PENTAGON ACQUISITION REFORM - CounterStrikeMedia

DEFENSE SPENDING POST COVID, EXAMINING CHINESE AMBITIONS TO SHAPE GLOBAL POLICY AIMS & TURKEY'S LEADERSHIP CRISIS CONTINUES UNABATED

5/12/2020

Raytheon Technologies Is Posturing to Be the Pentagon’s Top Cyber Supplier
—Both Offensive and Defensive
By Loren Thompson, Forbes: "“Information warfare” seems to be emerging as the Pentagon’s preferred phrase to characterize efforts aimed at protecting friendly networks and databases while compromising the information systems of adversaries."

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works Demos Autonomous Reconnaissance Pod
By Garrett Reim, Flight Global: "Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Development Programs, known as Skunk Works, has demonstrated an artificial intelligence-powered intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) pod autonomously searching out and confirming a target."

CHINA:
Satellite Images Show That Chinese Navy Is Expanding Overseas Base
By H I Sutton, Forbes: "China’s navy, formally known as the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), has become more active in the Indian Ocean and Middle East."

Stimulus spending and the defense budget outlook
Mackenzie Eaglen | "Defense & Aerospace Report"

What if the Pentagon skipped 5G?
Mackenzie Eaglen | Defense One

Erdoğan shows democratic transition in Turkey is impossible
Michael Rubin | Washington Examiner

How will China shape global governance?
Michael Beckley | ChinaFile

WHY IRAQ GETS THE S400, RUSSIA ABANDONS NUCLEAR DESTROYERS; A LOOK AT THE NEW CHINESE RIFLE & WHY ITS OVER FOR "GRAND STRATEGY"

4/24/2020

CHINA:
What China’s Army Reforms Mean for the World
By Adam Ni & Bates Gill, Asia Times: "The ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu once said, Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak. Looking at the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) today, …"

When Resources Drive Strategy:
Understanding Clausewitz/Corbett’s War Limited by Contingent
By Vanya Eftimova Bellinger, Military Strategy Magazine: "In recent years, the concept of war by contingent has gradually gained more attention. Partially, this is due to the revival of the legacy of Sir Julian Corbett, but also because of states’ desire to avoid costly all-out conflicts."

Mackenzie Eaglen emphasizes that policymakers should focus on providing for the health, safety, and continuity of all the Pentagon’s workforces: uniformed, civilian, and contractor by injecting new liquidity into the defense industrial base. If the Pentagon and big prime contractors don’t take care of their suppliers and subcontractors, the defense industrial base will contract again, losing crucial skills and talents permanently — and possibly seeing those companies bought up by China. Learn more here.

IRAQ:
Iraq Moves Towards S-400 Acquisition
By Charles Forrester, Jane's: "Iraq has become the latest country to consider acquiring the Russian-made S-400 Triumf (NATO reporting name SA-21 'Growler'), the Iraqi press reported on 18 April."
RUSSIA:
Russia Abandons Nuclear Destroyer, Supersized Frigate Programs
By Joseph Trevithick, The WarZone: “Russia's Severnoye Design Bureau has stopped development entirely of its Project 23560 destroyers, also known as the Lider class, and the Project 22350M frigate, an expanded derivative of the Project 22350 Admiral Gorshkovclass. The company has said these ships are among its most promising future offerings and the halting of the two programs has raised questions about its long-term financial stability."

Chinese Soldiers Seen Testing New QBZ-191 Assault Rifle
By Peter Suciu, The National Interest: "Last week Chinese state media released footage of the People's Liberation Army's (PLA's) next-generation assault rifle, the QBZ-191. This would replace the QBZ-95-1 bullpup that has been in service since 1997."

Just as the 9/11 attacks changed the definition of national security and redirected the course of US policy for two decades, so too will the consequences of America’s unpreparedness for the coronavirus pandemic, notes Kori Schake in a Bloomberg op-ed. Protecting Americans against future, even unexpected, threats doesn’t require a sweeping overhaul of the national-security system. But strengthening our civil service — its competence, integrity, skills, and scope for action — is one of the best investments we could make in public safety. It does require committing to, investing in, and making effective use of the capabilities we already have. Continue here.

The End of Grand Strategy
By Daniel Drezner, Ronald R. Krebs & Randall Schweller, Foreign Affairs: “The changing nature of power, along with its diffusion in the international system, has made it much more difficult for the United States to shape its destiny."

Affordable, Abundant, and Autonomous: The Future of Ground Warfare
By Liam Collins & Harrison Morgan, War on the Rocks: "Between the world wars, Germany developed its blitzkrieg (“lightning warfare”) doctrine while the French developed the Maginot Line. Thus, as the U.S. Army finds itself in transition after nearly 20 years of fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it must get it right."

DoD Needs a Real Technology Strategy
By Paul Scharre & Ainikki Riikonen, Defense One: "Defense Department leaders agree the U.S. military must reinvigorate its technological edge. They just can't agree on which technologies matter."

The United States Marine Corps Is Changing. Why Should We Care?
By Jack Senogles, Wavell Room: "The United States Marine Corps (USMC) are undergoing a series of comprehensive reforms to its force structure, equipment, and doctrine. These reforms are geared towards countering China in the Western Pacific. General Berger, the Commandant of the USMC, has proposed plans for the Corps that suggest a profound change in U.S. strategic outlook with significant implications for NATO and the UK."

The High-Tech Arsenal of Democracy:
Economic Strength and Scientific Innovation in the Evolution of Modern Warfare
By Doug Livermore, Small Wars Journal: "The ability to leverage financial capabilities to bankroll both technological innovation and large-scale production of war materiel has increasingly driven the evolution of modern warfare. There is every indication that these interdependent elements will continue to have an even greater impact on the international security environment in the 21st century and beyond."

INDO-PAC RISES TO CHALLENGE CHINA & IRAN LAUNCHES SATELLITE; NUCLEAR POWER HOPES ON FUSION

4/4/2020

The Problem with Great-Power Competition
By Jack MacLennan, Modern War Institute: "Liberal internationalism has hallmarked the US strategic vision since the end of the Cold War. After a new, unipolar order took shape in the early 1990s, American strategic and operational planners were asked to support a world, according to G. John Ikenberry, defined by “open markets, international institutions, cooperative security, democratic community, progressive change, collective problem solving, and the rule of law.”"

Aligning America’s Ends and Means in the Indo-Pacific
By Bradley Bowman & John Hardie, Defense News: "The U.S. combatant command responsible for the Indo-Pacific region warned in a report last month that it lacks the resources and capabilities necessary to implement the National Defense Strategy. This mismatch between ends and means endangers American interests and invites Beijing to pursue opportunistic aggression.”

