Center for a New American Security

The March 7 national election in Iraq and the period of government formation that will follow it carry enormous implications for both the future of the country and for U.S. policy there, according to a new CNAS policy brief by Senior Fellow Thomas E. Ricks.  With elections unlikely to resolve political struggles that fuel sectarian violence and Iraqi forces unable to stand alone, President Obama may find himself facing major decisions about troop levels and the U.S. role in post-election Iraq, writes Ricks.  

The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is pleased to announce that Lieutenant General David W. Barno, U.S. Army (retired), is joining CNAS as a Senior Advisor and Senior Fellow on May 1, 2010.  General Barno, currently Director of the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University (NDU), will contribute to the Center’s work on U.S. defense policy, military strategy, veterans’ affairs and South and Central Asia, among other issues.

WASHINGTON, DC, FEBRUARY 22, 2010 – Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' recent firing of the F-35 Program Manager has heightened concerns in the policy community that the plane is failing to meet its economic and military objectives. But in a new report, CNAS Non-Resident Senior Fellow Ethan Kapstein suggests that the multinational F-35 exemplifies the complexity of the Pentagon's global acquisition strategy.