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July 2018

commentary

Lives on the Line: The A2AD Challenge to Combat Casualty Care
Countries such as Russia and China continue to develop and expand the ability to integrate long-range strike, anti-ship, anti-air, space and cyber abilities. Provision of medical support could be a worthy priority for NATO planners when considering deterrence of and defense against near-peer or peer adversaries.
Jul 31, 2018

commentary

Downloadable Guns and Other 3-D Printing Security Threats
Americans may soon be able to legally access blueprints for 3D-printed guns. The growing opposition to these weapons shows that potential security threats do not have to be inevitable. The security challenges inherent in 3D printing could be addressed, while the development of industry norms can still be shaped.
Jul 31, 2018
commentary

What Keeps Millennials Awake at Night Could Change Over Time
Millennials are less worried than baby boomers about national security topics and more worried about kitchen table issues, such as making ends meet each month and paying off debts. But this may have less to do with the fact that they are millennials and more to do with the fact that millennials are young.
Jul 30, 2018
commentary

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.
Jul 27, 2018
commentary

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.
Jul 27, 2018
commentary

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?
Jul 25, 2018
commentary

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.
Jul 24, 2018
commentary

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.
Jul 23, 2018
commentary

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?
Jul 20, 2018
commentary

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?
Jul 20, 2018
commentary

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.
Jul 20, 2018
commentary

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.
Jul 19, 2018
commentary

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.
Jul 16, 2018
commentary

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.
Jul 13, 2018
commentary

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.
Jul 13, 2018
commentary

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.
Jul 12, 2018
commentary

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.
Jul 12, 2018
commentary

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.
Jul 11, 2018
commentary

Tax Funding of Health and Social Care Internationally: Does Hypothecation Help?
The case for raising much more money to pay for health care and social care in the United Kingdom over the next few years is strong. Earmarking taxes for public funding of health care or social care is worth consideration.
Jul 10, 2018
commentary

Time to Make a Deal on Syria
U.S. leverage is much diminished by the Assad regime's recent gains but there are still opportunities for Washington and Russia to achieve a settlement that preserves some U.S. interests. These include maintaining the gains made against the Islamic State and constraining Iranian influence in Syria.
Jul 10, 2018
essay

More Research Could Help Prevent Gun Violence in America
Both sides of the gun policy debate agree on what the objectives of any policy should be. But they disagree over which policies would best achieve those goals. Current evidence for or against most gun proposals is weak, contradictory, or nonexistent. Only research can show what does—and doesn't—work.
Jul 10, 2018
commentary

Western Unity Is Best for Russian Summitry
In preparing for his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump could benefit from a coordinated Western approach toward Moscow as a prelude. Absent this, his hand will be seriously weakened.
Jul 5, 2018
commentary

Why 'Guilt-Free' Lanes at the Supermarket Could Help Fight Obesity
The United Kingdom is banishing so-called “guilt lanes,” supermarket cash register aisles permeated by junk food. This is a necessary step in the nation's fight against obesity. But what's really needed is a comprehensive approach.
Jul 5, 2018
commentary

Trump and Putin Should Start Small at Helsinki Summit
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will hold their first formal summit on July 16. Their agenda will likely include the main sources of strain in relations, but they might find it easier to make concrete progress if they start with lower-profile issues as Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan did at their first summit.
Jul 2, 2018