Iran: IRGC Launches Satellite. According to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Iran launched its first military satellite into orbit on Wednesday. IRGC Commander Hossein Salami said on state-run Press TV, “The satellite’s successful launch enhanced new aspects of the Islamic Republic’s defensive might.” The Pentagon has declined to comment on the confirmation of whether the satellite was in orbit and operational. Al Jazeera Associated Press The Jerusalem Post Reuters

China: New Amphibious Assault Ship Launched. Photos from the Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo showed that China's second Type 075 amphibious assault ship has been launched. The Type 075 is estimated to weigh around 36,000 tons and able to carry 28 helicopters making it slightly smaller than its American counterparts. The first Type 075 is still being outfitted and undergoing sea trials though COVID-19 has slowed the introduction of the ship into the Chinese navy. It is rumored a larger class of amphibious assault ships is currently under development. Forbes Naval News

Thornberry Urges Boost To Indo-Pacific Spending; A Pacific EDI
Mac Thornberry, the top Republican on the largest committee in Congress, has long pressed for changes his colleagues didn’t yet see as necessary. I’ve covered him for a long, long time and remember when he pressed hard with then-Sen. Dan Coats to make the services fight and train much more closely together. Their vision resulted…

Michèle A. Flournoy and Gabrielle Chefitz write: The United States cannot continue to use the same acquisition and development approach it uses for an aircraft carrier, understandably optimized to avoid large cost and schedule overruns, to develop new technologies and capabilities. Our current risk-averse system simply cannot deliver the necessary disruption at speed and scale. If we don’t accept more risk now, we will face the far greater risk of falling behind our adversaries in the future. – Defense News

The top Marine told reporters Wednesday that current layout and organization of the Corps’ Light Armored Reconnaissance units were better equipped to handle another conflict in the Middle East instead of rising near-peer rivals. – Defense News

Patrick M. Cronin and Ryan D. Neuhard write: China is not playing games in the Indo-Pacific. The United States needs to implement a comprehensive competitive strategy that proactively outmaneuvers China’s government and leverages U.S. strengths. Until policymakers do, they may as well spend their time playing laser tag while the rest of us watch the Indo-Pacific gradually slip into China’s control. – The Diplomat

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger has a vision for the Corps unlike that of any of his immediate predecessors. To say his 10-year plan to remake America’s most storied military service into an even smaller, more tailored fighting force is radical would not be far off the mark. – Washington Examiner

Defense strategy and priorities: Topline or transformation?
Mackenzie Eaglen | Reagan Foundation
While the 2018 National Defense Strategy charts a more honest and realistic priority set of threats and challenges for the US military, it is still purely additive.

CHINA:
China’s Unique Special Missions Aircraft
By Mike Yeo, Defence Review Asia: "A lot less attention has, however, been paid to the ongoing improvement in China's airborne support forces."

Naval Deterrence and Small Wars
By William R. Hawkins, Proceedings: The 1899 Hague Peace Conference was the first international gathering of major powers to discuss arms control. It was also notable for bringing together two of the era's greatest naval thinkers, both serving on the delegations of their respective countries: Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan for the United States and Admiral Sir John Fisher for Great Britain. Each took a dim view of the conference, believing that deterrence based on strength was a better guarantee of peace than disarmament. Admiral Fisher made this explicit in the assembly's most dramatic presentation ..."

COVID-19: U.S. Strategic Vulnerabilities From Over-Reliance on China
By Loren Thompson, Forbes: “President Trump has been criticized for highlighting the Chinese origins of the current coronavirus crisis. Whether such comments are constructive or not, the crisis has provoked a broader debate about the role that China plays in the American economy."

Marine Corps to Undergo ‘Radical’ Overhaul in Pivot to Take On China
By Ben Wolfgang, The Washington Times: "Officials say the smaller force will be designed to operate, survive and thrive inside an enemy’s “weapons engagement zone,” the area vulnerable to an adversary’s long-range precision fire capabilities."

Getting the Context of Marine Corps Reform Right by Jeff Cummings, Scott Cuomo, Olivia A. Garard, and Noah Spataro

To defeat Iraq’s militias, prove they aren’t Iraq nationalists
Michael Rubin | The National Interest

Light Armored Reconnaissance Is Outmoded on Future Battlefield
By Shawn Snow, Marine Corps Times: “The top Marine told reporters Wednesday that current layout and organization of the Corps’ Light Armored Reconnaissance units were better equipped to handle another conflict in the Middle East instead of rising near-peer rivals."

Indo-Pacom Chief’s Bold $20 Billion Plan
By Paul McLeary, Breaking Defense: “The bold new Pacific plan "is designed to persuade potential adversaries that any preemptive military action will be extremely costly and likely fail," ADM Philip Davidson writes."

U.S., MIDDLE EAST:
U.S. Deploys Patriot Missiles in Iraq As Tensions With Iran Rise
By Chad Garland, Stars and Stripes: "The U.S. has deployed Patriot missile batteries in Iraq as the coalition battling the Islamic State group in the country draws down and a war of words between Washington and Tehran ramps up."

Five Reasons Raytheon Technologies Is Destined to Dominate Aerospace & Defense
By Loren Thompson, Forbes: “Friday, April 3, marks the first day of share trading for the merged enterprise of Raytheon and United Technologies, to be known as Raytheon Technologies."

Countering China’s Laser Offensive
By Patrick M. Cronin & Ryan D. Neuhard, The Diplomat: "China’s military and paramilitary forces have been employing lasers with increasing frequency since at least 2018."

The China problem extends well beyond coronavirus
Danielle Pletka | The Dispatch
This coronavirus pause is an opportunity to think over the Western world’s long game against the Chinese Communist Party in all of its forms and to move quickly.

EXCLUSIVE Indo-Pacom Chief’s Bold $20 Billion Plan For Pacific; What Will Hill Do?
The bold new Pacific plan “is designed to persuade potential adversaries that any preemptive military action will be extremely costly and likely fail,” Adm. Philip Davidson writes.

Maximizing Bargaining Leverage With Beijing:
Developing Missiles As Bargaining Chips
By Luke Griffith, RealClearDefense: "If President Donald Trump is serious about arms control talks with the People’s Republic of China, U.S. officials could consider building a new generation of ground-launched, intermediate-range missiles to trade for reductions in the thousands of Chinese dual-capable, intermediate-range missiles."

The Chinese big lie
Gary J. Schmitt | The American Interest

The Pentagon’s Biggest Enemy Isn't China or Russia
By Samuel Arlington Page, The National Interest: "Our military is faced with a conflicting dichotomy. On one hand, we tout that we are the most technologically advanced military force on the planet. On the other, the Pentagon states that we need to upgrade our defenses to keep up with the looming threats."

Will Commandant Berger’s New Marine Corps Be a High-Tech Forlorn Hope?
By Dan Gouré, RealClearDefense: "The Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, General David Berger, has just released his long-anticipated Force Design 2030. It proposes a transformation of the Corps' force structure, types of ships, the mix of platforms and weapons systems, and operational concepts to address the demands of deterrence and warfighting in an era of great power competition."

The Navy Is Critical for U.S. Soft Power
By Christopher L. Harold, Proceedings: "Naval strength is often determined by kinetic employment and the service's ability to wage war."

Nuclear power’s ray of hope: hydrogen-boron fusionIn 1933 the physicists Ernest Rutherford and Mark Oliphant reported on experiments in which they bombarded a thin film of the boron compound borax by a beam of protons and registered the emission of high-energy alpha particles. This confirmed the earlier evidence of Cockcroft and Walton, that nuclear reactions were taking place between protons and boron nuclei, resulting in the transmutation of chemical elements. Read More

PENTAGON'S ACQUISITION CULTURE, BUDGET & INDUSTRIAL BASE ISN'T STRONG

2/5/2020

Mackenzie Eaglen argues that as President Trump proposes building fewer ships than the Obama-era plans, Congress is looking for solutions. One challenge is simply money; another is ship counting. Continue here.

