Issue Brief posted May 23, 2013 by Baker Spring
All Three Budget Options Would Damage National Security
The Department of Defense (DOD) is now examining three revised budget options for presentation to the President. All three would impose significant damage. This is because even the highest of the three options would shrink the portion of the economy committed to defense, shrink force structure, reduce the number of people serving in the military, impose slower increases…
Backgrounder posted May 20, 2013 by Baker Spring
Congress Must Stop Obama’s Downward Spiral of Missile Defense
In response to recent bellicose statements by the government of North Korea, it was entirely appropriate that the Obama Administration announced steps, both immediate and for the years ahead, to bolster U.S. missile defense capabilities. The immediate steps included forward deploying missile defense–capable surface ships to the East Asia region, transferring a Terminal…
Issue Brief posted April 18, 2013 by Baker Spring, Brian Slattery
Impact of Obama's Budget Proposal on Defense
President Obama’s overall budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2014 and beyond is all but certain to result in the continued application of sequestration to the defense account, which will lead to defense spending levels that are too low to permit the military to protect U.S. vital national interests. They will necessarily result in a force that either is too small, lacks…
Issue Brief posted April 8, 2013 by Baker Spring, Jack Spencer
Mixed Oxide Fuel Facility in South Carolina Needs Congress’s Support
The Department of Energy (DOE) is constructing a facility at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina to produce mixed oxide (MOX) fuel, which consists of uranium oxide and plutonium oxide, for use in nuclear power reactors. This building project follows from a 2000 agreement with Russia to dispose of 34 metric tons of surplus weapons plutonium by each country. The DOE…
Issue Brief posted March 14, 2013 by Michaela Dodge, Baker Spring
International Monitoring System as a Nuclear Test Verification Tool
During the Senate’s consideration of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996, the Clinton Administration touted the International Monitoring System (IMS) as one of the important verification measures contained in the treaty. Proponents of the treaty argued that if the treaty was not ratified, the IMS would not be built. This has proven to be false: 314 facilities…
Backgrounder posted February 27, 2013 by Michaela Dodge, Baker Spring
Keeping Nuclear Testing on the Table: A National Security Imperative
Since 1992, the United States has not tested nuclear weapons or conducted any yield-producing nuclear weapons experiment. In a few short years, all nuclear weapons engineers and scientists with experience in nuclear testing and weapons design will have retired. These developments will have a profound impact on the nation’s ability to innovate, assure allies, and deter…
Backgrounder posted January 4, 2013 by Michaela Dodge, Baker Spring
Bait and Switch on Nuclear Modernization Must Stop
The Obama Administration's Nuclear Weapons Policy
President Obama formulated his vision for the U.S. nuclear posture during his 2009 speech in Prague: "So today, I state clearly and with conviction America's commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons"—by reducing the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. national security strategy. President…
Backgrounder posted November 30, 2012 by Rebeccah Heinrichs, Baker Spring
Deterrence and Nuclear Targeting in the 21st Century
Abstract
The Obama Administration is apparently considering further reductions of U.S. nuclear forces based on the misguided notion that the world is safer when America adopts a nuclear deterrence posture based on a minimal level of effectiveness. In contrast, a sound targeting policy consistent with a “protect and defend” strategy for the U.S. and its…
Issue Brief posted September 20, 2012 by Baker Spring, Michaela Dodge
The Folly of the State Department’s Assessment of U.S. Arms Control Compliance
The State Department recently released its 2012 report, Adherence to and Compliance with Arms Control, Nonproliferation, and Disarmament Agreements and Commitments, or Annual Compliance Report. It informs Congress and the public about how the United States and other countries are fulfilling their multilateral and bilateral treaty obligations regarding arms control and…
Issue Brief posted September 11, 2012 by Baker Spring, Michaela Dodge
Annual Compliance Report: Lack of Clarity Damaging to U.S. Security
The State Department’s August 2012 report on Adherence to and Compliance with Arms Control, Nonproliferation, and Disarmament Agreements and Commitments (the so-called Annual Compliance Report) is an exercise in ambiguity which illustrates the difficulties involved in judging other countries’ compliance with multilateral and bilateral treaties related to weapons of mass…
Issue Brief posted August 31, 2012 by Baker Spring, Michaela Dodge
International Security Advisory Board’s Misplaced Focus a Cause for Concern
The U.S. and its allies face many grave dangers today, including the spread of ballistic missiles and nuclear know-how. The International Security Advisory Board (ISAB), designed to provide independent analysis and advisement regarding such issues for the Secretary of State, recently published a report titled “Mutual Assured Stability: Essential Components and Near Term…
Issue Brief posted August 6, 2012 by Baker Spring
U.S.–Israeli Missile Defense Cooperation: Building on the Success of Iron Dome
On July 27, President Obama signed into law the United States–Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act, which is designed to strengthen the qualitative edge of Israeli military forces over its current and future enemies. While the law serves to strengthen this edge in a variety of areas, it pays special attention to improving Israel’s capabilities for defending its…
Lecture posted July 24, 2012 by Kim R. Holmes, Ph.D., Rebeccah Heinrichs, Baker Spring, Jeff Kueter
Open Microphone: What’s Behind President Obama’s Missile Defense Comments?
Abstract: During the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, President Obama, in an exchange with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, stated: “On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this can be solved, but it’s important for him [incoming Russian President Vladimir Putin] to give me space.” “This is my last election,” he continued. “After my election I have…
Issue Brief posted May 22, 2012 by Baker Spring
Centralizing Management of the Military Health System
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a paper last month urging the Department of Defense (DOD) to centralize the management of the Military Health System (MHS).[1] GAO has long held the view that the management structure for supervising the MHS is too de-centralized to impose the discipline necessary to make the system efficient.
Generally speaking,…