Scowcroft Center Commentary, Analysis, & Reports

The Pentagon Is Picking an Unnecessary Fight With Congress

By James Joyner

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel previewed the president’s five-year Pentagon budget request expected to be released next week and it is a shot across the bow at Congress. The proposal thumbs its nose at sequestration budget caps, insists on another round of base closures, targets popular acquisitions programs and the National Guard and otherwise flouts the expressed […]

Is DOD Ready for the Defense Challenges of 2024?

By Barry Pavel

Chuck Hagel’s Press Conference Will Be a Hint With the FY2015 defense budget and the Pentagon’s Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) both due out next month along within a range of upcoming congressional hearings, how should we assess whether our defense establishment is preparing strategically to meet the key security challenges looming in our future?

Pentagon Budget Preview: Implications for US Defense

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey previewed the Pentagon’s FY2015 on Monday, February 24. Major highlights included the proposed cutting Army personnel from 480,000 to approximately 440,00; the retirement of both the A-10 Thunderbolt II and the U-2 spy plane; the addition of 4,000 people to […]

To Avoid Ukraine Catastrophe, Get Tough on Russia

By James Rupert

Brzezinski: US Should Avert Effort by Moscow to Promote Secession With Ukrainian protesters struggling to pull their country toward greater democracy and engagement with Europe, the US and EU governments should set policies to avert any effort by Russia to divide the country by backing the secession of Ukraine’s Russian-speaking regions, says Atlantic Council senior […]

Working Group on Deterring a Nuclear-Armed Iran

Despite the interim agreement on the Iranian nuclear program in November 2013, Iran’s nuclear program remains perhaps the greatest emerging challenge to US national and regional security interests. US President Barack Obama has made it abundantly clear that a nuclear-armed Iran is unacceptable and that the administration is prepared to do whatever it takes to […]

Transition Seminar for Adm. Ferguson, Incoming Commander of US 6th Fleet

Working with both European and African allies and maritime partners, US Naval Forces Europe and US Naval Forces Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF)/ US 6th Fleet leads security efforts in an area of responsibility consisting of the eastern half the Atlantic Ocean, hugging Europe and following the coast of Africa from the North Pole to Antarctica. In order […]

Combatant Commands Task Force Focuses on Restructuring Options

The fourth meeting of the Combatant Commands Task Force focused on specific restructuring options for the realigned COCOMs. Participants discussed the need for stronger interagency cooperation and improved regional knowledge to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of regional US security cooperation efforts. In addition, the task force considered possible changes in the core functions of […]

The US Military’s Ethics Crisis

By James Joyner

Military officers behaving badly have been making headlines. But, rather than a sign of widespread corruption, the fact that they’re being caught and disciplined is an indication of how seriously the profession takes its ethical responsibilities. From massive cheating scandals with Air Force and Navy nuclear officers and Army National Guard recruiters to generals and admirals abusing the perks of their office or […]

Addressing the Food, Water, and Energy Nexus

The relationship between food, water, and energy resources are shaping our world and its future, and managing the “nexus” of the interdependencies among these goods is arguably one of the most critical challenges facing policymakers in the transatlantic area. A draft report discussed at an Atlantic Council event today argues that Africa plays an especially […]