for combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction has rested on four pillars.
May 20, 2004
Cut and Delay is the Wrong Policy for Missile Defense
By Baker Spring
(Executive Memorandum #934)
In accordance with the law, the Bush Administration is working to test and field missile defenses for countering limited attacks as soon as possible. With an operational capability only months away, Congress should not change either the law or existing policy, but instead should fully fund the Bush Administration's missile defense program.
May 12, 2004
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
By Baker Spring
(Testimony #9999)
In March 23rd testimony before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, International Environment, and Scientific Affairs John F. Turner confirmed that the administration supports Senate approval for the ratification of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (hereinafter referred to as the Convention).
March 18, 2004
Harnessing the Power of Nations for Arms Control: The Proliferation Security Initiative and Coalitions of the Willing
By Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #1737)
By spearheading the Proliferation Security Initiative, the Bush Administration has taken a major step toward balancing international and national authority in controlling weapons proliferation. The PSI, sidestepping the "least-common-denominator" approach that is inherent in the consensus-based decision-making process of an international treaty regime, has already demonstrated that it will make a powerful contribution toward stemming proliferation.
February 20, 2004
President Bush Strikes the Proper Balance on Non-Proliferation Policy
By Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #1728)
As President Bush pursues arms control diplomacy, Congress must not support least-common-denominator solutions that would undermine effective diplomacy and jeopardize U.S. security. Arms control is a means to the ends of national security, not an end in itself. Congress will only compound the risk of catastrophic attack on the American people if it loses sight of this enduring truth.
February 04, 2004
Use New Acquisition Procedures for Missile Defense
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #414)
Senator Jack Reed recommens that Congress put off funding a limited missile defense. His objections are misguided.
January 21, 2004
The State of Defense
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #392)
Combating terrorism requires more than the tools of law enforcement because terrorism is a form of warfare. The national security policy that President George W. Bush described in his State of the Union Address will ensure, as is appropriate, that the tools of warfare are used in response to terrorism.
2003 Research
October 27, 2003
Reform the United Nations
By Nile Gardiner, Ph.D., and Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #1700)
The United Nations continues its slow decline as a force on the world stage and will go the same way as the League of Nations unless it is radically reformed and restructured. The U.N. failed spectacularly to deal with Saddam Hussein, and its influence is likely to diminish further in the coming years unless it demonstrates a greater willingness to address the threat posed by international terrorism, state sponsors of terror, and rogue regimes developing weapons of mass destruction.
October 20, 2003
Recommendations to the Bush Administration on U.N. Reform
By Nile Gardiner, Ph.D., and Baker Spring
(WebMemo #353)
On October 21, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, Kim R. Holmes, will deliver a major address on the challenges facing the United Nations. His speech comes at a time of widespread disenchantment with the U.N. across America. The U.N. needs radical restructuring, revision of its charter, reform of its major commissions, and the streamlining of its bloated bureaucracy.
May 07, 2003
Keeping Missile Defense at the Heart of Defense Transformation
By Baker Spring
(Executive Memorandum #874)
Fielding an effective global missile defense system is a pressing need because ballistic missile defense programs are lagging behind the emerging missile threat.
April 18, 2003
Operation Iraqi Freedom: Military Objectives Met
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #261)
At the outset of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld set eight mission objectives for the operation. Accounting for the fact that military is not solely responsible for meeting these objectives, it is now clear that it has conducted a successful military campaign.
April 10, 2003
Ten Principles for Combating Nuclear Proliferation
By Baker Spring
(Heritage Lecture #783)
The prospect of nuclear weapons in the hands of unpredictable rogue states and terrorist groups makes a damage limitation strategy one of the few viable options for the U.S. and its allies in terms of providing for their security.
March 19, 2003
Three War Aims
By Baker Spring and Jack Spencer
(WebMemo #229)
Breifly discusses three war aim in which the Bush Administration should conduct this military operation to end Saddam Hussein's brutal and menacing regime in Iraq.
February 28, 2003
No Defense for Criticism on Missile Defense Testing
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #215)
Questions whether the criticisms leveled at the missile defense system are motivated by policy considerations and not on the basis of concern about whether the military will obtain an effective and reliable system.
February 21, 2003
Congress Should Commend Britain on Missile Defense
By Baker Spring
(Executive Memorandum #861)
Congress should commend the British government for taking this courageous step through statements by individual Members and the adoption of a sense-of-Congress resolution...
2002 Research
October 18, 2002
North Korea and the End of the Agreed Framework
By Balbina Y. Hwang, Larry M. Wortzel, Ph.D., and Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #1605)
North Korea's admission of its nuclear weapons program was no surprise to the Bush Administration. Washington must respond with strength by instituting a combination of security measures, economic sanctions and inducements, along with strong diplomatic efforts to persuade North Korea to cease its nuclear weapons development.
September 25, 2002
bg1589es: In Post-War Iraq, Use Military Forces to Secure Vital U.S. Interests
By Baker Spring and Jack Spencer
(Executive Summary #1589)
bg1589es: In Post-War Iraq, Use Military Forces to Secure Vital U.S. Interests, Not for Nation-Building
September 25, 2002
In Post-War Iraq, Use Military Forces to Secure Vital U.S. Interests
By Baker Spring and Jack Spencer
(Backgrounder #1589)
The Administration should make it clear that a U.S. military presence in post-war Iraq will be deployed to secure vital U.S. interests, not as an exercise in so-called nation-building--the Clinton Administration's open-ended policy of sending American troops into troubled regions where vital U.S. security interests were not directly threatened.
