Four steps to creating a National Defense Strategy built on strength
In this op-ed, analysts from the American Enterprise Institute lay out four priorities Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth should focus on in the next National Defense Strategy.
Political leaders need to stop standing in the way of defense innovation
"Standing in the way [of innovation] are three roadblocks, none of which are technological, and all of which the next President and Congress should consider challenging," writes John Ferrari of AEI.
Breaking Defense announces Breaking Defense Europe, a new, distinct, European edition
Breaking Defense Europe will launch May 4 with Tim Martin and Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo as co-editors.
3 steps towards fixing the acquisition insanity at the Pentagon
In this op-ed, John Ferrari of AEI argues the Pentagon needs to stop creating and rearranging offices for procurement and lays out what they should do instead.
Budget endgame scenarios: From acceptable to apocalypse
In this new analysis, budget experts Elaine McCusker and John Ferrari lay out a trio of likely scenarios for the upcoming budget negotiations - including one they deem the "doomsday" scenario for DoD.
Leave the Air Force’s new acquisition proposal in the starting gate
A new proposal from Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall seems helpful on its face, but Bill Greenwalt and John Ferrari of AEI see red flags in the details.
The Pentagon’s FY24 defense budget falls $40 billion short
Funding unfunded priorities and taking inflation into account means a bigger topline, argues AEI’s John Ferrari.
Modernizing defense enterprise IT without disrupting the mission
Government can’t stop to update systems, so modernization has to happen without interruptions.
America and China: Whose timeline is it anyway?
"No matter what China’s timeline for war might be, America’s timeline for deterrence is right now," writes Dustin Walker of the American Enterprise Institute.
Another Continuing Resolution? The enemy is us
Another Continuing Resolution would impact military readiness when it comes to everything from munitions relevant to the fight in Ukraine to the newly revealed B-21 stealth bomber, warns Elaine McCusker of AEI.
What is G/ATOR, the Marine Corps’ premiere air surveillance radar?
“Something like a G/ATOR would have enormous utility in Ukraine,” said John Ferrari, a former commander of White Sands Missile Range.
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.
presented by
Answering the demand signal to move faster, field sooner, iterate continuously
As threats rapidly evolve, digital engineering, manufacturing capacity and robust supply chains are critical to meeting challenges.
For military spending to counter China, PDI tells only a small part of the story
Lawmakers and taxpayers should know PDI is not reflective of the defense investment to counter the pacing challenge of China, AEI's Elaine McCusker writes.
No time for games with inflation in the next budget: Pentagon must be honest
With inflation soaring, Americans are starting to feel the pinch in everyday life. That could be even worse for members of the military, according to American Enterprise Institute budget experts John Ferrari and Elaine McCusker. In this new op-ed, they call for the Pentagon to avoid the usual games defense leaders play with inflation and […]
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. […]
Hey OMB – Defense needs $816B for FY23
John Ferrari of AEI lays out why it would benefit the Biden White House to give a big defense budget topline now -- and how DoD should spend the money.