US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has hinted at the possibility that the US will reduce its military presence in Africa. But that would be a mistake, argues Katherine Zimmerman in a Military Times op-ed. America’s small military footprint in Africa buys more than security from terrorism threats: It buys American influence on the fastest-growing continent. Rather than strip funding from West Africa and risk expanding the influence of US enemies, a small US military investment in Africa provides the support of allies and partners, counterterrorism cooperation, and leverage for American soft power. Finish it here.

Our Conflicted Defense Budget
By Thomas Spoehr, RealClearDefense: “If the Pentagon’s 2021 defense budget request were a person, a psychiatrist would label him “conflicted.” That diagnosis comes from the high number of unresolved issues bubbling just below, or in some cases, above the surface."

The Reach of China’s Military-Civil Fusion: Coronavirus and Supply Chain Crises
By Emily de La Bruyère & Nathan Picarsic, RealClearDefense: "... It is the product of a decades-long, deliberate Chinese strategy, one enshrined in dedicated national science and technology programs, in State initiatives, in comprehensive subsidy programs. Beijing’s centralized industrial planning targets critical American resources, supply chains, and infrastructures – first to ensure their dependence, next to siphon their resources and technology."

The Pentagon is getting serious about nuclear conflict, perhaps more so than at any time since the Cold War. In a new Bloomberg op-ed, Hal Brands evaluates how lessons from the Soviet era can guide US responses to Russian aggression and explores the escalate to de-escalate gambit. Perceptions matter, and convincing the other side that America has the ability to execute risky options may be the best way of ensuring that the US never has to use them. Strengthening conventional deterrence in Eastern Europe may be America's best option. Learn more here.

F-35 v Valkyrie: Range, Payload, Cost and Survivability
By TX Hammes, Flight Global: "Relatively inexpensive unmanned systems have advantages which may put them on the front line when the USA squares up against China in the western Pacific."

The Backward Step on Missile Defense in the FY 2020 NDAA
By Michaela Dodge, National Institute for Public Policy: "Last year, the FY 2020 NDAA made a significant change to U.S. ballistic missile defense policy, but one that has gone largely unnoticed among proponents of strong U.S. missile defense programs. The new law states that the United States will as a matter of policy “rely on nuclear deterrence to address more sophisticated and larger quantity near-peer intercontinental missile threats to the homeland of the United States,” while improving missile defenses against “rogue states.” This change, though it may appear to reflect long-standing U.S. policy, is a step backward."

ASIA TIMES

Our Industrial Base Can’t Meet Our Defense Needs. Here’s How We Can Fix That.
By Klon Kitchen, RealClearDefense: “American military superiority is essential, but it is not inevitable. It is the result of strategic planning, deliberate investment, and an industrial base that is able to anticipate and deliver the capabilities needed to fight and win wars."

Congress must now live up to its end of the bargain to accept some political pain for great-power competition gain. Learn more here. Continue here.

Why We Should Grow the Active Duty Army
By Bradley Bowman, RealClearDefense: “A closer look at the Army’s demanding operational tempo (optempo) demonstrates why any cut would be a mistake that reduces readiness and burdens soldiers and their families."

What the Trump Defense Budget Gets Wrong About the Future of War
By James Stavridies, Time: “The massive 2021 Department of Defense budget that the White House sent to Congress clocks in at $740.5 billion, with $705.4 billion earmarked for the Pentagon – the remainder to the Department of Energy and other government agencies for national security projects. As always, the preparation of the request to Congress was a long and tortuous project, spearheaded by the Secretary of Defense and his team through an interminable series of reviews. Each of the services fought hard for its share of “topline.”"

How Small Units Can Prepare for Large-Scale Combat Ops
By Harrison Morgan, Army Times: "As the 2018 National Security Strategy prioritizes its focus on preparing the nation for the Great Power Competition between the United States and its strategic competitors – namely China and Russia – the Army is transitioning from nearly two decades of counterinsurgency focus to Large-Scale Combat Operations, or LSCO."

What is an 'Expeditionary Force?' No, Really, What is It?
By Michael Gladius, Small Wars Journal: "For a Pioneer nation like America, built on exploration and a seemingly endless frontier, the romance of expeditions is part of our national psyche. The term “Expeditionary Force” sounds cool, as it evokes feelings of adventure and risk-taking in far-away places. Expeditionary forces are comprised of tough, competent men who travel light in remote areas, and rely on their wits to survive and win in unfamiliar environments. Thus, it's only natural we want to call everything our military does abroad an “Expeditionary Force.”"

Deciphering the Afghanistan Peace Agreements
By Jason Criss Howk, ClearanceJobs: "Hundreds of dedicated diplomats, intelligence and military officers from numerous nations have been helping to shepherd the Afghan and U.S. governments towards the agreements signed February 29. I have been working on it since May 2009 and wanted to explain what the US-Afghan and US-Taliban agreements mean with my context of knowing the original plan devised over a decade ago by the Afghan government."

Lawmakers were skeptical the Navy could meet its sealift requirements as part of the National Defense Strategy and that the service was on track to recapitalize its aging sealift fleet. – USNI News

The number of bombers are at their lowest ever, but demand for bombers increases every year, particularly in the vast and most-stressed region of the Indo-Pacific. Bombers are the preferred weapon system there because of their long range and huge payload capacity. – Defense News

The search for future budget savings to apply to shipbuilding has the Navy considering scrapping a plan to extend the life of the fleet’s oldest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, the service’s top systems buyer told lawmakers Thursday. – USNI News

The Navy has taken several cracks over the years at trying to define a new future aircraft carrier, one that might be less expensive or less vulnerable. But each time, the Navy has moved forward with the nuclear-powered supercarrier concept, in part because it provides an unmatched sortie-generation capability, and in part, because it’s built by a workforce that would be tough or impossible to reconstitute if the Navy ever stopped supporting it. – USNI News

INDIA'S PROCUREMENT & MODERNIZATION PLANS FAILING, A NOTE ON INTEROPERABILITY & WHY AMERICA LOSES WARS

1/27/2020

MODI DOES NOTHING TO BUILD INDIA'S MILITARY

INDIA:
Budgetary Pressures Induce Indian Navy Rethink
By Daniel Darling, Defense & Security Monitor: "Confronting an unfavorable fiscal picture unlikely to change in the short term, the Indian Navy is shrinking its procurement ambitions as it re-scopes future force goals."

India's New Budget with Rick Rossow

Comprehensive Report on Culture and Ethics in the Special Operations Community with Pauline Shanks Kaurin

U.S., INDIA:
U.S. Approves Possible Sale of an Integrated Air Defense Weapon System for India
By Ankit Panda, The Diplomat: "The IADWS package that has been approved includes a range of sensors, weapons systems, and support equipment."

