The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 established a Commission on the National Defense Strategy of The United States. We are pleased to announce that Dr. Thomas Mahnken (CSBA President and CEO) has been selected by Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman, Senator John McCain to serve on panel. CSBA Board member and frequent Fox News commentator General John Keane, USA (Ret.) has also been designated to serve on the commission by Chairman McCain along with other national security experts appointed equally by the Chairmen and Ranking Members of both Senate and House Armed Services Committees.
The Commission will assess the international security environment, examine the health of the United States military, and contribute to the development of and review the final United States national defense strategy currently being drafted by the Department of Defense. The Commission's work should provide invaluable help to Congressional members and their staffs as they evaluate the Pentagon's Fiscal Year 2019 budget request when it is delivered early next year. The commission will conduct a comprehensive bipartisan and independent review of the country's national security needs.
Senator McCain and Representative William "Mac" Thornberry, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, have jointly designated Amb. Eric Edelman, CSBA Counselor and former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy to serve as the commission's chair.
The committee's work will culminate in a final report to be submitted to the President, the Secretary of Defense, the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate. The report will detail threats to the United States, the potential for conflicts arising from such threats, and how the Department of Defense should prepare to meet those challenges.