Under new US weapons sale rules, ‘security sector governance’ is king

Under new US weapons sale rules, ‘security sector governance’ is king
Under new US weapons sale rules, ‘security sector governance’ is king

Security sector governance “is incredibly important because, to me, security sector governance is the overlay for all of these issues,” Jessica Lewis, assistant secretary of state at the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, said at a Defense Writers Group breakfast.

3 lessons Taiwan should take from Ukraine’s air war

3 lessons Taiwan should take from Ukraine’s air war
3 lessons Taiwan should take from Ukraine’s air war

Ukraine’s success against Russia in the skies shows how tactics have changed, in ways Taipei could replicate, write analysts Kelly Grieco and Julia Siegel.

Fast Deployments Deter Better Than Bases: Stimson

Fast Deployments Deter Better Than Bases: Stimson
Fast Deployments Deter Better Than Bases: Stimson

The data show the deployment of an amphibious ready group was effective, as was the movement of an aircraft carrier strike group. Deploying ground forces and land-based air forces in significant numbers also were effective attention-getters.

China & Russia In The Arctic: Axis Of Ambivalence

China & Russia In The Arctic: Axis Of Ambivalence
China & Russia In The Arctic: Axis Of Ambivalence

So are Chinese ambitions racing ahead of Arctic realities? “It seems the chickens are being counted before the eggs are hatched,” Sun admitted, “but the Chinese position is, ‘if the eggs are going to hatch, we want to make sure we’re there to collect the chickens.'”

US Must Help Curb Illegal Fishing,Terrorism, Piracy, Drug Sales

US Must Help Curb Illegal Fishing,Terrorism, Piracy, Drug Sales
US Must Help Curb Illegal Fishing,Terrorism, Piracy, Drug Sales

Illegal fishing. Yes, Fishing. This growing international problem is a key factor in geopolitical tensions in the South China Sea, piracy off the Horn of Africa, and the deadly narco-trade across Latin America. Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, an illicit business which generates annual profits of $15.5 billion to $36.4 billion, poses a significant…

How To Strengthen Alliances On President Trump’s Watch

How To Strengthen Alliances On President Trump’s Watch
How To Strengthen Alliances On President Trump’s Watch

America’s Asian allies have been unnerved by President Donald Trump’s dismissive rhetoric about alliances based on cost/benefit grounds, and his decision to dump the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. That’s part of the reason Defense Secretary Jim Mattis traveled in Asia to calm nerves in Tokyo and Seoul. America’s European allies are also deeply unsettled by Trump’s…

China Revels In Philippines’ About-Face, But Will It Last?

China Revels In Philippines’ About-Face, But Will It Last?
China Revels In Philippines’ About-Face, But Will It Last?

An international tribunal ruled emphatically in July against Chinese claims to large portions of the South China Sea, acting on a case brought to it by the Philippines. China was furious and threatened many of its neighbors, while also trying to convince them to work with the PRC to resolve the conflicting claims. Then came the new President of…

Halfway To Transparency On Drone Strikes

Halfway To Transparency On Drone Strikes
Halfway To Transparency On Drone Strikes

As Pentagon enthusiasm grows for robotic weapons, and drones proliferate to militaries and terrorists around the world, it’s worth remembering some basic questions of ethics, law, and strategy remain unsettled. For insight, we turn to Rachel Stohl, the director of the Conventional Defense program at the Stimson Center and the primary author of the recently…

Nukes Or Conventional Weapons? Buy The Ones We Use

Nukes Or Conventional Weapons? Buy The Ones We Use
Nukes Or Conventional Weapons? Buy The Ones We Use

As the House and Senate gear up for votes in the coming days to fund the Defense Department, lawmakers are set to support a bow wave of costly nuclear weapons programs increasingly at odds with the needs of U.S. troops and the future threats that dominate their agenda. Notably for a president who famously championed…

SecDef Carter: Do Missile Defense Review Urged By Greenert, Odierno

SecDef Carter: Do Missile Defense Review Urged By Greenert, Odierno
SecDef Carter: Do Missile Defense Review Urged By Greenert, Odierno

Tight budgets have a way of encouraging critical thinking and forcing a willingness to make painful but well-grounded tradeoffs. The Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Jonathan Greenert, and the Army Chief of Staff, General Raymond Odierno, wrote a November letter about the weaknesses of our current missile defense approach to then-Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. This letter, recently leaked…

What Obama’s Drone Export Policy Really Means

What Obama’s Drone Export Policy Really Means
What Obama’s Drone Export Policy Really Means

It seems like drones are everywhere in Washington. A drone landed on the White House lawn, the Federal Aviation Administration released regulations for small commercial drones in U.S. airspace, and, most recently, the State Department finally unveiled a long-awaited policy on the export of U.S.-origin military and commercial Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), colloquially referred to as…

Cut Pay? Trim COCOMs: How To Act Wisely On Military Pay

Imagine a business that’s restructuring costs. The idea is to restrain employee compensation and free up money for operations and investment, thus allowing the company to grow. Everyone’s familiar with the surrounding debate: leaders spotlight the need for efficiency, and workers insist that the company not break faith with them.  It’s a classic dispute between…

Army Takes On Requirements: ‘Everybody’s Got To Change’

Army Takes On Requirements: ‘Everybody’s Got To Change’
Army Takes On Requirements: ‘Everybody’s Got To Change’

WASHINGTON: “Everybody’s got to change.” That’s the message from Army Gen. David Perkins, about everything from concepts to training to weapons programs. “A couple of weeks ago, we had a meeting with the Secretary of the Army and the Chief of Staff,” he said. “They said, ‘look, this is not business as usual.” “Everybody is going to have to…

‘Strategic Agility’: Behind The Air Force’s New 30-Year Plan

‘Strategic Agility’: Behind The Air Force’s New 30-Year Plan
‘Strategic Agility’: Behind The Air Force’s New 30-Year Plan

[UPDATED with Air Force release] This afternoon, the Air Force released a new strategy for “Strategic Agility,” the culmination of months of research to create an overarching framework to forecast the capabilities the US Air Force must have for the next 30 years. The Air Force’s strategy and the term itself was inspired by a 2013…