The threat of a $500 billion defense sequestration looms as a result of the Super Committee failure - a prospect that Secretary Panetta has called "potentially ruinous." Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Representative Howard "Buck" McKeon and some of his Senate colleagues have promised to introduce legislation to reverse the cuts.Meanwhile, the Pentagon is…

Washington's handling of the national debt crisis is sounding a lot like a script for a Hollywood action movie with all this talk of sequestration "triggers" and "doomsday." The thrills will start in a few weeks when the congressional Super Committee will unveil its recommendations to cut at least $1.2 trillion from the federal budget or to do less and,…

The U.S. military faces a readiness crisis.A recent Congressional hearing generated headlines about the Navy's surface fleet falling into disrepair. But that was news four years ago. Across all the services, long-standing readiness problems are worsening; breakdowns are happening more frequently.Several years ago, an Air Force F-15C literally broke in half during flight.…

The storms of war have broken in Afghanistan and are gathering in the Pacific, South Asia, the Middle East, eastern Europe, and even in south and central America. Not since the end of World War II has America more urgently needed honest and clear thinking about its enduring national interests and a bipartisan commitment to building up the capabilities—civilian and…

Politics matters in war. It's why the Army Chief of Staff after Vietnam tried to institute a doctrine where the nation only makes large or prolonged military commitments using all forces, including those in the National Guard and Reserves. But the politically expedient path to draw down U.S. forces in Afghanistan more quickly than military commanders suggest -- and…

The idea of a world without the benefit of preponderant American seapower may sound alarmist and farfetched. Unfortunately, those who follow military cutbacks and world affairs know that it isn’t. Indeed, the following scenario is all too plausible. .  .  . In 2020, several major European nations default on their debt. Contagion in the financial markets plunges the…

Fiscal responsibility and national security are not mutually exclusive. No budget should escape scrutiny in these tough economic times. But in calling for the Pentagon to kick in an additional $400 billion through spending cuts, President Barack Obama has put the budgetary cart before the horse. To cut defense responsibly, the president must first decide which of…

Booms and busts, that’s the typical funding pattern for America’s military. “Five times in the last 90 years, the United States has disarmed after a conflict: World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and then the cold war,” testified Defense Secretary Robert Gates in 2008. Presidents George H.W. Bush and Clinton cut defense spending dramatically after the cold war.…