The mind games that telegraph any military strike are simmering along and on the verge of a full boil. David Ignatius, columnist for the Washington Post, is reporting that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta believes there is a …
Leon Panetta
Reduced U.S. Role in Afghanistan: Politics, By Other Means
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s statement Wednesday that the U.S. plans to hand off all combat missions in Afghanistan sometime in 2013 has triggered howls from hawks who maintain it’s a step down a slippery slope headed to …
The Defense Budget: “You Used to Be Big”
Shortly after Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s penciled in some details on how he plans to cut $487 billion from the Pentagon budget over the coming decade (yielding a 6.8% increase in dollars spent between 2013 and 2017; a 1.6% cut when inflation is included) you’d have thunk he was a dentist practicing without Novocain.
Yet that …
Measuring Military Effectiveness
The new Pew Research Center survey we cited the other day on waning public support for the war in Afghanistan is crammed with lots of interesting data. But this chart stopped us short. It asked the public if cutting the military’s size would reduce its effectiveness.
Battleland is no pollster, but isn’t that kind of like …
Talk is Cheap in Washington When It Comes to Politicians and the U.S. Military
Last night, President Obama opened his State of the Union address by referencing the sacrifices and courage of America’s military personnel as they return home from combat. The President’s rhetoric was moving, but unfortunately, words are simply words and have not been fully backed up with action that supports America’s heroes.
Persian Paper Tiger? Go Navy!
Less than three weeks ago, Iran’s army chief warned the screen door not to hit the stern of the USS John Stennis as it left the Persian Gulf. “I recommend and emphasize to the American carrier not to return to the Persian …
About That Trillion-Dollar Cut
Seems all the bluster about cutting military spending by $1 trillion over the next decade – about 15% — isn’t the hair-on-fire moment that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and his congressional allies have been …
We Mean It This Time
Sunday, January 8, on CBS’s Face the Nation:
We have made very clear that the United States will not tolerate blocking of the Straits of Hormuz. That’s another red line for us — and that we will respond to that.
— Defense Secretary Leon Panetta
Friday, January 13, on the front page of the New York Times:
WASHINGTON — The
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Are Iran’s “Red Lines” Equally Red?
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was so busy talking about “red lines” over the weekend, you could be forgiven for thinking he was a hockey player — or a racecar driver. Of course, the defense chief’s red lines dealt with Iran – and it’s worth noting, for those of you keeping score at home – that one red line is far more …
Tomorrow’s Pentagon: Doing Less, With More
President Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta unveiled a new military strategy Thursday: the Pentagon of the future, they made clear, will be doing less with more.
“Over the next 10 years, the growth in the defense …
The Two-MRC Strategy: Major Regional Contingencies, or Mythical Routine Canards?
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is coming to the Pentagon podium Thursday the explain how he’s going to trim $450 billion of the U.S. military’s nearly $6 trillion spending plan over the coming decade.
Because the …
The $450 Billion Question: Remains Unanswered
So this is the week where Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is going to give us a peek into where he wants to cut $450 billion in military spending over the coming decade. It’s the lead story in the New York Times Tuesday morning, …
“If they proceed and we get intelligence that they're proceeding in developing a nuclear weapon, then we will take whatever steps are necessary to stop it.”