Conventional wisdom holds that second presidential terms tend to be somehow fatally cursed—Eisenhower and the U-2; Nixon and Watergate; Reagan and Iran-contra; Clinton and impeachment; George W. Bush and Iraq and the financial …
President Obama
Leveraging
See where GOP candidate Mitt Romney has just released a roster of more than 300 retired generals and admirals who are endorsing him for President. They range from former Army general Tommy Franks, who commanded the invasions of …
When “No Acts of Terror” Actually Means “This Act of Terror”
When bad things happen, it’s human nature to accentuate the positive, as Johnny Mercer put it. That’s precisely what the Obama Administration did following the September 11 killing of U.S. ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and …
Pitchfork in the Road
“The Threats We Face Have Grown Worse”
Debating Military Matters
Wednesday night’s presidential debate focused on domestic matters, so no surprise that national-security mentions were scant.
As such, there was no talk of wars fought, being fought, and yet-to-be-fought, nor of the troops …
Countdown to Sequestration: Three Months to Go
The impending cut of $1.2 trillion in deficit spending has given Congress the vapors. Its members have hustled back home, seeking re-election for the great job they’ve done on behalf of their constituents. Is this a great …
After-Action Report: It’d Be Stupid but Not Disastrous
Part Five of Five
There is an immense amount of concern over sequestration, not just inside D.C., but also among our allies. Fortunately, for them and for U.S. security, the rhetoric does not match the reality.
By looking …
Measuring Its Impact on the Korean Peninsula
Part Four of Five
One can easily see how South Korean leaders might be concerned when they hear American leaders say that sequestration would be “catastrophic” for the U.S. military and that “the gap between the U.S. …
A Case Study: East Asia
Part Three of Five
The U.S. may have global power and responsibilities, but in recent years, a strategic shift has occurred. China’s military has risen in conjunction with its driving economy, which has prompted a refocus on …
Comparing Defense Budgets, Apples to Apples
Part Two of Five
In the opening article, we saw how a massive and growing debt (as well as a dose of bad politics) has set America on a path towards sequestration, or, at the very least ,the potential of serious levels of …
Sequestration and What It Would Do to U.S. Military Power
Part One of Five
In recent months, concerns over sequestration and its impact on the U.S. military have reached a fever pitch in Washington.
Sequestration “would destroy the military” and cause an “inability to defend …
Will the Surge’s Impact Last?
Now begins a two-year endgame.
Less than a week after a brazen attack inflicted the biggest loss of U.S. military aircraft since Vietnam, and as the Air Force begins deploying its deadly flying-cannon AC-130 gunships over …