The Army Has a Physical Fitness Problem
Part 1: Eight Myths That Weaken Combat Readiness
By Matt Clark, Modern War Institute: "The U.S. Army is a force with extraordinary expeditionary capabilities. We send our soldiers around the world with remarkable regularity to fulfill a range of vital missions. But when we deploy units globally—whether to the ongoing mission in Afghanistan, to work with partners to defeat ISIS, or to reassure allies and conduct combined exercises in Europe or the Pacific—a big problem arises, one that we unfortunately don’t talk about."

Why America Loses Wars
By Heather Venable, Strategy Bridge: "Donald Stoker—an instructor for many years at the Naval Postgraduate School and the author of several books including, importantly, a biography on Clausewitz—has now written another book to take the Western national security community to school. In Why America Loses Wars, Stoker gives that community a failing grade for, among other things, an inability to understand limited wars."

Blurred Lines: Gray-Zone Conflict and Hybrid War
—Two Failures of American Strategic Thinking
By Donald Stoker & Craig Whiteside, Naval War College Review: "The terms in question and the concepts arising from them cause more harm than good, contributing to a dangerous distortion of the concepts of war, peace, and geopolitical competition, with a negative impact on U.S. and allied security strategy."

The Need for Interoperability Standards
By William G. Langston, Frederick J. Fable & Steven G. Drake, Army Army AL&T Magazine: “The modernization efforts will also provide commonality across applications, graphics and data sets, as well as interoperability within the Army and with our mission partner environments while enabling joint, all domain command-and-control."

'Parallel Warfare' in Conflicts with Limited Political Aims
By Andrew McNaughton, Canadian Military Journal: "From the dawn of heavier-than-air flight, many individuals, strategic planners, and armed forces visualized a future where the devastations of terrestrial war could be solved from above. However, the airplane and air power theory did not entirely live up to expectations."

ESPER GOES FOR MODERNIZATION

1/16/2020

Esper Is Attempting the Biggest Defense Reform in a Generation
By Mackenzie Eaglen, Defense One: “In two recent memos, the SecDef reveals his intention to change how the Pentagon uses its money, people, and time."

The Third Revolution in Military Affairs
By Harlan Ullman, Proceedings: "Former Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work was a powerful advocate of what he called the “third offset” strategy. The first was the advent of nuclear weapons that offset Soviet power; the second, the revolution in precision weapons that offset numerical U.S. military inferiority; and the third involves protecting vital command, control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance networks against enemy attack that could strip the United States of its military advantages. Taking the third offset strategy to its logical conclusion, what is needed is a third revolution in military affairs principally—but not entirely—driven by potentially revolutionary technology."

Defense Strategy for a Post-Trump World
By Van Jackson, War on the Rocks: "In a recent piece warning about an emerging arms race in hypersonic missiles, The New York Times quoted Will Roper, the Air Force's senior acquisition and technology official, saying that the United States needed to invest more in such advanced weapons “if we want to dominate this new domain of fast flight.” This kind of statement is emblematic of a defense establishment that thinks in terms of military superiority — a paradigm that requires the United States to be capable of overmatching anyone at any time.""

The Next of Round of Russia Sanctions is Already Flawed
By John E. Sweeney, RealClearDefense: "This sustained layering of sanctions on Russia has produced unintended consequences."

Raytheon awarded $9M to maintain HARM weapons for Morocco, Turkey, U.S.
(UPI) Raytheon inked a $9 million deal to maintain high-speed anti-radiation missiles, known as HARM, for the Air Force, the government of Morocco and the government of Turkey, according to the Pentagon.

Defense Industrial Base’s Report Card Reveals ‘C’ Grade
By Wesley Hallman & Christopher Smith, National Defense Magazine: "The Executive Order 13806 report on production risks to critical defense industrial supply chains in 2018 starkly framed the health of the U.S. defense industrial base as key to the readiness of the nation's armed forces to confront near-term threats and their ability to compete long-term against strategic adversaries."

How the U.S. Navy’s Aging Sealift Fleet Could Lose America’s Next War
By Loren Thompson, Forbes: "For much of U.S. history, the vast oceans separating America from Europe and Asia protected the nation against attack by foreign enemies. Today, those oceans are as much a hindrance as an advantage."

Naval Integration Begins in the Classroom
By Ryan Tice, Proceedings: "Integration both at sea and ashore is critical to address a number of challenges, including antiaccess/area denial threats from rising powers such as Russia and China. To maintain their ability to project power at sea, the Navy and Marine Corps need to aggressively experiment with nontraditional command-and-control relationships, organizational structures, and emerging technologies that capitalize on both services’ unique strengths."

The U.S. Navy's Three Great Intellectual Challenges
By John R. Kroger, Defense One: "The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are developing an aggressive naval education strategy to deepen the intellectual capabilities of our force. Our goal, following the leadership of Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas B. Modly, is to build a highly educated team with a deep understanding of strategy, geopolitics, emerging technologies, resource management, and weapons acquisitions."

Army modernization translates into accepting risk and learning quickly
(The Hill) Two years ago, the Army recognized the need to rapidly and persistently modernize our force to stay ahead of technological change and national competitors.

Where Are All the People in the Army’s Future Fights?
By Chris Telley, Modern War Institute: "The new strategy document poorly assumes that Army forces will not do the murkier work like managing proxies, interacting in the economies it moves through, or using influence technology—among other information-related tasks required to gain the initiative at the opening of a future war."

CLEAR AS MUD: MOSAIC WARFARE

12/23/2019

The Illusion of a Rules-Based Global Order
By Brahma Chellaney, The Strategist (ASPI): "When the Cold War ended, many pundits anticipated a new era in which geoeconomics would determine geopolitics. As economic integration progressed, they predicted, the rules-based order would take root globally. Countries would comply with international law or incur high costs."

What ‘The Afghanistan Papers’ Got Wrong
By Scott Smith, Small Wars Journal: "The problem was not that U.S. officials lied to the public—it’s that for so long many believed that the war was winnable."

Mosaic Warfare: Small and Scalable are Beautiful
By Benjamin Jensen & John Paschkewitz, War on the Rocks: "We need more marines and soldiers, along with coalition partners and scientists, fighting war games and conducting field experiments to transition the mosaic concept into new equipment and tactics that define how America fights."

Options for Deterrence Below Armed Conflict
By James P. Micciche, Divergent Options: " . . . nuclear deterrence will not suffice in the current national security paradigm as it is focused on mainly deterring nuclear war or major conflict, which are the least-likely situations to occur."

Shaping a 21st Century C2/ISR Infrastructure: The Emergence of C3
By Robbin Laird, SLD.info: " . . . C3 is emerging as a key driver of change Command, Control and Confidence in the most relevant ISR data is required at the tactical edge to make the decisions necessary to prevail in the evolving battlespace."

Analyzing Weapons Acquisition Through the Prism of Future War
By Warren Chin, Defence-In-Depth: "James Kurth posed the question of ‘why we buy the weapons we do’ in an article in the magazine, Foreign Policy in 1973. Surprisingly, forty-seven years later, we are still trying to provide a satisfactory answer regarding why we spend so much money on technologically complex weaponry; weapons acquisition typically accounts for over 40 percent of defence budgets."

