Trump wants NATO to hit 3 percent GDP on defense. The US could fall short
In this op-ed, Dustin Walker and Mackenzie Eaglen of AEI assert that the US will struggle to keep hitting 3 percent of GDP spending if the budget doesn't expand dramatically.
The Navy’s new air-to-air capability could set roadmap for repurposing old systems
In this op-ed, Mackenzie Eaglen and Cole Spiller of AEI lay out why the Pentagon shouldn't be so quick to retire old technologies in favor of newer ones.
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Data overload threatens decisionmakers as autonomy expands
Reducing cognitive overload on warfighters while improving “time to trust” for autonomous systems is a matter of design.
Why Congress needs to back supplemental funding for the Navy’s future fleet
"The president and Congress must go beyond one-off supplemental measures" to support Naval shipbuilding, writes Mackenzie Eaglen of the American Enterprise Institute.
Recruitment is now a real threat to a frail force facing formidable foes
"Under-manned units over-operate, resulting in an unrested and less specialized force. And the only real solution to this issue is to add fresh bodies to the force," writes Mackenzie Eaglen of AEI.
Pentagon to Congress: Inflation…. what inflation?
AEI's John Ferrari and Mackenzie Eaglen write that in failing to adjust its budget to the realities of inflation, the Pentagon is careening towards budgetary trouble.
Previewing Biden’s FY23 defense budget request: 5 things to expect
With the long saga of the fiscal year 2022 budget looking like it will be finalized in March, eyes now turn to the FY23 defense budget and what it might look like. Between Russian aggression, inflation and a Congress that appears supportive of increasing defense spending, it’s unclear how high the Pentagon’s budget will go. […]
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How TAK gives the US military an advantage at the Edge
“Tactical operating system” for warfighters has evolved to provide more situational awareness of the battlefield.
These Key Programs Face Real Delays From Continuing Resolution
Even though a short spending freeze seems mostly harmless, it is clear the US military cannot buy back time.
Congress, It’s Time For Two-Year Budget Deal: Eaglen At AEI
It will take time for the Biden administration to build its national security and defense strategies. In the absence of a new defense strategy, the most logical route for Congress would be to plan a two-year budget deal that buys back readiness and investment lost to the Budget Control Act.
Army’s IVAS Example Can Help Pentagon Catch Up On AI
The Pentagon remains stuck in the “success” of the 1990s and Desert Storm, which hinders its ability to take advantage of revolutions in smartphone, cloud computing and social media technologies.
Use Legacy Systems as Tech Playgrounds for Innovation
The Pentagon must avoid the ancient Roman tactic of “burning the bridge behind them” by immediately throwing aside older weapons systems in favor of wholesale investments in new technologies and platforms. While force modernization is necessary, the Department of Defense does not have the time, track record, or the funding to rapidly field replacements to […]
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Meeting Zero Trust goals while maintaining information dominance
Balancing security and access to data are critical to providing users with trustworthy, reliable data for real-time decisions.
The Top 5 REALLY Important NDAA Policies
Mackenzie Eaglen knows Congress (after all, she did work there) and she takes readers through the most important policy debates sparked by the two versions of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. Read on! The Editor. Much of the public debate about this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has focused on the renaming […]
Is Army Richest Service? Navy? Air Force? AEI’s Eaglen Peels Back Budget Onion
This year’s battle of the budget between the services has been much more public than any in recent memory, as Breaking D readers know. Mackenzie Eaglen, who writes for us regularly on Congress and the budget, does a deep dive and presents the results of which service really wins in the budget — and why […]
SecDef Esper, Don’t Make Gates’ Mistakes With Night Court
Pentagon officials seek to show they are reorienting to great power competition with China by shifting money under the flat defense topline. The goal is to spend a more defense dollars on high-end capabilities to match the National Defense Strategy instead of pleading for more, new money. The tradeoffs will become very real for members […]
Budget 2020: A CR, Sequestration And Some Compromises?
The White House defense budget for 2020 falls short of commitments made and actual requirements to meet the military’s strategy, but it begins to shift priorities and start the long process of investing in long-term competition with China and Russia. Washington still lacks the budget details for another week, but here are some initial reflections […]