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Military Force Planning

Military Personnel Retention
commentary
Military Power Is All About People: A Return to Personnel Policy
Radha Iyengar @RadhaKIyengar, Brad Carson, Amy Schafer, John D. Winkler
Jul 27, 2017
War on the Rocks
Ensuring the strength of U.S. armed forces is critical to U.S. national security and the key source of strength is its people. True investment in personnel is a long-term legacy and an investment worthy of attention and policy debate to ensure the United States continues to recruit and retain the most effective fighting force in the world.
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Japan
commentary
Giving Japan a Military
Jeffrey W. Hornung
Jun 20, 2017
The Japan Times
After 70 years, Japan may finally be on the cusp of acquiring its own military. Legally, that is. Prime Minister Abe has proposed a change to Japan's constitution to give legal standing to the Self-Defense Forces, and it's long overdue.
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Taiwan
commentary
Taiwan's 2017 Quadrennial Defense Review in Context
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman, Michael Chase, Logan Ma
Jun 14, 2017
Global Taiwan Brief
Taiwan's 2017 Quadrennial Defense Review is consistent with past reviews on defense strategy, reform of the military service system, and defense budget constraints. It also emphasizes the importance to President Tsai of Taiwan's domestic defense industry and shows uncertainty about U.S. Asia policy.
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Japan
commentary
Japan's Mistaken South Sudan Withdrawal
Jeffrey W. Hornung
Jun 8, 2017
The Diplomat
Being a proactive contributor to peace involves risk if a country is serious about gaining real-world experience. Pulling out of South Sudan deprives Japan's Self-Defense Force of crucial operational experience and sends a confusing message to the United States and the international community.
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Military Strategy
commentary
A More Public National Security Strategy Discussion
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Mar 7, 2017
RealClearDefense
President Trump has proposed an increase of $54 billion in defense spending, about 10 percent more than the current budget. But what is the national security strategy that supports this reallocation of resources? A comprehensive discussion of threats to U.S. interests and strategies to address them is in order.
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Military Strategy
commentary
Five Simple Strategy Lessons for a New Secretary of Defense
Raphael S. Cohen
Mar 2, 2017
RealClearDefense
Secretary of Defense James Mattis will need to lay the intellectual groundwork to fulfill President Trump's promise of “a great rebuilding” of the United States military. History suggests that how the strategies are developed may be as important to their success as what they say.
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China
commentary
People's Liberation Army Reforms and Their Ramifications
Cristina L. Garafola @CLGarafola
Sep 23, 2016
Defense Dossier
The newest round of reforms to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is expected to improve the military's efficiency, warfighting capability, and political loyalty, but entrenched interests within the PLA could lead to reluctance within the military to adjust to new realities.
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Operational Readiness
commentary
How Defense Choices Affect Military Readiness
Chad C. Serena, Colin P. Clarke @ColinPClarke
Aug 10, 2016
Defense News
Because the U.S. cannot afford to prioritize and defend against every possible threat, it must accept risk with each decision. And the more adaptive the adversary, the more likely it will confound readiness investments made previously to confront it.
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Military Force Planning
commentary
Reimagining and Modernizing U.S. Airborne Forces for the 21st Century
David E. Johnson, John Gordon IV
Apr 20, 2016
War on the Rocks
Many of the challenges the U.S. will face in the coming years across the range of military operations could be deep inland and require rapid response. Airborne forcible entry — with reimagined and modernized airborne forces — would offer decisionmakers options in crises that they do not possess today.
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Taiwan
commentary
Taiwan Forced to Rethink Its Air Defense Strategy
Michael Lostumbo
Apr 14, 2016
Defense News
Taiwan's defense problem is challenging, but it will spend a considerable sum on air defense capabilities in the coming years, and those investments could be made much more effective.
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Special Operations Forces
commentary
Women in Special Security Forces: What the U.S. Can Learn from the Afghans
Whitney Dudley, Robert Stewart
Mar 28, 2016
Military Times
The contributions of the women in Afghanistan's special security forces demonstrate the unique value that women can bring to special operations forces in socially conservative societies. They are successful in tactical roles and in operations requiring interaction with the community.
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Cybercrime
commentary
The Military Should Increase Efforts to Find and Enlist Young Hackers
Isaac R. Porche III @IsaacPorche, Chad C. Serena
Mar 10, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
Some notorious cyberattacks have been carried out by computer-savvy teens. They don't all have criminal intentions, they just have a particular aptitude for writing code and operating in cyberspace. The U.S. military should consider embracing and cultivating this pool of talent.
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Operational Readiness
commentary
The Tension Between What the Army Is and What It Does
Gian Gentile
Mar 3, 2016
The National Interest
Cooperation and integration of the Army's three components is important, but what's most important is effectiveness in war and the key to that is trained, properly organized, and ready forces.
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United States Army
commentary
Planning for the 'Army of the Future'
David E. Johnson
Feb 17, 2016
The Hill
What must the Army be ready to do as part of a joint force, now and in the future? What capacities and capabilities should the Army have in order to be ready? The NCFA comes up short in its answers to both of these questions.
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Gender Equity in the Workplace
announcement
RAND Studies Help Inform Pentagon Decision to Open Combat Roles to Women
Feb 5, 2016
RAND researchers addressed topics such as whether members of U.S. special forces are ready to integrate women into their ranks and what lessons may be learned from other militaries that already have integrated women into combat positions.
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Operational Readiness
commentary
Ground Combat
David E. Johnson
Dec 23, 2015
The Cipher Brief
The U.S. Army needs to pay attention to state-sponsored irregular forces, whose numbers are growing. Such groups represent the type of adversary U.S. ground forces are likely to face.
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Page 1 of 5

Military Force Planning

Military Power Is All About People: A Return to Personnel Policy

Giving Japan a Military

Taiwan's 2017 Quadrennial Defense Review in Context

Japan's Mistaken South Sudan Withdrawal

A More Public National Security Strategy Discussion

Five Simple Strategy Lessons for a New Secretary of Defense

People's Liberation Army Reforms and Their Ramifications

How Defense Choices Affect Military Readiness

Reimagining and Modernizing U.S. Airborne Forces for the 21st Century

Taiwan Forced to Rethink Its Air Defense Strategy

Women in Special Security Forces: What the U.S. Can Learn from the Afghans

The Military Should Increase Efforts to Find and Enlist Young Hackers

The Tension Between What the Army Is and What It Does

Planning for the 'Army of the Future'

RAND Studies Help Inform Pentagon Decision to Open Combat Roles to Women

Ground Combat

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