A Year in #Reviewing
From Strategy Bridge: "The Strategy Bridge community is a network of people with a wide variety of backgrounds and opinions, all united by one fact: we care about strategy, national security, and military affairs."

Starting With 'Why': The National Security Strategy and America’s National Interests
By Theresa Cross, Aaron Bazin & Montgomery Erfourth, Small Wars Journal: "In many ways, national interests are the DNA of strategy and the underlying structure upon which every nation bases its strategic thinking. To understand America’s current actions on the international stage requires a look deeper than the partisan-inspired rhetoric in the headlines. One way to approach this is to elevate the discussion beyond threats and adversaries to an analysis of national interests. Interests drive political decision-making and help us understand U.S. foreign policy. They describe the “why,” reveal the underlying logic, and provide the standards of measurement upon which to base decisions."

The Post-American Middle East
By Richard N. Haass, The Strategist (ASPI): "Welcome to the post-American Middle East. To be fair, the phrase is something of an exaggeration, as the U.S. hasn’t withdrawn from the region. In fact, it has recently sent additional troops to deter and, if necessary, help defend Saudi Arabia from future Iranian attacks and possibly respond directly to them. But there’s no getting around the fundamental truth that the U.S. has reduced both its presence and role in a region that it has dominated for nearly half a century."

Prepare for Decision-Making at Sea
By Jeff W. Benson, Proceedings: "Operations at sea are ruthless, unforgiving, lonely, and test the boundaries of every commander."

Making the Army’s Revolutionary New Talent Management System Work
By Brennan Randel, Modern War Institute: "Many Army officers share a common pastime—solving the Army’s talent management problems. The constant refrain is that the Army does little to retain talented officers. It’s a hard criticism to ignore, given a study conducted by the Army’s Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis that highlighted the Army’s officer retention issue."

Navy Proposes Cutting Future Production of Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyers by 40%
By J. Craig Anderson, The Portland Press Herald: "The Department of Defense has submitted a proposal to the White House that would cut by about 40 percent the number of planned Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to be built for the Navy over a five-year period starting in late 2020, potentially impacting future work at Maine’s General Dynamics Bath Iron Works."

CHINA:
China’s Test of Sub-Launched Missile a Threat to Peace
By Bill Gertz, The Washington Times: "Underwater JL-3 launch comes amid fears of North Korean missile test."

CHINA:
China Targets Tighter Controls on Its Growing Arms Trade
By Keegan Elmer & Echo Xie, SCMP: "China is set to introduce legislation to tighten control over the country's opaque sales of arms and nuclear technology, as it becomes a bigger player in the global weapons trade."

IS THE MARINE CORPS HAVING AN IDENTITY CRISIS? MIND READING KITS & MODERNIZATION FOR CHINA

12/13/2019

The Marine Corps: Quo Vadis?
(RealClear Defense) Many defense experts believe that defense spending has peaked and may decline in future years. This will intensify the longstanding competition for finite resources among the U.S. military services. In that climate, it will be more important than ever for the U.S. Marine Corps to understand and explain its unique contributions to national security.

Expeditionary Advanced Maritime Operations: How the Marine Corps Can Avoid Becoming a Second Land Army in the Pacific by Jake Yeager

CHINA:
A Beginner's Guide to Analyzing China's Military Tech
By Rick Joe, The Diplomat: "The Chinese military (People's Liberation Army, or PLA) has been receiving growing coverage and media interest over the past decade as China's national profile has grown and as new weapons systems have progressively become unveiled."

‘You Can’t Have It All’ With 31 Modernization Priorities
By Sydney Freedberg, Breaking Defense: "One of the savviest — and snarkiest — veterans of the Army acquisition system is warning her former colleagues that not all 31 of the service’s priority programs will survive."

Special Operations Command Made a Mind-Reading Kit For Elite Troops
By Patrick Tucker, Defense One: "The experimental tool is among several that aim to combine sensors and AI to give U.S. operators a new edge"

Why Italy Is Pivotal to U.S. Strategy in the Mediterranean
By Sarah White, RealClearDefense: “Mohammed Morsi has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, a former general is head of state, and charges against Hosni Mubarak have been dismissed—it's like 2011 all over again.”

F-15EX and F-35A? Allies Can Expand the Solution Set
By Hunter Hustus, War on the Rocks: "Will the U.S. Air Force have what it takes to win the air-to-air fight with China or Russia? The answer isn’t so simple."

CHINA'S BLUE WATER NAVY EMERGES. . . SLOWLY

12/8/2019

ASIA TIMES

CHINA'S MISSILE THREAT

DEFENSE RESEARCH & PRODUCTIVITY DEVELOPMENT FOR DEFENSE MEETS ACQUISITION REFORM

12/2/2019

Congress Frets Over Program to Streamline Pentagon Procurement
By John M. Donnelly, Roll Call: “Some worry that companies won’t spend own money on research, may not compete for important programs."

Reagan Study Calls for Major Defense Base Push
By Theresa Hitchens, Breaking Defense: "Maintaining the U.S. natsec industry's technological edge will require "a more coordinated and collaborative effort among all stakeholders—government, academia, and private sector actors," says former Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work."

Choose Your Own Acquisition Adventure: Ellen Lord
The Pentagon’s top buyer, Ellen Lord, is rewriting regulations from a one-size-fits-all approach to let officials pick the best procurement pathway for their particular program.

Here’s how defense research and development affects US productivity growth
James Pethokoukis | AEIdeas
When we hear Democratic presidential candidates talk about slashing defense spending on the research and development side, it's worth asking, "But what do we get for our money?"

Winning the US military’s ‘away game’
Mackenzie Eaglen | RealClearDefense

Pentagon R&D boss: The challenge of our time
(Defense News) Winning is great, except for the part where the losers retreat, rethink, retrain and try again; while the winner thinks the race is won once and for all — which is why the United States now finds itself running from behind in certain aspects of today’s great power rivalry. How did we get here, and what should we do about it?

Pentagon acquisition boss: Adapting to support the war fighter
(Defense News) Though Department of Defense leadership has changed, our mission to support the war fighter through acquisition innovation remains constant.

IISS deputy: A strategy review DoD needs
(Defense News) It looks as though again this year the United States government will be funded by a continuing resolution, a congressional dodge that carries over the prior year’s spending appropriations. Continuing resolutions do not allow departments to start new contracts or adjust funds to emergent priorities.

Saudi Arabia manufacturing official talks defense expansion
(Defense News) Defense News spoke to Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al-Ohali, governor of GAMI, to see how those efforts are progressing forward.

Demystifying and 'de-mythifying' the US defense budget, part 1
Mackenzie Eaglen | "Defense 2020"

SIKORSKY'S NEW AIR TAXI BECOMES REALITY FOR URBAN WAR & THE J20 VS. SU57

11/23/2019

FVL: Army Won’t Wait for Sikorsky to Catch Up to Bell
By Sydney Freedberg, Breaking Defense: "We don’t have the time or luxury to wait for people," Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said. "They’ve got to keep pace with us if they want to do business with us.”"

ASIA TIMES

ASIA TIMES

Raytheon nets $97.3M Navy contract for AN/SPY-6 radar work
(UPI) Raytheon Co. received a $97.3 million contract modification for production and support of the U.S. Navy's Air and Missile Defense Radar systems, the Defense Department announced.

