CFR.org - Defense/Homeland Security

The Obama Doctrine

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:57:55 -0500

Elliott Abrams argues that President Obama's recent State of the Union address settled the matter on the existence of an Obama Doctrine.

A Defense Budget at the Crossroads

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:54:24 -0500

As the Pentagon attempts to refocus the U.S. military strategy toward Asia, the department is facing major budget constraints. Experts disagree on how to balance the fiscal challenge with the country's national security priorities.

CRS: A Historical Perspective on "Hollow Forces"

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:24:31 -0500

This Congressional Research Service report describes the potential pitfalls of improperly managed defense budget cuts by recalling the notion of the "hollow force" in U.S. military history--a superficially battle-ready military force that, upon closer inspection, reveals itself to be inadequately prepared.

CRS: Detention of U.S. Persons as Enemy Belligerents

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:07:37 -0500

This Congressional Research Service report focuses on the legal issues of wartime detention, with special emphasis on how it applies to U.S. citizens and residents after September 11, 2001.

Panetta and Clinton's Remarks at the Munich Security Conference, Germany

Council on Foreign Relations — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 09:37:23 -0500

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave these remarks at the 48th Munich Security Conference at the Bayerischer Hof in Munich, Germany on February 4, 2012.

U.S.-Pakistan Relations: The Year Past, The Year Ahead (Audio)

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:00:23 -0500

Steve Coll, Robert Grenier, and Daniel Markey look at changes in U.S.-Pakistan relations over the past year and make recommendations for moving forward.

Don't Abandon Europe

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:15:02 -0500

Colonel Chad T. Manske, USAF, says Western economies and capabilities are more inextricably linked than ever and warns against a policy shift away from U.S. security and interests in Europe.

Blame Canada

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:56:24 -0500

Max Boot reviews Eliot Cohen's Conquered into Liberty: Two Centuries of Battles Along the Great Warpath that Made the American Way of War.

Obama’s Faster, Smarter Afghan Exit

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:01:31 -0500

Leslie H. Gelb says the Obama administration's announcement of a quick end to U.S. combat in Afghanistan is a surprise decision of strategic skill and political courage.

National Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy, January 2012

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:17:06 -0500

The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy released the National Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy in January 2012. The press release states,

"The Strategy outlines new actions that seek to reduce the two-way flow of illicit drugs between the United States and Canada by increasing coordination among Federal, state, local, and tribal enforcement authorities, enhancing intelligence-sharing among counterdrug agencies, and strengthening our Nation's ongoing counterdrug partnerships and initiatives with the Government of Canada and Canadian law enforcement agencies."

Clapper's Testimony on the Worldwide Threat Assessment, January 2012

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:56:23 -0500

James R. Clapper, U.S. Director of National Intelligence, gave these remarks to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on January 31, 2012 regarding the annual "Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community". The testimony covers terrorism threats, cyber attacks, counterintelligence, proliferation, mass atrocities, regional and country-by-country threats, and other state and non state intelligence threats such as health threats, water security and transnational crime.

U.S. Military Presence in Europe Matters

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:55:34 -0500

Colonel Chad T. Manske, USAF, explains why now is not the time to retreat from Europe.

National Interest: The (Almost) Triumph of Offshore Balancing

Council on Foreign Relations — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:25:39 -0500

The U.S. Defense Strategic Guidance (DSG) reflects the reality that offshore balancing has jumped from the cloistered walls of academe to the real world of Washington policymaking, says Christopher Layne.

National Strategy for Global Supply Chain Security, January 2012

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:07:42 -0500

The White House released its National Strategy for Global Supply Chain Security on January 25, 2012.

CSIS: The U.S. Defense Budget and Changes in U.S. Strategy

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:11:56 -0500

This brief by Anthony H. Cordesman analyzes the pattern of cuts in recent, ongoing, and possible future defense and national security spending that affects the U.S. and its ability to project power and aid its friends and allies.

Welcoming Tourists in a Post-9/11 World

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:03:11 -0500

Edward Alden and Liam Schwartz explain how a safe and simple visa process can help the U.S. tourism industry.

Measuring the Man in Charge

Council on Foreign Relations — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 11:59:54 -0500

Max Boot reviews All In: The Education of General David Petraeus by Paula Broadwell and Vernon Loeb.

Faster, Safer, and Smarter: A Modern Visa System for the United States

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:00:56 -0500

Edward Alden and Liam Schwartz recommend a visa screening system that will benefit U.S. security and the economy by focusing scrutiny on high-risk travelers and speeding approval for low-risk ones.

St. Thomas Aquinas’s Summa Theologica

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:44:29 -0500

St. Thomas Aquinas wrote his theological treatise, Summa Theologica, from 1265 to 1274. This section deals with which actions, in war, are lawful and unlawful.

Sinking of Cruise Ship Raises Safety Questions

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:07:19 -0500

Captain Melissa Bert, USCG, says the U.S. Coast Guard can help ensure that disasters like the Costa Concordia accident do not happen again.

No More Costa Concordias

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:38:22 -0500

Captain Melissa Bert, USCG, argues that cruise ship disasters should not be happening in the 21st century, and the the U.S. Coast Guard can help ensure they don't.

World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers, 2012

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:58:07 -0500

The Department of State's Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance published its "29th edition of the State Department's World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers (WMEAT) report, covering the years 1995-2005". It includes "six years of data (2000-2005) not included in any previously published edition."

Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn: A Model for Joint Experience, Training, and Education

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:12:52 -0500

Colonel Gregory K. James, USA; Colonel Larry Holcomb, USMC; and Colonel Chad T. Manske, USAF argue that the success of Operation ODYSSEY DAWN, despite its complexity, validates joint planning processes, joint education foundations, joint training opportunities, and joint exercises.

Cruise Ship Safety

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:34:42 -0500

Captain Melissa Bert, USCG, says the Costa Concordia disaster provides an opportunity for a thorough reexamination of international safety regulations for passenger vessels.

American Interests in Antarctica

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:29:43 -0500

Frank G. Klotz argues that the United States has important national interests in Antarctica, and these interests must be fully understood and carefully considered, especially as the federal government looks for ways to reduce the deficit.

Immigration and Border Control

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:23:48 -0500

Edward Alden says that as the United States has for the past two decades pursued securing the nation's borders against illegal immigration, the more serious threat to U.S. national security is that ill-conceived or poorly implemented border controls will do lasting damage to the U.S. economy.

Think Before Acting on Iran

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:33:48 -0500

Leslie H. Gelb discusses the need to examine the rationale for, and potential consequences of, going to war with Iran.

Pentagon Fires at Budget Targets That Can’t Be Hit

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:32:42 -0500

Peter Orszag questions whether the U.S. military budget cuts outlined by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will be fully implemented.

Media Conference Call: Obama's Defense Strategy

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:38:08 -0500

The Pentagon's strategic review sets the stage for a new era of restraint in U.S. military spending and a focus on priorities in Asia. CFR's Richard K. Betts and Max Boot discuss the challenges facing the U.S. military and the implications for U.S. defense policy.

Obama's Defense Strategy

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:32:10 -0500

Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellows Richard Betts and Max Boot join Staff Writer Jonathan Masters in a discussion of the Department of Defense's recent strategic review, military spending, and U.S. defense strategy.