Adam Saxton

Stories by Adam Saxton

What’s In A Name? Billions In Cuts Depend On Defining ‘Legacy’

What’s In A Name? Billions In Cuts Depend On Defining ‘Legacy’
What’s In A Name? Billions In Cuts Depend On Defining ‘Legacy’

As defense budgets face post-COVID cuts, everyone wants to axe “legacy” systems. But the services define “legacy” very differently from defense reformers.

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…

Mission First: US Military Must Train & Recruit During Pandemic

Mission First: US Military Must Train & Recruit During Pandemic
Mission First: US Military Must Train & Recruit During Pandemic

Without recruit training, the services will lose .5 percent of their end strength every month (unless stop loss is imposed, and that has its own costs). Because the training pipeline is several months long, units will not feel that gap for several months, but when the pipeline begins to runs dry, units will shrink.

2021 Budget Spells The End of US Force Expansion

2021 Budget Spells The End of US Force Expansion
2021 Budget Spells The End of US Force Expansion

A smaller 2021 budget and greater funding demands for nuclear weapons development mean the end of plans by the four services to expand their numbers. Rising budgets have allowed the Pentagon to maintain old planes, ships, armored vehicles and other weapons, grow the force and invest in new weapons. The reduced topline in fiscal 2021…

The Spectacular & Public Collapse of Navy Force Planning

The Spectacular & Public Collapse of Navy Force Planning
The Spectacular & Public Collapse of Navy Force Planning

Planning for a 21st century Navy of unmanned vessels, distributed operations, and great power competition has collapsed. Trapped by a 355-ship force goal, a reduced budget, and a fixed counting methodology, the Navy can’t find a feasible solution to the difficult question of how its forces should be structured. As a result, the Navy postponed…