Publications
"Nobody does defense policy better than CSBA. Their work on strategic and budgetary topics manages to combine first-rate quality and in-depth research with timeliness and accessibility—which is why so many professionals consider their products indispensable." – Gideon Rose, Editor of Foreign Affairs, 2010-2021
The Challenge of Maritime Transformation: Is Bigger Better?
The once mighty U.S. Navy is in precipitous decline. At least, that is what a vocal group of naval officers, defense analysts and Congressional leaders strongly believe. They support their judgment by comparing the number of ships in the Navy’s “Total Ship Battle Force” with those of past U.S. fleets. Their most common standard for comparison is the “600-ship” fleet championed by John Lehman, President Ronald Reagan’s first, most aggressive and politically savvy, Secretary of the Navy. When compared to that number, the 316 ships of the Fiscal Year
Lighting the Path Ahead: Field Exercises and Transformation
Today the US military finds itself in a period of large-scale change in the conduct of warfare. There is wide verbal acceptance in American military circles that we are in the midst of a military revolution, or “revolution in military affairs” that will require a transformation of the US armed forces. Yet despite the rhetoric, the American military is not conducting the kind of Joint and Service field exercises characteristic of military organizations engaged in transformation.
Promoting Efficiency in the Department of Defense: Keep Trying, But Be Realistic
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has suggested that his department could save $15 billion a year through efficiencies if given the freedom to do so. Numerous studies have also asserted the potential for efficiencies in the Department of Defense (DoD), some arguing that savings could total $30 billion a year or more. Actual savings, however, appear much more modest. Why is it hard for DoD to achieve efficiency savings? How can the department promote efficiencies more effectively?
Buying Tomorrow’s Military: Options for Modernizing the US Defense Capital Stock
Critical to the Bush Administration’s ongoing review of national security requirements and strategy is the question of how much the Department of Defense (DoD) should spend on the development and procurement of new weapon systems. More than any other military in recent history, the US military has a tradition of investing in and relying upon advanced weapon systems and other equipment to give it a crucial edge in capabilities. Few doubt that the United States needs to continue relying on, and exploiting, its advantages in weapons technology.
The Transformation of Strategic-Strike Operations
The US military is currently investing billions of dollars annually in developing and deploying a broad range of new precision-guided and electronic-strike weapons. These weapons are revolutionizing the way military organizations are thinking about future conflict. Perhaps nowhere are the potential implications of these weapons more significant than in the case of nuclear forces and strategic-strike operations. For the last forty years, the US strategic deterrent has centered on a triad of intercontinental bombers and land- and sea-based ballistic missile forces.
The Military Use of Space: A Diagnostic Assessment
The principal aim of this report is to assess the evolving capabilities of nations and other actors to exploit near-earth space for military purposes over the next 20-25 years. The broad thrust of the assessment can be encapsulated in the following judgments: