Forward Defense quick reads

Future of DHS Project examines the role of Congressional oversight in department reform

By Julia Siegel

On Thursday, December 17, the Scowcroft Center’s Forward Defense practice and the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) hosted a panel of former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials to discuss why now is the time to streamline congressional oversight of DHS.

Reconciling ends and means in US national security

By Christopher Preble

The next National Defense Strategy should recognize that the American people’s unwillingness to spend considerably more money on the military necessitates a serious reconsideration of what is needed to secure the nation’s truly vital interests

America’s fleeting second-mover advantage is here

By Matthew R. Crouch

Though Chinese initiative has upset the status quo, their first move clarifies their vulnerabilities and exposes potential effective counterweights. By acting promptly to exploit these opportunities, the United States can take the second-mover advantage.

Lieutenant General Charles W. Hooper joins Atlantic Council

Former director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency will serve as nonresident senior fellow in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Defense Secretary unveils a new strategy for bolstering allies and partnerships in an era of great-power competition

By David A. Wemer

As the United States prepares for long-term competition with adversaries such as China and Russia, the Department of Defense is unveiling new plans to strengthen America’s network of alliances and partnerships. “Our global constellation of allies and partners remain an enduring strength that our competitors and adversaries simply cannot match,” US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said during an Atlantic Council Front Page event on October 20.

From cyber to China, here’s what has former US national security advisors worried

By David A. Wemer

Whether current US President Donald J. Trump is re-elected or former Vice President Joe Biden becomes the next occupant of the White House, the next US president will be confronted with a growing challenge from China, the lingering danger of an assertive Russia, and a broad range of threats complicated by the proliferation of new technologies.

Future of DHS Project identifies new threats to the homeland

By Julia Siegel

On Wednesday, September 9, the Scowcroft Center’s Forward Defense practice launched the Future of DHS Project Final Report, building on its Key Findings and Recommendations released in August. Following the report release, Forward Defense hosted three panels of distinguished speakers to discuss the future of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in a changing threat landscape.

US technological superiority will be wasted without a strengthened defense industrial base

By John Wharton and Tate Nurkin

The United States cannot let efforts to achieve technological superiority outpace the cultivation of an industrial base available to exploit this advantage.

US needs to change the way it invests in defense if it wants to compete with rising rivals

By David A. Wemer

Successive years of stagnant defense spending levels and the prospect of lasting economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic could threaten to leave the United States handicapped in its growing military competition with rising powers China and Russia

Mental health care in the military: An opportunity for progress

By Andrew Farnsworth

Now more than ever, military service members need exceptional mental health care—and the national security community is uniquely positioned to develop the actionable recommendations that are prerequisites for progress.

Is the United States already losing the military tech race to China?

By Andrew Farnsworth

On June 30, Forward Defense hosted a panel of distinguished speakers to discuss the opportunities for, and challenges of, integrating autonomous technologies into the US military to better prepare it for great-power competition.

As Arctic warms up, US Air Force launches Department’s first strategy for confronting threats

By Larry Luxner

Driven by rising temperatures and melting ice, the vast Arctic region is changing—and so are the military priorities of the United States and its two biggest adversaries: Russia and China.

War stories from the future: Launch of new Forward Defense practice

By Andrew Farnsworth

On Tuesday, June 2, at the inaugural event for the Atlantic Council’s newly-established Forward Defense practice, the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security hosted a panel of distinguished speakers to discuss the importance of thinking creatively about national security and defense.

Coronavirus should spur DoD to build back resilience and agility

By John F. Wharton and Tate Nurkin

A layered and targeted response is required to meet the proximate challenges to the defense and dual-use supply chain, which is critical to national security. This crisis, as terrible as it is, may be the catalyst for taking steps today that are necessary to build the supply chain resilience and industry agility required to meet future national crises.

The battle for 5G leadership is global and the US is behind: The White House’s new strategy aims to correct that.

By John T. Watts

The West has fallen behind in the competition for leadership of the 5G transition, a reality that has huge economic implications and also risks the West facing the reality of a global telecommunications backbone that not only has serious security flaws, but is also shaped by political values incompatible with our own. A new White House strategy aims to close the 5G transition gap.

Ending the “Endless War” trope

By Paul D. Miller

The trope about ending endless wars is really a way of arguing that the US foreign policy establishment has failed, that the supposed doctrine of interventionism is ineffective and counterproductive, and that the United States should retrench, withdraw, and do less in the world. It is the latest talking point in a long-running debate between advocates of restraint and advocates of engagement. The debate is not whether we want wars to end or not, but about what strategy is best suited to end them on the best terms.

The fox in the henhouse: How bureaucratic processes handicap US military supremacy and what to do about it

By Stephen Rodriguez

Washington’s once unrivaled military strength is now increasingly challenged by that of its adversaries. To stay ahead, the United States must restructure its relationship with commercial companies by reducing regulation that hinders innovation, speed, and the ability for private industry to access government contracts.

In an era of great-power competition, procurement reform not more regulation for the defense industrial base

By Tate Nurkin

What strategic gains can DoD realize from being a better customer? Given the reluctance of the US commercial sector to engage in defense work and the speedy innovation of our rivals, reform is needed.