February 23, 2017
Grow the US military but do it right, not just fast
Topping the 2017 agendas for President Trump, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, and Armed Services Committee leadership are plans to grow the military.
They are each glossing over any differences among them on America’s role in the world in pursuit of their mutual objective of rebuilding the force, as spotlighted in the memorandum Trump signed out at the Pentagon last Friday. After six years under arbitrary and counterproductive budget caps, few in the defense community are eager to scrutinize this consensus.
Their desire to grow the force quickly, however, should not overcome their duty to taxpayers and the troops themselves. They must grow the force with careful intention and a clear goal in mind.
Read the full article at The Hill.
More from CNAS
-
National Security Has a Human Capital Problem and There’s No Fast Way Out
Podcast
National security doesn’t really exist without the military forces and supporting civilians to carry it out. Recruitment remains a problem for the armed forces. And there’s a ...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
-
The Department of Defense’s Breakthrough Nuclear Moment Risks Slipping Away
Commentary
Unless they act, the Department of Defense’s breakthrough nuclear moment may vanish before it really happens....
By Will Rogers
-
Sharper: National Security Human Capital
Commentary
U.S. national security depends on the nation’s ability to leverage the expertise of uniformed warfighters and the highly skilled civilian professionals who develop and impleme...
By Charles Horn & Taren Sylvester
-
Hegseth Brings the Culture War to Combat
Commentary
The fundamental challenge of military leadership lies in creating cohesive teams that can work together in an environment of mortal risk and, when called upon to do so, use le...
By Dr. Jason Dempsey
