Save the United States
The right approach is to strike the very same kind of public-private partnership that birthed her to return her to passenger service.
Vago’s Notebook
US Must Learn Falklands War Lesson that Deterrence Matters
As the United States seek to avert war with China, it’s vital to remember the lessons of the Falklands War. The 1981 defense cuts by the Thatcher government, including retirement of the guard ship for the South Atlantic, HMS Endurance, convinced the Argentine junta that London were no longer committed to the Falklands and their defense. As deterring war is cheaper than fighting one, Washington must avoid sending Beijing the wrong signals that could lead to miscalculation that results in conflict.
Toughness, Not Self Deterrence, Needed to Deter Putin, Xi
Revised on Mar 22, 2022 at 09:37 When NATO leaders meet in Brussels on Thursday,…
Disinformation and Domestic Extremism are Existential Threats
A nation where leaders and a large chunk of the population either can’t tell fact from fiction — or deliberately won’t — can be exploited, whether internally by opportunists or externally by adversaries. This was the weakness Russia manipulated to tip the 2016 election in Trump’s favor with a disinformation campaign that cost about $100 million, the price of a single F-35 stealth fighter.
Returning Barb to the Fleet is Long Overdue
Navy Secretary Ken Braithwaite was on the mark by naming the latest Virginia-class submarine for Barb in memory of Gene Fluckey’s legendary World War II boat. It’s time the Navy continues this tradition and brings back other historic names to the submarine force. Those who served aboard nuclear submarines named for their illustrious World War II predecessors all note the pride what that heritage represented. Each of those boats carried aboard them the flags their namesakes flew in battle, tangible touchstones that instilled pride and esprit de corps in their crews.
Cutting US Troops From Germany Will Hurts NATO & America, Helps Russia
The Trump administration’s plan to cut 12,000 US troops from Germany will hurt NATO, undermine America’s global reputation, help Russia by reducing US troops in Germany by a third and stoking discord among key alliance members, and waste time and money.
Structuring for the Long Game with China — and Russia
Whoever wins the presidency in November must take a cue from President Eisenhower to craft a similar long-term approach toward China — as well as Russia — and shape a force needed to deter, and if necessary, defeat both, but on a budget.
The US Navy Must Soul-Search in Wake of Bonhomme Richard Fire
The fire aboard the US Navy amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard in San Diego raises profound questions about the competence and capacity of the service and its leadership — with budget, strategy and deterrence implications.
Implement the Cyberspace Solarium Commission’s Recommendations
The Cyberspace Solarium Commission’s recommendations must be implemented now because its time for America to step up its cyber game at a time when more people are more vulnerable than ever. Failing to act to study job descriptions is simply inexcusable when you’re in the midst of a crisis than demands putting someone in charge of the battle and getting rounds on target.
Time for Hard Choices
Washington no longer has the luxury of unnecessary duplication of capabilities, programs of incremental value, systems that are vulnerable or cause more logistical headaches than they solve.
The reassessment of America’s legacy platforms, concepts of operations and assumptions must be clinical, empirical and unsentimental.
Anything that poses novel and costly problems for our adversaries, holds their forces at risk, heightens their uncertainty or complicates every element of their planning deserves to be prioritized. Anything that doesn’t should be sacrificed to free resources for what will.