September 19, 2002
Bush Is Right on Iraq: The Issue Is Compliance, Not Inspections
By Brett D. Schaefer and Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #1592)
The Security Council must demand Iraq's compliance with its past resolutions and back up its demands with a clear authorization for member states to use force if Iraq does not comply. Failure to do so is a de facto decision to allow the U.S. to protect international peace and security.
May 31, 2002
Don't Let Politics or Bureaucracy Hobble Missile Defense
By Baker Spring
(Executive Memorandum #817)
Members of Congress should not consider steps that would undermine the efforts of Secretary Rumsfeld to enable the MDA to proceed aggressively toward missile defense. They also should not try to second guess every decision the MDA makes during development.
May 14, 2002
U.S.-Russia Summit Priorities
By Ariel Cohen, Ph.D., and Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #1549)
When President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet for summits in Russia and Rome later this month, they will have an opportunity to define a new framework for U.S.-Russia strategic relations that extends beyond the war on terrorism.
May 10, 2002
Assisting a Friend in Need
By Baker Spring
(Executive Memorandum #814)
Congress should take the next step and ensure that Israel has tangible support to buttress its broad moral support. Nowhere could such tangible support be more effective than in expanding the Arrow program to help Israel defend itself against missile attack.
March 04, 2002
How to Interpret the CBO Report
By Baker Spring and Jack Spencer
(Executive Memorandum #803)
Accurate assessments of the cost of missile defense can be made only once a decision is made about the actual architecture the Administration will pursue.
2001 Research
December 19, 2001
Continue the Sea-Based Missile Defense Program
By Baker Spring
(Executive Memorandum #797)
The missile threat to the American people and U.S. allies is growing. President Bush's decision to withdraw from the outdated ABM Treaty has removed the single most debilitating obstacle to the design and deployment of an effective missile defense system. The Administration should now take advantage of this moment of opportunity to move the nation's missile defense programs forward with all deliberate speed.
December 17, 2001
Continue the Sea-Based Missile Defense Program
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #67)
The missile threat to the American people and America's allies is growing. By announcing U.S. withdraw from the ABM Treaty, the single most important obstacle to the deployment of effective missile defenses is being removed. The Bush Administration needs to take advantage of the opportunity it has created for itself by moving missile defense programs forward.
November 07, 2001
Strategic Defense and Cooperation Must Top the Agenda
By Dr. Ariel Cohen and Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #1501)
The Crawford summit will be as important to international security as the historic conferences between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev were to the end of the Cold War. This summit should open avenues to wartime cooperation against terrorism and Russia's integration into the West.
November 07, 2001
BG1501es: Strategic Defense and Cooperation
By Ariel Cohen, Ph.D. and Baker Spring
(Executive Summary #1501)
BG1501es: Strategic Defense and Cooperation Must Top the Agenda at the Bush-Putin Summit in Texas
November 05, 2001
Move Towards a Smaller Strategic Nuclear Force
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #51)
Taken together, actions by President Bush and President Putin at the Crawford meeting to set aside the ABM Treaty and move toward significantly smaller nuclear forces will form the foundation of a new strategic framework. This framework should allow both the United States and Russia to better address the new security requirements of the post-Cold War world, including the fight against terrorism.
September 20, 2001
Talking Points: Terrorist Attack on America Confirms
By Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #1477)
Both terrorism and missile attack are growing threats to national security, and all such threats deserve dedicated, systematic, and comprehensive responses.
September 04, 2001
Forging a Deal for Payment of U.N. Arrears
By Brett D. Schaefer and Baker Spring
(Executive Memorandum #771)
The President will be placed in an unnecessarily difficult position if Congress has not approved the release of the second payment of U.S. arrears to the U.N. before he addresses the General Assembly.
July 10, 2001
How the ABM Treaty Obstructs Missile Defense
By Baker Spring
(Heritage Lecture #712)
The numerous restrictions of the ABM Treaty, when taken together, comprise a blanket prohibition against fielding an effective missile defense system.
May 25, 2001
The Shalikashvili Report on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
By Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #1444)
The Senate should ignore the Shalikashvili Report and the calls of arms control advocates to reconsider ratifying the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
May 04, 2001
From Presidential Plan to Protection
By Baker Spring
(Executive Memorandum #744)
Implementing the President's plan will require making sure that bureaucratic resistance and politics do not derail the process. Only through leadership and executive attention will a missile defense system be deployed that protects Americans from attack and increases security worldwide.
April 02, 2001
Don't Shortchange Defense
By Jack Spencer and Baker Spring
(Executive Memorandum #734)
The most pressing needs facing the U.S. armed forces today are assuring near-term readiness and being able to defend America from missiles carrying nuclear, biological, and chemical warheads.
January 16, 2001
Establishing the National Priority
By Baker Spring
(Executive Memorandum #710)
Establishing the National Priority on Missile Defense
2000 Research
September 21, 2000