REBUILDING THE RARE EARTH MINERALS MARKET FOR US INDUSTRIAL BASE & A LOOK AT MCMASTER'S CIVIL-MILITARY RELATIONS

11/23/2019

We Must Rebuild American Uranium, Rare Earths Infrastructure
Rare earths are 17 chemical elements used in military equipment as varied as missile guidance systems to lasers. China controls much of the world’s rare earth production, which has made them a concern of the Pentagon and the White House. Uranium is another critical military material largely controlled today by foreign sources. What should…

An Honorable Man at the Heart of Civil-Military Turmoil by Kori Schake

So You Want to Be a PLA Expert? by Peter Mattis

Thinking Historically: A Guide for Strategy and Statecraft by Francis J. Gavin

For DoD Transformation, a Holistic Approach Is Needed
By George Franz & Scott Bachand, RealClearDefense: "Decades of innovation — driven almost entirely by DoD and the Defense Industrial Base — have kept the United States at the forefront of modern military capability. Now, however, it is the commercial sector that is defining the leading edge of technology and innovation."

Incubate Innovation: Aviation Lessons from the Interwar Period
By Philip D. Mayer, Proceedings: "The development of carrier aviation offers important lessons for maintaining maritime superiority in today’s naval environment."

THE PENTAGON AND 5G; HULL SHAPES & WAR PLATFORMS FOR GREAT POWER COMPETITION

11/18/2019

CHINA'S CARRIER KILLER

HOW TO KILL THE CARRIER KILLER

Pentagon Procurement and the Laws of Physics
By Mark Thompson, POGO: "Old boys of a certain age can recall “playing war” with small, plastic Army men, vanquishing foes on the plains of Europe or Pacific islands. In those halcyon years following World War II, it seemed to us like American soldiers could do anything, from thwarting enemy bazookas with their bare hands to facing down flamethrowers. We were kids, and knew nothing of reality or the laws of physics. But unlike us, it looks like the Pentagon has never grown up."

Pentagon needs a secure 5G network
Without it, America's ability to project power and defend itself could be severely undermined
BYSTEPHEN BRYEN

Is the Shape of Amphibious Shipping About to Change?
By Nick Childs, IISS: "Both the United States and the United Kingdom are rethinking the future roles and posture of their marine forces. As Nick Childs explores, approaches to current challenges in the operating environment could alter how amphibious shipping features in the future fleet mix of their respective navies."

Considering Force Structure Cuts to Marine Infantry
By Walker D. Mills, CIMSEC: "The Marine Corps must change in order to survive. Thankfully, senior leaders in the Marine Corps and the Navy through the Commandant of the Marine Corps and the Chief of Naval Operation recognize this imperative and are charting a new course with the Commandant's Planning Guidance (CPG), the new Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) concept, and the Integrated Force Structure Assessment."

Science, Not Fiction: Modern Batteries for Modern Subs
By Derek Woolner & David Glynne Jones, The Strategist (ASPI): "Historically, the effectiveness of lead–acid submarine batteries has been constrained by their limited performance spectrum. They frequently operate at the extremes of their capacity, suffering performance degradation through the process and hence reduced safety margins."

A War By Other Means?
By Jack Bowers, Strategy Bridge: "What if, just for the sake of argument, we were to reverse Clausewitz’s famous maxim? What if, say, we considered that war is not the continuation of politics by other means, but instead that politics is really the continuation of war? What would this say about war? Or politics?"

EXAMINING ARMY ACQUISITION REFORM

11/17/2019

In Need of Direction: The Case for Moving Supply Chains Out of China by Derek Scissors

How is Army acquisition changing? | Defense News Weekly Extra
(Defense News) Bruce Jette, the Army's top civilian acquisition official, sits down with Jen Judson to talk changes for the service.

How a new Air Force unit could help beat Russian air defense systems
(C4ISRNET) A new Air Force unit is expected to generate “unmatched” capabilities for commanders at “a speed and scale that we’ve never seen before,” Gen. David Goldfein, the service’s chief of staff, said recently.

Two years in, how has a new strategy changed cyber operations?
(Fifth Domain) By 2013 U.S. networks were already were under constant attack from sophisticated nation-state actors. Hackers stole millions of sensitive records from the Office of Personnel Management, gained access to White House networks and destroyed dozens of computers at Sony Pictures from thousands of miles away.

The collapse of American rare earth mining — and lessons learned
(Defense News) Out in the Mojave Desert in California lies the Mountain Pass mine, once the world’s foremost supplier of valuable rare earth minerals — 17 elements deemed critical to modern society.

4 reasons why fuel threatens our lethality — and what we can do about it
(Defense News) “As a service that provides global reach, global vigilance, and global power, are we thinking globally?”

THE LIMITATIONS OF THE F35

11/17/2019

F-35 Breaks Down Too Often, Pentagon Says
By Anthony Capaccio, Bloomberg: “The Pentagon's chief weapons tester said the next-generation F-35 jet continues to fall short of full combat readiness targets and, despite some progress on reliability issues, all three versions of the fighter are breaking down “more often than planned.””

V-22 Ospreys Still At Risk From Sand And Dust
By Joseph Trevithick, The WarZone: “The Pentagon's top watchdog has released a report that offers new details and insights into the U.S. Navy's struggle to resolve long-standing issues with the Engine Air Particle Separators, or EAPSs, on U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force V-22 Osprey tilt-rotors."

Navy Must Work To Secure Its Platforms, Networks And Installations From Cyber Attack
By Dan Gouré, RealClearDefense: “The threat to the U.S. Navy from cyber intrusion has become a crisis. Hackers, particularly those from Russia and China, are not limiting themselves to attacks on computers and networks. Now they are engaged in a massive assault on the entire Navy enterprise, including ships, weapons systems, research and development establishments, the supply chain, and shore facilities.”

Exploring the Foundation of Multi-Domain Ops
By Brandon C. Kasubaski, Small Wars Journal: “While TP 525-3-1 establishes what MDO achieves and how it supports the Army’s strategic roles, the underlying foundational strategies and how they contribute to MDO are absent. Understanding and interpreting these foundational strategies is critical for planners and leaders to gain insight into MDO.”

Assessment of the Current State of U.S. Cyber Civil Defense
By Lee Clark, Divergent Options: “Local civic organizations in the U.S. are experiencing a wave of costly and disruptive low-sophistication cyberattacks on a large scale, indicating widespread vulnerabilities in networks. In light of past and ongoing threats to U.S. cyber systems, especially election systems, this weak cybersecurity posture represents a serious national security concern.”

Making Infantry As Good As Special Ops
By Bob Scales, Breaking Defense: “Our elite close combat forces are outnumbered. As a national priority we must increase the numbers of those capable of doing these hazardous jobs by transferring the skills of JSOC warriors to Army and Marine conventional infantrymen."

For Lack of a Strategy: The Free and Open Indo-Pacific
By Gregory Poling, War on the Rocks: “Since early 2018, the Trump administration has been assuring experts and officials at home and abroad that a public report explaining its Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy was forthcoming. But the State Department's newly released report, A Free and Open Indo-Pacific: Advancing a Shared Vision, is not that. Instead it leaves the strategy, at best, implied but never described."

