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Analysis
How Big Should the Defense Budget Be?
Use reasoned judgment, not artificial measures. Using a percentage of G.D.P. or past spending levels would set the budget with little regard for what is needed or what we can afford.
Analysis
Economist Debate: China’s Military
The weight of evidence leads to the conclusion that China’s military expansion is undermining the regional stability that has produced an era of peace and unparalleled prosperity. China’s actions speak far louder than its words.
Analysis
The Laser Future Of U.S. Missile Defense
Russia and China recognize the low-cost efficiency of lasers. Does the Pentagon?
Analysis
Defense Cuts Could Be Only the Beginning
President Obama unveiled the Pentagon's new defense strategy last week, calling it a moment to "turn the page" on the past decade of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The new strategy places a greater emphasis on Asia and reduces ground forces in favor of air and sea forces. It accepts greater risks in some areas -- most notably in abandoning the policy that the United States must be able to fight two major, protracted ground wars at once. The Pentagon argues that a two-war construct does not do justice to the complexity of the current threat environment. It has to be able to adapt to a wide, complex array of global threats rather than prepare for an arbitrary number of simultaneous wars.
Analysis
DOD Must Protect Industrial Base
As sequestration looks more likely by the day, the Defense Department faces the challenge of a new fiscal reality. After more than a decade of increasing budgets, the Pentagon has been slow to react. Its five-year budget plan, released last February, planned for continued growth — despite calls from both parties to cut federal spending and the deficit.
Analysis
Why Obama Should Take Out Iran’s Nuclear Program
The Case for Striking Before It's Too Late