US War Surge Production Too Slow, CSIS Finds

US War Surge Production Too Slow, CSIS Finds
US War Surge Production Too Slow, CSIS Finds

The United States could not make enough military equipment fast enough to sustain its military in the event of a major war. While much thought has been given to how a great power conflict might erupt or play out, far less has been written on how the U.S. industrial base could sustain U.S. wartime equipment…

Learn By Losing: Give AI To OPFOR First

Learn By Losing: Give AI To OPFOR First
Learn By Losing: Give AI To OPFOR First

The best way to show US troops the power of new technology like artificial intelligence, one general said, is to let them suffer defeat at its hands — in training exercises.

JAIC Chief Asks: Can AI Prevent Another 1914?

JAIC Chief Asks: Can AI Prevent Another 1914?
JAIC Chief Asks: Can AI Prevent Another 1914?

AI will help commanders make sound decisions so much faster, said Lt. Gen. Michael Groen, that waging war without it will work as well as cavalry charging machine guns on the Western Front.

CSIS Bad Idea: Pulling The Troops Home

CSIS Bad Idea: Pulling The Troops Home
CSIS Bad Idea: Pulling The Troops Home

Alliances, including forward-stationing of US forces abroad, make the United States safer, its allies more secure, and all more prosperous.

‘How Is Yoda?’: An Appreciation Of Andy Marshall

‘How Is Yoda?’: An Appreciation Of Andy Marshall
‘How Is Yoda?’: An Appreciation Of Andy Marshall

  Last year while in Japan for a meeting with senior defense and military leaders, the question most often posed to me was, “How is Yoda?” The questions were in reference to the nickname given to Andrew Marshall, arguably the foremost defense strategist of the past sixty years, who passed away this week at the…

‘Be Ready To Fight Now’: Top Admiral On Russia & China

‘Be Ready To Fight Now’: Top Admiral On Russia & China
‘Be Ready To Fight Now’: Top Admiral On Russia & China

“The Battle of Guadalcanal was a brutal campaign, but shows us what the next fight could be like,” Vice Adm. Brown said. “Usually, the CO (skipper), XO (executive officer) and senior officers – even admirals – were killed immediately – but what happened?”

Vietnam-Vintage Vehicles Blaze Trail For Robot Tanks: Army RCV

Vietnam-Vintage Vehicles Blaze Trail For Robot Tanks: Army RCV
Vietnam-Vintage Vehicles Blaze Trail For Robot Tanks: Army RCV

The actual Robotic Combat Vehicle that gets mass-produced and fielded by 2028 will be an all-new design, not a converted M113. But why wait for someone to design and build the perfect hardware, when you can start testing the software and the tactics on something cheaply available today?

Helsinki Summit: What Can Trump & Putin Learn From Finland?

Helsinki Summit: What Can Trump & Putin Learn From Finland?
Helsinki Summit: What Can Trump & Putin Learn From Finland?

Presidents Putin and Trump will meet soon in Helsinki.  At a time of uncertainty in the US-Russia relationship, the meeting is an important step forward in clarifying that relationship, one that should be not reduced to a Trump tweet or a Putin chess move. Where it is being held is significant. Helsinki was part of the…

The Next Pacific War: Lessons From Wake Island For The PLA

The Next Pacific War: Lessons From Wake Island For The PLA
The Next Pacific War: Lessons From Wake Island For The PLA

China’s increasingly aggressive rise puts the Pacific theater in play in a way it hasn’t been since 1945. In this essay, Singaporean scholar Ben Ho Wan Beng and retired US Marine Gary Lehmann look at what a critical but overlooked World War II battle has to tell us about the potential strengths — and weaknesses — of the Marine Corps’s new concept for waging the next Pacific war. — the editors

Space Force: Go Slow, Learn From Army Air Corps

Space Force: Go Slow, Learn From Army Air Corps
Space Force: Go Slow, Learn From Army Air Corps

The stakes are high for President Trump’s nascent Space Force because a poorly integrated service is a price America cannot afford to pay. This means a careful, thoughtful, conditions-based approach must be followed to assess if and when an autonomous military space organization will provide the best path forward. All four services will contribute to…

Army Sec. Esper’s 10-Year Plan Is A Big Bet On Budget

Army Sec. Esper’s 10-Year Plan Is A Big Bet On Budget
Army Sec. Esper’s 10-Year Plan Is A Big Bet On Budget

“I know that I have good numbers in ’18. I think if the budget agreement holds, we’ll have good numbers in ’19. I cannot predict the future,” Sec. Esper said. “What’s in my control to lay out the clearest possible vision of what the Army of 2028 should look like.”

US Must Overcome ‘Hubris’ And Prepare For Surprise: Experts

US Must Overcome ‘Hubris’ And Prepare For Surprise: Experts
US Must Overcome ‘Hubris’ And Prepare For Surprise: Experts

“The United States has been fighting weak and isolated regional adversaries for the last 25 years, and a result we have a very inflated view of how good we are,” warned the study’s lead author, Mark Cancian of CSIS.

Marines Seek Anti-Ship HIMARS: High Cost, Hard Mission

Marines Seek Anti-Ship HIMARS: High Cost, Hard Mission
Marines Seek Anti-Ship HIMARS: High Cost, Hard Mission

For the first time since December 1941, when Wake Island’s shore gunners sank the invading destroyer Hayate, Marine Corps artillery wants to kill ships. That could be a big boost for the Navy, which confronts ever more powerful Russian and Chinese fleets. Army artillery is also exploring anti-ship missiles, and the Marines may buy the…

‘It’s Time To Wake Up’: Sen. McCain At Naval Academy

‘It’s Time To Wake Up’: Sen. McCain At Naval Academy
‘It’s Time To Wake Up’: Sen. McCain At Naval Academy

A clarion call. Our readers (being wise and smart) know what that means. Sen. John McCain issued one last night in a speech to the next generation of naval leaders at Annapolis. McCain’s words are aimed straight at the heart of the Republican Party and of our country: “We have to fight. We have to…