JAMESTOWN FOUNDATION EXAMINES RUSSIAN TRIAD, WHAT KEEPS THE PENTAGON UP AT NIGHT & WHY THE "GREAT GAME" IS FICTION

11/4/2019

The Costs of Another Continuing Resolution for the Military
By Jamie McIntyre, Washington Examiner: "FEELING THE PAIN: Under the current C.R which runs through Nov. 21, the Pentagon can spend only at last year’s $718 billion level, instead of the new topline of $738 billion. All signs point to another extension, possibly for the entire focal year. “The six-week C.R. has been problematic. Another long-term C.R. will be moreso,” Hoffman said."

RUSSIA:
Key Features of Russia’s Grom 2019 Nuclear Exercise
By Maxim Starchak, The Jamestown Foundation: "The objectives of the exercise were to test the actions of overhead and operational personnel to organize coordinated management of all parts of the nuclear triad."

Going All in on the Great Game? The Curious and Problematic Choice of Kiplingesque Inspiration in U.S. Military Doctrine
By Matt Salyer, Modern War Institute: "In one important sense, the “Great Game” is, quite simply, a fiction. At no point in the nineteenth century did the British Empire ever use it as an overarching strategic framework for understanding its competition in Central Asia."

The 2 things every senior Pentagon leader is worried about
Mackenzie Eaglen | Defense One
Their top concerns don’t include the Mexican border, Iran, or even Syria.

WHAT IS "LEFT OF CONFLICT MEAN", ARMY AVIATION SENSORS AND MUNITIONS; SHORT AIR DEFENSE TOP PRIORITY

10/29/2019

The MAGTF is no longer sacred: The Marine Corps is looking at other ways to fight
(Marine Corps Times) The concept that set the Marine Corps apart from the other services decades ago, the one that has sold the its particular way of warfare on for generations of Marines, is no longer untouchable.

Can Pentagon acquisition keep up with electronic warfare?
(C4ISRNET) The cat-and-mouse nature of electronic warfare means systems need to always be up to date, but the Pentagon’s acquisition authorities don’t always allow for the Department of Defense to move fast enough, a senior acquisition official said Oct. 28.

New sensors and munitions: What’s coming to Army aviation
(Defense News) From a new open systems architecture to longer range strike capabilities, get a look at what's coming to the Army's helicopters.

What exactly does ‘left of conflict mean’?
(Defense News) Lt. Gen. Eric Wesley explains what the phrase "left of conflict" means--especially as the Army preps for a future conflict.

What is the next generation of short range air defense?
(Defense News) Get a look at the Army's efforts to develop short range air defense for the maneuver force.

The case for light attack aircraft
(Military Times) Congress is finalizing the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act and one of the key issues is the future of the Air Force’s meager light attack aircraft program

THE POLITICAL STATEMENT INDIAN AIRCRAFT CARRIERS MAKE; iran and china's missile development

10/29/2019

India's Aircraft Carriers Tell Its Diplomatic History
By Krzysztof Iwanek, The Diplomat: "The construction of such a large machine is a strategic choice not only in pure military terms, however. For a country like India, which needs foreign technology, it is also a political statement."

New DIA Report Underscores Iranian Cruise Missile Threat
By Behnam Ben Taleblu & Bradley Bowman, FDD: "The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) last week released a landmark report analyzing the capabilities of Iran’s military."

China’s Strategic Perspective on the South China Sea
By James Goldrick, The Strategist (ASPI): " In many ways, the American label of ‘great wall of sand’ that was applied to the artificial islands in the South China Sea encapsulates a key element of Chinese thinking."

Multiple Perspectives on Warfare: The Fighters
By William M. Stephens, Strategy Bridge: "The multi-platform perspective was already being tested in Iraq and Afghanistan ..."

Keeping Up With the Jinpings
By Eli M. Gold, RealClearDefense: "With Russia's hypersonic weapons and China’s cyber and space capabilities, it is no longer enough to keep up with the Jinpings, but rather is the time for the U.S. to step up and leave these questionable characters in our technological rearview mirrors."

HOW IRAN'S F5 WINS AGAINST US STEALTH FIGHTERS & WHY US MUST DETER IRAN NOW WITH STRIKES, SYRIAN BUGOUT HITS US CIVIL-MILITARY RELATIONS HARD

10/28/2019

ASIA TIMES

In a new AEI report, Fred Kagan suggests that the US should conduct a military strike to deter continued Iranian military escalation, arguing that refraining from retaliation will embolden Iranian proxies and allies and encourage the regime to stand fast with its nuclear program, regional activities, and repression of its own people. Read here.

Giselle Donnelly in an AEIdeas blog. The Syria bugout has been singularly enervating to those in uniform, especially those who have been closest to the fighting since 9/11, and dishonorable retreats are having longer-lasting effects. Finish here.

DoD Needs to Move Great Power Competition Beyond Lip Service
By Mackenzie Eaglen, War on the Rocks: "We've all heard a lot about the pivot to great power competition during this administration, but is it all talk? It's looking that way. The Department of Defense keeps adding new missions and functions only tangentially related to its purported core role."

U.S. Army Mission Command at a Crossroads
By Ryan Orsini, Strategy Bridge: "Mission command’s place in this larger doctrinal reassessment is critical. It is the U.S. Army’s leadership philosophy of decentralized execution to enable initiative and adaptability."

Is Army Modernization on Track? | Defense News Weekly, Oct. 25, 2019
(Defense News) From Strykers to aircraft to air defense, we’ll take a look at how the Army is modernizing key units and the status of those important programs.

HOW THE U.S. TEACHES ITS ENEMIES: CHINA LEARNS FROM THE US; EXAMINING CHINA'S WHITE PAPER ON WAR

10/17/2019

China is determined to reshape the globe
Hal Brands | Bloomberg Opinion

Failure is an option for DoD’s experimental agency, but how much?
(Federal News Network) Since 2015, millions of dollars have been invested in the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit, the agency watched as some of its projects fell flat, and only about 23% the organization’s completed projects ended up in the hands of troops — but the thing is: DIU is completely fine with that.

A Primer on China’s New White Paper
By Jie Sheng Li, Diplomatic Courier: "The State Council of People’s Republic of China (PRC) released yet another White Paper in September 2019 titled, China and the World in the New Era. This White Paper, unlike previous papers, was published just before China’s seventieth anniversary, which showcased China’s military strength. Although the White Paper’s focus was on development and economic success, its contents, along with the military parade, exemplify how the PRC aims to project its power globally."

China’s All-Effects All-Domain Strategy in an All-Encompassing Info. Environment
By Thomas A. Drohan, Small Wars Journal: "The essence of Chinese strategy consists of waging complex wars that exploit opponents’ expectations of warfare."

