News

CSBA’s Analysis of the 2022 Defense Budget Request

July 30, 2021

In this report, CSBA Fellow and Director of Defense Budget Studies Travis Sharp analyzes the FY 2022 Defense Department Budget Request with a focus not only on comparisons with the previous administration's defense budgets but also on the insights into the current and future strategic priorities for the Biden Administration.

New CSBA Report Outlines U.S. Navy Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Systems

June 2, 2021

In the rapidly accelerating field of artificial intelligence (AI) and unmanned autonomous systems (UxS) development, the United States has maintained its technological edge over its peer and near-peer competitors. However, research and development (R&D) efforts in this field have largely been decentralized to date.

CSBA Welcomes Travis Sharp as Head of Defense Budget Studies

March 9, 2021

CSBA has reappointed Dr. Travis Sharp to its senior professional staff, following the completion of his mobilization to active duty as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Dr. Sharp, who first joined CSBA in 2018, returns to direct the Center’s defense budget studies program and lead CSBA’s efforts to inform policymakers, journalists, and the public about national security resources and investment priorities.

CSBA Welcomes Defense Journalism Fellows

January 27, 2021

CSBA is proud to announce its inaugural fellows for the CSBA Defense Journalism Seminar Series. This seminar series is an in-depth program for working journalists in the defense and national security beats and aims to provide outstanding defense reporters with tools to master the foundations of defense policy, operational concepts, budgets, and the intricacies of contemporary national security processes.

CSBA Research Fellow David Zikusoka to Join U.S. Department of Defense

January 20, 2021

The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments is proud to congratulate David Zikusoka, CSBA’s Research Fellow in Aerospace Studies, on his selection as Special Assistant, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy.

Studies

Air Power Metamorphosis: Rethinking Air Force Combat Force Modernization

March 10, 2023 Christopher J. Bowie

For the past three decades, Chinese leadership has closely studied the United States’ power projection capabilities and concept of operations. Consequently, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has tailored its anti-access/area denial approach and air defenses to prevent the United States from leveraging its current strengths. A short- or medium-range concept of air power is unlikely to be successful for power projection or deterrence in the Western Pacific, and a change in direction for the U.S. Air Force is likely necessary.

Studies

Innovating for Great Power Competition: An Examination of Service and Joint Innovation Efforts

January 11, 2023 Thomas G. Mahnken, Evan B. Montgomery, Tyler Hacker

Following nearly two decades of counterinsurgency in the Greater Middle East, the United States Department of Defense finds itself looking to the Cold War for lessons on how to adapt to the operational challenges presented by China and Russia. To modernize its platforms, doctrine, and force structure to compete with and defeat 21st-century great power competitors, the military services and the Department of Defense as a whole are seeking to promote conceptual, organizational, and technological innovation within the U.S. armed forces.

Studies

Chinese Lessons From the Pacific War: Implications for PLA Warfighting

January 5, 2023 Toshi Yoshihara

Senior Fellow Toshi Yoshihara surveys Chinese histories of the Pacific War to discern lessons that mainland analysts have drawn from the ocean-spanning struggle. He examines the extensive Chinese-language literature on the great battles at Midway, Guadalcanal, and Okinawa and pinpoints the operational insights that Chinese strategists have gleaned from them. The selected campaigns involved warfighting that will feature prominently in a future Sino-American conflict: carrier air warfare, contested amphibious landings, expeditionary logistics, and electronic warfare.

Studies

Moving Pieces: Near-Term Changes to Pacific Air Posture

November 18, 2022 Carl Rehberg, Josh Chang

The threat to U.S. and allied air facilities in the Indo-Pacific region is increasing. Current air force posture is vulnerable to adversary first strike due to insufficient posture resiliency—the ability of deployed forces to survive, operate, and regenerate under adversary attack. The recently announced decision to replace the permanent F-15C Eagle squadrons at Kadena Air Base with a rotational deployment only reduces the effectiveness of U.S. Indo-Pacific air forces in the event of a conflict. Defense planning in recent years has outlined recommendations to improve the defense of both facilities and others in the region, but these recommendations have only been partially implemented at best.

Testimonies

Testimony before the Senate Committee on Armed Services Regarding Nuclear Strategy and Policy

September 21, 2022 Eric Edelman

On September 20, 2022, CSBA Counselor, Eric S. Edelman and Franklin C. Miller, Principal at The Scowcroft Group, testified before the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services regarding nuclear strategy and policy.

Studies

Arming America’s Allies: Historical Lessons for Implementing a Post-INF Treaty Missile Strategy

August 24, 2022 Eric Edelman, Josh Chang, Tyler Hacker

In the aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 2019, then-Secretary of Defense Mark Esper indicated that he believed it would be useful to deploy conventional intermediate-range ballistic missiles in the Indo-Pacific region. But it is not yet clear that allied or partner governments in either this region or in Europe would be willing to host such capabilities on their territory.

Air Power Metamorphosis: Rethinking Air Force Combat Force Modernization

Innovating for Great Power Competition: An Examination of Service and Joint Innovation Efforts

Chinese Lessons From the Pacific War: Implications for PLA Warfighting

Moving Pieces: Near-Term Changes to Pacific Air Posture

Arming America’s Allies: Historical Lessons for Implementing a Post-INF Treaty Missile Strategy

Rings of Fire: A Conventional Missile Strategy for a Post-INF Treaty World

Deterrence and Defense in the Baltic Region

Featured Event

Report Release Webinar: Chinese Lessons From the Pacific War: Implications for PLA Warfighting

CSBA’s Analysis of the 2022 Defense Budget Request

New CSBA Report Outlines U.S. Navy Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Systems

CSBA Welcomes Travis Sharp as Head of Defense Budget Studies

CSBA Welcomes Defense Journalism Fellows

CSBA Research Fellow David Zikusoka to Join U.S. Department of Defense

Reagan Institute and the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments Warn Policy Makers About the Consequences of Defense Budget Cuts

Latest Publications

Air Power Metamorphosis: Rethinking Air Force Combat Force Modernization

Innovating for Great Power Competition: An Examination of Service and Joint Innovation Efforts

Chinese Lessons From the Pacific War: Implications for PLA Warfighting

Moving Pieces: Near-Term Changes to Pacific Air Posture

Testimony before the Senate Committee on Armed Services Regarding Nuclear Strategy and Policy

Arming America’s Allies: Historical Lessons for Implementing a Post-INF Treaty Missile Strategy