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Defense Industrialist

Oct 3, 2017

The military implications of Catalonian secession—an update

By James Hasik

assuming that Catalonia was admitted to NATO, what would the newly independent country contribute? At the 2014 Strategic Foresight Forum at the Atlantic Council, Anne Marie Slaughter of the New America Foundation opined that an independent Catalonia would do a fine job of defending itself. After all, Catalonia is a country of over 7 million people, with more than $300 billion in GDP. Spending just 1.6% of that—well below the widely-ignored NATO threshold, of course—provides over $4.5 billion annually. y de-emphasizing the military forces that any landlocked country will have, and instead steering investments towards those it is comparatively positioned to provide, Catalonia could punch above its weight in European political affairs.

Defense Policy Eastern Europe

Report

Sep 26, 2017

The MADCOM future

By Matt Chessen

Emerging artificial intelligence (AI) tools will provide propagandists radically enhanced capabilities to manipulate human minds. Human cognition is a complex system, and AI tools are very good at decoding complex systems. Interactions on social media, browsing the Internet, and even grocery shopping provide thousands of data points from which technologists can build psychological profiles on nearly […]

Americas Civil Society

Defense Industrialist

Aug 29, 2017

An EU army is impossible; Fortunately, it’s not necessary.

By James Hasik

To rebuild robust land forces, Europeans should think a little like Americans, a little like Russians, and otherwise for themselves. Shortly after the Brexit vote last June, those-in-the-know in Europe started calling for a renewed effort at a common European military force. A year ago this month, General Vincenzo Camporini, former head of the Italian general staff, told […]

Defense Industry Defense Policy

Defense Industrialist

Jul 10, 2017

You can’t call the cavalry on two percent

By James Hasik

In a two-percent world, American plans against landward threats to Poland might be limited to aircraft, cruise missiles, and marines. For if the US government proportionately spent what European governments spent, there would be no cavalry riding to the rescue.

China Defense Policy

Defense Industrialist

May 27, 2017

Exports and end-use

By James Hasik

We can ask the US Army to arm, advise, and assist its allies in the Iraqi Army, or we can ask the Army to consolidate its spreadsheets. For Iraqis, this fight is existential, and I’d rather they simply crushed ISIS. Wars may be audits themselves, but wars this hot may be no time for audits.

Arms Control Defense Industry

Strategy Consortium

May 12, 2017

Methodology of strategy and strategic thinking: linking classic advice with disruptive trends

By Hans-Christian Hagman

This paper seeks to discuss elements of strategy and strategic thought. What should we be thinking of in order to produce national security strategies that will have the intended impact on policy and allocated resources? What strategy will best achieve government coordination, operational execution and the desired end state?

Defense Policy National Security

Strategy Consortium

May 12, 2017

Responding to strategic surprise

By Paul D. Miller

In the event of a strategic surprise, the President and his administration face three tasks, which they should pursue concurrently, not sequentially.

Afghanistan Cuba

Defense Industrialist

Apr 10, 2017

R&E + A&S > AT&L

By James Hasik

Separating technology from procurement in the Pentagon may provide important organizational incentives for innovation. It’s old news by now, but in February 2018, the Pentagon’s under secretariat for acquisition, technology, and logistics (AT&L) will be split into two separate under secretariats, one for research and engineering (R&E, rather a chief of technological innovation) and another for acquisition and sustainment […]

Defense Policy Security & Defense

Defense Industrialist

Mar 22, 2017

On the economics of cyber weapons, part 2

By James Hasik

Some industrial organization in cyber, and the organization of cyber forces We are now seven months past what Nicholas Weaver called the National Security Agency’s “No Good, Very Bad Monday.” We may not know who the Shadow Brokers really are, but as Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai wrote on Motherboard, quoting Thomas Rid (“Cyber War Will Not Take Place”) of King’s College, […]

Cybersecurity Defense Industry

Defense Industrialist

Feb 28, 2017

BRAC 2019

By James Hasik

Advice to the administration on military functions and footprint President Trump, the White House has announced, will announce the general outlines of his budget tomorrow: $54 billion more for the military, and an offsetting $54 billion less for everything else, except entitlements, which are not to be touched. Ring-fencing half the spending aims to fulfill […]

Defense Industry Defense Policy

Experts