READ THE REPORT — In a new Atlantic Council report — “NATO and Trump: A Case for a New Transatlantic Bargain” — Amb. Alexander Vershbow, NATO’s former deputy secretary general, and Fabrice Pothier, NATO’s former head of policy planning, argue “that the Trump administration could be the catalyst for long overdue changes for the Alliance.” “The central recommendations are that firstly; European allies and Canada should commit to a concrete plan and a tighter timetable for increasing defense spending by the end of Trump’s term – through a NATO 2020 investment plan and an enforcement mechanism to hold allies accountable for their commitments. Secondly, the US and European allies should agree to a substantially enhanced operational role for the Alliance in the wider Middle East – including playing a greater role in training local forces in the Middle East, and agreeing on a common fund of up to one billion dollars to help support NATO’s contribution to the fight against terrorism,” the Atlantic Council wrote in a May 23, 2017, press release.

“Russia views cyber very differently than its western counterparts, from the way Russian theorists define cyberwarfare to how the Kremlin employs its cyber capabilities,” the Center for Naval Analyses’ Michael Connell and Sarah Vogler write in “Russia’s Approach to Cyber Warfare.” “The paper examines the Russian approach to cyber warfare, addressing both its theoretical and its practical underpinnings.”

In “Generations of War: The Rise of the Warrior Caste and the All-Volunteer Force,” the Center for a New American Security’s Amy Schafer examines the relationship between the emergence of a so-called “warrior caste,” which she describes in the report as “a trend in which a large proportion of those who do choose to serve come from military families,” and the growing disconnect between civilians and service members within the US, as well as the future of “the All-Volunteer Force.”

According to a new report from the Center for a New American Security, the globalization of China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (or PLAN) is a potential threat to the US Navy’s open-ocean dominance. “China’s ability to conduct power projection and amphibious operations around the world will become a fundamental fact of politics in the near future, with significant consequences for the United States and its allies, all of which need to begin preparing for a ‘risen China’ rather than a ‘rising China,’ especially in the realm of maritime security,” CNAS writes. Learn more about the study, which offers “key judgements and recommendations for policymakers” to address this risk, here.

In “Countering Coercion in Maritime Asia: The Theory and Practice of Gray Zone Deterrence,” a new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, authors Michael Green, Kathleen Hicks, Zack Cooper, John Schaus and Jake Douglas use “detailed analysis of both deterrence theory and recent incidents of gray zone coercion” to assemble lessons learned for legislators, and suggest “moving beyond tactical scenario analysis to a more strategic deterrence framework for countering Chinese coercion writ large.”

“In recent years, some nations have shifted to more ambiguous activities for exerting global influence, in attempts to achieve benefits normally obtained through conventional war, but without triggering such a war,” The Center for Naval Analyses’ David A. Broyles and Brody Blankenship write in the abstract to their April 2017 report “The Role of Special Operations Forces in Global Competition.” Their report examines “a different way of thinking about these ambiguous activities and their implications, which suggested a need to shift U.S. focus away from preparing to win tomorrow and toward winning today,” describes “a different approach to U.S. activities in such competitive environments,” and makes the case for US Special Operations Forces being the best fit for carrying out said actions.

Hal Brands of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments writes “that although America’s alliances are a source of great geopolitical strength, the difficult reality is that shifts in global economic and military power have left many of America’s traditional allies with significantly diminished relative standing and capabilities. The monograph assesses the key trends that have marked this decline since the early post-Cold War era and discusses the increasingly severe strategic challenges this situation poses for American statecraft. It concludes with a series of practical recommendations for how the United States can manage its alliances amid ongoing changes in the global distribution of power, and how it can better position itself to compete in a global context in which its allies’ strengths-while still considerable-are not as great as they once were.”

In “Terrorist Use of Virtual Currencies: Containing the Potential Threat,” Zachary K. Goldman, Ellie Maruyama, Elizabeth Rosenberg, Edoardo Saravalle and Julia Solomon-Strauss of the Center for a New American Security looks at the possible use of said currencies to fund terrorism.

In “Costs of Building a 355-Ship Navy,” Dr. Eric Labs, the senior analyst for naval forces and weapons at the Congressional Budget Office, estimates that construction costs to build a fleet of 355 ships would average $26.6 billion (in 2017 dollars) per year over the next 30 years, which is 60 percent more than what the Navy has spent on average over the past 30 years.

“Keeping America’s Innovative Edge lays out a strategic framework for how the United States can reinvigorate its innovative edge,” the Atlantic Council writes of its new report by Peter Engelke and Robert A. Manning.