How Defense Choices Affect Military Readiness

commentary

(Defense News)

U.S. Marines with their Georgian counterparts preparing for NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, March 24, 2015

U.S. Marines with their Georgian counterparts preparing for NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, March 24, 2015

Photo by Sgt. Tatum Vayavananda/U.S. Marine Corps

by Chad C. Serena and Colin P. Clarke

August 10, 2016

As a global hegemon, the United States is a leader in the market of international security. Its military is the best funded, trained and equipped in the world, and should therefore be abundantly ready to manage a range of actual and potential threats to national and international security. It is nonetheless sometimes underprepared for the challenges the country faces once it decides to commit forces to a conflict.

Why is this the case?

The remainder of this commentary is available on defensenews.com.


Chad C. Serena and Colin P. Clarke are political scientists at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation.

This commentary originally appeared on Defense News on August 10, 2016. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.