News

CSBA Launches Congressional Defense Seminar Series (CDSS)

October 22, 2019

CSBA officially launched its inaugural series of seminars designed for Congressional staff members on October 17 at its Washington Headquarters. The program featured an opening session for the 16 incoming CDSS Fellows hosted by former Congressman Randy Forbes (R-VA), a member of CSBA’s Board of Directors, and attended by members of the CSBA team and outside guests.

CSBA Announces Congressional Defense Seminar Fellows

October 9, 2019

CSBA is proud to announce its inaugural class of fellows for the CSBA Congressional Defense Seminar Series. This seminar series is an in-depth bipartisan program for Congressional staff members. This evening series of topical seminars aims to provide staffers with the tools to master the conceptual foundations of defense policy as well as the intricacies of contemporary national security processes.

CSBA Announces New Advisory Council of National Security and Defense Leaders

September 23, 2019

The Center Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) announced today that it has launched the CSBA Council, an advisory board composed of accomplished individuals whose interests in contemporary security debates coincide with CSBA’s mission. The CSBA Council will further the institute’s efforts to develop innovative, resource-informed defense concepts, promote public debate, and spur policies to advance the interests of the United States and its allies.

CSBA Launches Congressional Defense Seminar Series

September 10, 2019

The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA), the world’s premier center for understanding future international competition and conflict, announced today the launching of its inaugural Congressional Defense Seminar Series. This highly selective program will bring together professional staff members from Congress for an evening series of topical seminars that aims to provide staffers with the tools to master the conceptual foundations of defense policy as well as the intricacies of contemporary national security processes.

Studies

How I Learned To Start Worrying And Hate Real Growth: Analysis of the 2023 Defense Budget Request

July 18, 2022 Travis Sharp

In May 2022, the Pentagon presented its second budget request to the Biden Administration, proposing a $773 billion topline for Fiscal Year 2023. Although estimates of nominal and real growth have varied based on this figure, the question of inflation’s impact on the defense budget looms large. Congress recognizes that accepting the Administration’s request as-is would lead to slim pickings when it comes to funding the DoD’s priorities, but the question remains whether to approve a large increase to avoid a purchasing power gap or to continue the trend of minor budgetary increases.

Studies

China’s Choices: A New Tool for Assessing the PLA’s Modernization

July 14, 2022 Jack Bianchi, Madison Creery, Harrison Schramm, Toshi Yoshihara

All militaries confront resource tradeoffs. As China and the United States enter a period of intensifying military competition, understanding the tradeoffs the two must face and their likely consequences will become ever more important. Yet, without a better understanding of China’s own resourcing constraints and associated vulnerabilities, policymakers lack the critical insights to holistically assess the state of the competition and develop effective strategies.

Studies

Deterrence and Defense in the Baltic Region

June 2, 2022 Jan van Tol, Chris Bassler, Katherine Kjellström Elgin, Tyler Hacker

Deterrence and Defense in the Baltic Region examines security requirements for the Baltic States and NATO in the context of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The war has provided an opportunity to understand the implications for NATO's eastern flank stemming from Russia's demonstrated willingness to use large-scale military force against another European nation, reassess pre-war assumptions concerning putative Russian military effectiveness, and to draw preliminary observations about Russian and Ukrainian combat performance.

Briefs

CSBA 2021 Annual Report

March 10, 2022

CSBA is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit public policy research institute established to promote innovative thinking and debate about national security strategy, defense planning, and military investment options for the 21st century. CSBA’s mission is to develop innovative, resource-informed defense concepts, promote public debate, and spur action to advance U.S. and allied interests. Our vision is to set the terms of debate for the future of national defense and drive change in concept development, force structure, and resources to prepare the United States and its allies to compete and win in an era characterized by great power competition and conflict.

Studies

Living Within One’s Means: Revisiting Defense Acquisition and Affordability

October 4, 2021 Chris Bassler, Travis Sharp, Josh Chang

Future Vertical Lift (FVL) is a force structure recapitalization effort to design and procure a family of rotary-wing platforms capable of operations in future highly contested environments. The Army’s FVL is the leading edge of an effort that has identified the need for a rotary-wing Family of Systems that can deliver five capability sets for joint use across the Services. Due to budgetary limitations and force modernization priorities, the Army is currently pursuing only two of these capability sets, but they still represent a significant effort for the Army, as they are the first new helicopters designed since the mid-1980s.

Briefs

Arms Control: Can Its Future Be Found in Its Past?

September 21, 2021 Eric Edelman

In the wake of the Trump Administration’s withdrawal from the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) of 1988 and the Open Skies Treaty of 1992 there was a great deal of fear that the New START Treaty which one scholar has called “the key bilateral arms control agreement” would expire. Now that the keystone of the arms control enterprise remains in place it is worth examining why so many arms control experts and advocates have been warning about “the end,” “the death” or the “deep crisis” of arms control. As one leading Russian scholar of arms control has argued, “legacy Cold War-era arms control is collapsing and an uncontrolled nuclear arms race is threatening to return.”

China’s Choices: A New Tool for Assessing the PLA’s Modernization

Deterrence and Defense in the Baltic Region

CSBA 2021 Annual Report

Living Within One’s Means: Revisiting Defense Acquisition and Affordability

Mind the Power Gap: The American Energy Arsenal and Chinese Insecurity

Slow and Steady: Analysis of the 2022 Defense Budget Request

Implementing Deterrence by Detection: Innovative Capabilities, Processes, and Organizations for Situational Awareness in the Indo-Pacific Region

Featured Event

The Future of War and The Changing Shape of Conflict

CSBA Launches Congressional Defense Seminar Series (CDSS)

CSBA Announces Congressional Defense Seminar Fellows

CSBA Announces New Advisory Council of National Security and Defense Leaders

CSBA Launches Congressional Defense Seminar Series

CSBA Appoints Roger M. Poor as Chief Financial Officer

CSBA welcomes William C. Bodie as its Director of Development

Latest Publications

How I Learned To Start Worrying And Hate Real Growth: Analysis of the 2023 Defense Budget Request

China’s Choices: A New Tool for Assessing the PLA’s Modernization

Deterrence and Defense in the Baltic Region

CSBA 2021 Annual Report

Living Within One’s Means: Revisiting Defense Acquisition and Affordability

Arms Control: Can Its Future Be Found in Its Past?