As the “super committee,” created by the contentious Budget Control Act (BCA), grapples with its mandate to find $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction savings, many are urging it to “go big.” And no wonder. Since July 31, the eve of the BCA’s enactment, the federal government has continued to hemorrhage…

Today, America is asking its military to do more than ever before. In the past 24 months alone, U.S. military forces have conducted their 10th year of combat operations in Afghanistan, wound down operations in Iraq, started a new no-fly zone in Libya, dramatically escalated counterterrorism operations in Yemen, maintained…

Providing for the common defense is one of the paramount responsibilities of the United States government. To do so most effectively and cost-efficiently, the U.S. military’s missions should be driven by America’s national security strategy and enduring vital interests. Drawing from authoritative and open-source documents such…

Right now, Congress is determining how to fund the government through the remainder of the fiscal year. One proposal on the table in the House of Representatives includes funding defense significantly below President Obama’s requested levels for fiscal year (FY) 2011 by roughly $13 billion. While it is easy to…

In anticipation of Congress receiving the President’s defense budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2012 on February 14, Members would be wise to carefully review the House and Senate versions of the pending FY 2011 defense appropriations bills. This would help Congress gain valuable insight into what defense funding may…

As millions march in the streets of Cairo, it is far too soon to tell whether the upheaval will deliver the economic and political freedoms that the people demand. History is littered with radical transformations that have taken societies in radically different directions. The French Revolution,…

Funding for the Department of Defense (DoD) for fiscal year (FY) 2011 is in disarray. Last year, Congress failed to pass the appropriations bills to fund federal agencies, so the government is now operating under a short-term continuing resolution (CR). With a limited number of legislative days and rapidly expiring…

When President Barack Obama takes the podium to deliver his State of the Union address on January 25, he has an opportunity to turn the page on a foreign policy and national security agenda. The Obama Doctrine, which guided the first two years of his Administration, put a premium on…