Earlier this year, The Heritage Foundation urged Congress to mandate a truly independent panel to critique the analysis underpinning the Pentagon's 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) and draw its own conclusions and recommendations regarding the future defense strategy, modernization, and force structure of the U.S. military.[1] This independent examination is…

The F-22A Raptor is the world's most advanced fifth-generation fighter aircraft. The F-22A offers several unique features: thrust-vectoring engines, which make it highly maneuverable; the latest in stealth technology; an avionics system that can fuse information into a single display; and the ability to cruise at supersonic speeds at 50,000 feet. What makes the…

Without congressional intervention, the Air Force's ability to conduct air superiority missions will be increasingly at risk over the next three decades. President Obama's fiscal year (FY) 2010 defense budget request would stop production of the F-22A Raptor at just 187 aircraft and permanently shut down this production line. In reality, the F-22A program would…

The U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee will complete its markup of H.R.2647, the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year (FY) 2010, last week. The full House will likely begin debate and pass its version this week. While considering the legislation, committee members made several important steps to begin reversing some of…

On May 5, The Heritage Foundation argued that "it is absolutely vital that Congress establish an independent National Defense Panel to draw its own assessments and offer its own separate conclusions" on the Pentagon's 2009 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR).[1] During the recent markup of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (H.R. 2647), the…

On May 2, Australia released its first defense white paper in almost a decade. "Defending Australia in the Asia Pacific Century: Force 2030" proposes a wide-ranging strategic agenda that is the product of geography, the lessons of Australia's history, and the island nation's analysis of shifting power dynamics in the "wider Asia-Pacific region."[1] What is…

Over the course of the next several months, senior Department of Defense (DoD) officials will conduct the congressionally-mandated Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR). This broad examination of national defense strategy, modernization, and force structure will establish a defense planning program that will direct how the Pentagon allocates its significant…