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National Commission on the Future of the Army
Last year the Congress established the National Commission on the Future of the Army (NCFA) in an attempt to resolve what might be called a civil war within the Army. The commission published its final report on January 28, 2016. Here’s a quick look at where the commission came from, what it found and recommended, and the views of CSIS experts on how well the commission did.
Categories: Defense Policy
Issues and Insights Vol. 16, No. 1 - Development Cooperation with North Korea: Expanding the Debate Beyond the Political Horizon
Policy makers in the United States, South Korea, China and other countries continuously craft plans of action for a potential future scenario when North Korea becomes more open, either by collapse or through a gradual process. This paper seeks to spark a similar discussion but about development cooperation with North Korea.
Categories: Defense Policy
NATO’s Nuclear Policy as Part of a Revitalized Deterrence Strategy
NATO’s strategy for transatlantic security, throughout the Cold War and to the present day, has been based on deterrence of potential adversaries through a mixture of both conventional and nuclear forces.
Categories: Defense Policy
PacNet #11 -- Domestic interests and “strategic benefits” in Australia-Japan submarine deal
Prime Minister Abe Shinzo continues to lead Japan’s effort to sell subs to Australia, pushing the Soryu-class submarines in his Dec. 18, 2015 meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Categories: Defense Policy
Toughing It Out in Afghanistan
Toughing It Out in Afghanistan is designed to help the reader understand more about the Afghan nation and to inform international debate on how to approach the conflict there in 2010 and 2011.
Categories: Defense Policy
Toughing it Out in Afghanistan: Current Prospects and Recommendations for Future Policy
Event Information:
- February 22, 2010, 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
On February 22, Brookings will host the launch of the book Toughing it Out in Afghanistan, written by Brookings Senior Fellow Michael O’Hanlon and Hassina Sherjan, an Afghan activist, educator and businesswoman. The book debunks a dozen commonly held myths and misimpressions about the state of Afghanistan today while offering concrete recommendations for future policy.
Categories: Defense Policy
What the Marja Battle Costs
A recent NATO and Afghan military move in the Helmand province town of Marja has taken a toll on civilians and military troops. However, write Michael O’Hanlon, the losses in Marja are small in comparison to previous battles in the region and that, overall, the Helmand province push could be the first step in building positive momentum in Afghanistan.
Categories: Defense Policy
The Tide May Be Turning In Afghanistan
With a fresh offensive in the works, a rising number of U.S. casualties, political troubles in Kabul and no clear end in sight, many believe the situation in Afghanistan to be a dire one.  However, using first hand experience and recent polling information, Michael O’Hanlon and Hassina Sherjan argue this is not the case, and that there is still reason for hope in Afghanistan.
Categories: Defense Policy
Desperate for a Taliban Deal?
At the International Conference on Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai issued a prominent call for reconciliation with the Taliban. However, as troops on the ground work to strengthen Afghan forces and local leadership, Michael O’Hanlon and Hassina Sherjan argue that an agreement with the Taliban could prove detrimental to security and stability in the region.
Categories: Defense Policy
Around the Halls: The State of the Union and Foreign Policy
Scholars from around the halls of Brookings discuss President Obama's first State of the Union speech, offering their analysis of what the President's words mean for foreign policy. The relationship with China, the war in Afghanistan, and the President's pursuit of a new strategic arms treaty are examined.
Categories: Defense Policy
State of the Union 2010: A Pivotal Moment
Event Information:
- January 28, 2010, 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
President Obama’s State of the Union address came at a critical time for his administration and for the country. On January 28, Brookings hosted a discussion of the address and its impact on the policy agenda in areas such as the economy, health care, foreign policy and climate change.
Categories: Defense Policy
Afghanistan, Iraq and Beyond: A Discussion with U.S. Army Chief of Staff George Casey
Event Information:
- January 28, 2010, 10:15 AM to 11:30 AM
From the troop increase in Afghanistan to the uptick in violence in Iraq to the relief mission in Haiti, the U.S. Army enters 2010 with an already robust agenda. On January 28, the 21st Century Defense Initiative at Brookings hosted General George Casey, chief of staff of the U.S. Army and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for a discussion of the state of the U.S. Army and the challenges it faces this year.
Categories: Defense Policy
Negotiations and Reconciliation with the Taliban: Key Policy Issues and Dilemmas
At the International Conference on Afghanistan on January 28, leaders from Afghanistan, the United Kingdom and Japan presented their options for reconciliation with the Taliban. Vanda Felbab-Brown evaluates these developments, arguing that, when it comes to negotiating with the Taliban, the content, costs and benefits of each approach must be measured carefully to reach a successful outcome.
Categories: Defense Policy
Shooting Up: Counterinsurgency and the War on Drugs
Event Information:
- January 25, 2010, 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM
For many policymakers, counterinsurgency and counternarcotics policy are two sides of the same coin. However, eradication-focused counternarcotics campaigns typically fail to bankrupt belligerent groups and may even strengthen insurgents. On January 25, the 21st Century Defense Initiative hosted Vanda Felbab-Brown and Dr. Wendy Chamberlin for a discussion of Felbab-Brown’s new book Shooting Up: Counterinsurgency and the War on Drugs.
Categories: Defense Policy
The Status Report: Facing Challenges in Afghanistan and Pakistan
While the situations in Afghanistan and Pakistan are still dire, Bruce Riedel says that President Obama made the right decision to focus on the region as the epicenter of the struggle against al Qaeda. His colleague Vanda Felbab-Brown agrees, giving the president a B overall in The Status Report, but says that the president made the decision too late in 2009.
Categories: Defense Policy
Obama’s Challenges in Afghanistan and Pakistan
In this installment of the Status Report, a series of policy assessments of the Obama administration’s first year, Vanda Felbab-Brown gives the Obama administration a B for its leadership in confronting the challenges in Afghanistan and Pakistan. She applauds the president for his commitment of more troops to the Afghan war, while lamenting lost opportunities.
Categories: Defense Policy
Richard Holbrooke: The Obama Administration’s Challenges in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Event Information:
- January 07, 2010, 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM
Afghanistan and Pakistan remain at the forefront of President Obama’s foreign policy agenda, as questions persist about the success of U.S. policies in the region. Brookings hosted Richard C. Holbrooke, the administration’s special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, for a conversation on the Obama administration’s way forward in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Categories: Defense Policy
Narco-Jihad: Drug Trafficking and Security in Afghanistan and Pakistan
In an essay on the nexus between the narcotics economy and violent conflict in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Vanda Felbab-Brown explores the factors supporting opium production in those countries. Felbab-Brown also offers options for successful counter-narcotics policies and for building an alternative legal economy throughout the struggling region.
Categories: Defense Policy
Four Global Crisis Spots
Writing about the year ahead in foreign policy, Michael O’Hanlon identifies four important policy challenges facing the Obama Administration that will reach crucial milestones in 2010 – Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and nuclear nonproliferation.
Categories: Defense Policy
States of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan
Ian Livingston, Heather Messera and Michael O'Hanlon examine leading metrics from Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan to assess how well the counterinsurgency and stabilization operations are faring in these three major arenas of U.S. military involvement.
Categories: Defense Policy
