2018

Military Mobilization

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Exploring the Allied Decisions on Military Mobility in Europe
Debates about defense expenditure and concerns over the unity of NATO overshadowed decisions on defense and deterrence in Europe made during the recent NATO summit and European Council meetings. Both high-level events brought significant and tangible conclusions with potential impacts on defense, deterrence, and readiness in Europe.
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Jul 27, 2018
Marta Kepe @martakepe
Nuclear Terrorism

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Is the Threat of Nuclear Terrorism Distracting Attention from More Realistic Threats?
A nuclear terrorist attack is currently not a realistic threat. It would require an unprecedented level of sophistication from terrorists. The majority of terrorist attacks are conducted with conventional explosives.
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Jul 27, 2018
Antonia Ward
International Diplomacy

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Attempts to Order Geopolitics Have a Sobering History
Past efforts to introduce world order have resulted less from foresighted statecraft than from cataclysmic upheavals such as World War II. If the current international system erodes, what might have to happen for a new one to emerge?
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Jul 25, 2018
Ali Wyne
International Diplomacy

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Making Sense of South Korea's Cautious Optimism on North Korea
South Korea is cautiously optimistic that North Korea will denuclearize, and it hopes that this will lead to the normalization of relations. The vast majority of U.S. observers believe that the North is bluffing. Seoul and Washington should continue to strive for transparency about the future of the peninsula.
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Jul 24, 2018
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
Security Cooperation

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Is India the Weakest Link in the Quad?
India's sustained membership in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue would fit with the goal of balancing against China to deter it from further militarizing the Indo-Pacific. But New Dehli may be getting cold feet.
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Jul 23, 2018
Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman
Military Force Planning

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Reshaping U.S. Military Forces: Getting the Process Right
War gaming and analysis show that American forces face serious operational challenges. What steps could be taken to ensure the United States can defeat aggression by its greatest adversaries?
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Jul 20, 2018
David A. Ochmanek
Trade Barriers

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The U.S.-China Trade War: Different Messages
The trade war between the United States and China began with the notification of tariffs on $34 billion of traded goods on each side. Officials on both sides of the Pacific are using different messages to convey the dispute. What are the real impacts likely to be?
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Jul 20, 2018
Rafiq Dossani
Military Education and Training

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To Produce Strategists, Focus on Staffing Senior Leaders
To reinvigorate graduate-level professional military education, the military could carve out a unique educational niche by focusing on intense, quality staff officer education that is more relevant to understanding the demands placed on top defense leaders.
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Jul 20, 2018
Paula G. Thornhill
Environmental Regulation

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Suggestions to Help EPA Successfully Implement Retrospective Reviews
The EPA's interest in including a systematic retrospective review element in new regulation has the potential to provide a transparent and well-structured method for assessing which decisions worked well and which didn't. If successful, it could serve as a role model for other regulatory agencies.
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Jul 19, 2018
Benjamin M. Miller
Military Strategy

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Small States Can Use Naval Mines and Unmanned Vehicles to Deter Maritime Aggression
Small coastal nations face potential threats from larger, more powerful adversaries. Their coastlines represent vulnerabilities that a foe may seek to exploit. But these nations can hinder and deter potential aggressors by using less expensive systems, such as naval mines and unmanned vehicles.
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Jul 16, 2018
Scott Savitz
Military Budgets and Defense Spending

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A Look at NATO Funding
European defense spending has been rising since 2014. NATO's two percent of GDP target for defense spending is a goal, not a commitment, and indeed a goal to be reached by 2024, not a standard allies have already failed to meet.
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Jul 13, 2018
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
National Security Organizations

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Homeland Security Should Consider Filling Vacancies at the Top Before Tackling Department Reform
Vacancies in key management positions in the Department of Homeland Security will likely present a challenge to the implementation of Trump administration government reform and reorganization proposals. Naming permanent deputies could help the administration carry out its reform plans at DHS.
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Jul 13, 2018
Ryan Consaul
Arctic Region

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Cooperation in the Arctic Likely to Continue—For Now
Risks for serious tensions in the Arctic during the 2020s are likely to be overstated. Key players in the Arctic appear likely to continue working together to enhance the economic potential of the region and resolve conflicts before they emerge, as opportunities in the Arctic continue to grow.
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Jul 12, 2018
Stephanie Pezard @StephaniePezard, Antonia Ward
Data Science

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Truth Decay, America's Latest Pastime
Detailed data and complex analysis are the foundation of decisionmaking in baseball and many other professions and occupations. But facts are out of favor in current U.S. political and civil discourse, and the public policymaking that accompanies it.
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Jul 12, 2018
Michael D. Rich @michaeldrich, Jennifer Kavanagh
Russia

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Russia's Wars and Trump
At the July 16 summit in Helsinki, President Trump might stress that the West will persist in imposing costs on Russia for current and any future malign interventions. At the same time, he could offer to work with Putin in the search for peace in Syria and Ukraine if Moscow were to decide to withdraw its forces.
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Jul 11, 2018
Colin P. Clarke, William Courtney @courtneywmh