Ian Williams and Masao Dahlgren writes: China’s embrace of high-tech “informationized” warfare reflects the many lessons the PLA has learned from observing U.S. operations over the past two decades. During this period, the United States enjoyed the uncontested use of advanced ISR and C2 networks. The PLA has watched this advantage become a dependency, one which it is now looking to exploit. This brief will provide an overview of the systems and capabilities the PRC emphasized in its 70th anniversary celebration and attempt to explain how they fit into China’s military vision. These include electronic warfare, drones, and China’s array of new missiles. – Center for Strategic and International Studies

A Revolution at Sea: Old Is New Again
By James Lacey, War on the Rocks: "During World War II, Secretary of War Henry Stimson dammed the U.S. Navy’s approach to wartime strategy and famously wondered about “the peculiar psychology of the Navy Department, which frequently seemed to retire from the realm of logic into a dim religious world in which Neptune was god, Mahan his prophet, and the U.S. Navy the only true church.”"

How acquisition reform can give the US a strategic advantage in space
(Defense News) There are myriad important national security issues at play as conferees work to finalize the fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.

MARINE CORPS CULTURE IS WAKE UP CALL FOR OTHER SERVICES & ARMY'S "INVICTUS" SERVES RECON/ATTACK NEEDS; A LOOK AT GROUND BASED HYPERSONICS

10/1/2019

The Paradoxically Pacific Indo-Pacific Command
By Euan Graham, The Strategist (ASPI): "The United States military hasn’t conducted a single combat operation within the sprawling area of responsibility that defines the Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) in 44 years."

Mark F. Cancian writes: The U.S. Army’s effort to grow its force structure has been stymied by recruitment challenges, making it difficult to expand for day-to-day operations, creation of new capabilities, and wartime surge. With modernization, the Army has increased production of proven systems and shifted billions into development of high priority programs to prepare the Army for great power conflict. – Center for Strategic and International Studies

Behold Sikorsky's 'Raider X' Future Armed Recon Helicopter
By Tyler Rogoway, The WarZone: "Last week Bell unveiled its 360 Invictus high-speed armed scout helicopter contender for the Army's Future Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) tender and now Sikorsky is firing back with its long-anticipated entrant, the "Raider X.""

Raytheon, United Technologies shareholders approve deal
(USNI News) At a pair of special meetings on Friday morning, shareholders approved the United Technologies’ purchase of Raytheon, paving the way for creating a defense industry behemoth.

Raider-X: Sikorsky’s Supersized S-97 For Army Scout
Sikorsky says their Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft design will fly faster, with bigger weapons, than archrival Bell’s. Bell says theirs will be cheaper and more reliable.

A Striking New Vision for the Marines, and a Wakeup Call for the Other Services by David Barno and Nora Bensahel

Commandant: Marines ‘Not Optimized For Great Power Competition’
The new commandant says the Corps has to start “unshackling ourselves from previous notions of what war looks like and reimagining how Marines will train, how we will operate, and how we will fight.”

Bell unshrouds Invictus, its answer for the U.S. Army’s future attack recon aircraft
(Defense News) Bell has pulled the shroud off its Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) design for the Army after keeping it under wraps as a competition for a chance to build prototypes heats up.

How industry can take advantage of the Pentagon’s shift in research
(C4ISRNET) After nearly two decades consumed by counter-insurgency campaigns, the Pentagon means what it says about elevating high-end conflict to the forefront of budget priorities.

Monitoring capabilities, ISR tech will deter America’s adversaries
(C4ISRNET) A recent escalation of aggressive acts in the Middle East underline the need for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. Early warning and the ability to track adversary action is often still missing.

Diverse, layered missile defense is key to killing drone swarms
(Defense News) This is a time for more concerted efforts to achieve the sort of layered defenses that are truly needed, not for the adoption of outliers such as the Russian systems.

Will ground-based hypersonic missiles replace aircraft carriers in the defense budget?
(Defense News) A debate on the future of aircraft carriers is roiling the U.S. Department of Defense, and it is increasingly spilling out into the open. While the debate over the efficacy of carriers in high-end conflict is nothing new, a general understanding that the DoD will not have unlimited funds with which to deter an increasingly potent China and Russia have made the questions particularly urgent.

One step forward, two back
(Defense News) It takes time to change a culture that has persisted for decades. At least that’s one explanation for the current state of things for the Army’s plan to replace the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle.

Raytheon’s pitch for precision strike, the post INF missile
(Breaking Defense) t’s one of the Army’s top priorities, the Precision Strike Missile, a weapon to replace the venerable ATACMS missile built by Lockheed.

RUSSIA, A.I. & HOW CIA AND SOCOM DEAL WITH PARAMILITARY PROGRAMS, THE RENEWAL OF SPECIAL OPERATOR CULTURE

9/10/2019

Passing the paramilitary torch from the CIA to Special Operations Command
(Military Times) In the shadowy realm of international competition that falls below the threshold of traditional conflict, the United States continues to struggle to match near-peer competitors like Russia and China.

How to Fix a Broken Special Operations Culture by Andrew Milburn

In Search of Ideas: The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence Wants You
by Robert Work and Eric Schmidt

Anticipating a New Russian Military Doctrine in 2020: What it Might Contain and Why it Matters
by Dara Massicot

Hypersonics: The New ‘Sputnik’ Moment?
By Mark Henderson, War Room: “The rise of hypersonic technologies could render the current naval and marine strategies obsolete virtually overnight."

Strategic Partnership or Strategic Dependence?
By Jon Ahlstrom, Proceedings: "The 20th-century world order—a U.S.-led order that espouses liberal values and is underpinned by collective security agreements—exacts a gravitational pull on countries in search of individual growth and competitiveness on the world stage."

Technology, Military Genius, and the Improbable Victory
By Joanne C. Lo, Strategy Bridge: “War is ultimately a human affair. Because technology is a tool humans use to wage war, no study of battlespace technology can be complete without diving into the way humans interact with technology in a chaotic combat environment."

After the INF: Russia’s Propaganda and Real Threats
By Stephen Blank, Eurasia Daily Monitor: "No sooner did the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty expire on August 2, Moscow launched a propaganda offensive to shift attention away from the threats its missile programs pose to both European and Asian security."

EXECUTING THE US LED AFRICA STRATEGY: AT SEA

9/5/2019

Western COIN: The Rise of 'Soft' Counterinsurgency Doctrine
By Brandon Brooks, Small Wars Journal: “Since the middle of the 20th century, intrastate conflict has become the prevailing form of warfare worldwide. Though often lacking in manpower and physical resources, insurgents have exhibited an impressive degree of skill and innovation, frustrating their opponents’ efforts to infiltrate the organization and disrupt its activities."

STRATEGY DOCUMENT

Executing the US Africa strategy, at sea
(Defense One) The U.S. Africa Strategy and the Defense Department’s Strategy for Africa provide a framework for engagement with African nations to help them create a “self-reliant, stable, and prosperous continent.”

With US help, Africa’s coastal nations are learning to work together
(Defense One) About a decade ago, most coastal African countries lacked the gear and know-how to effectively track maritime threats.

GENERAL MATTIS, THE GLOBALIST: ON ALLIANCES, US WAR POSTURE & CHINA'S MILITARY MODERNIZATION; HOW CHINA WORKS COVERTLY IN THE US

9/1/2019

SWJ Quick-Look Book Review - Call Sign Chaos
By David Maxwell, Small Wars Journal: "The book could serve as syllabus for an entire Ph.D. program in preparation for military leadership It is the best list of readings of the classics for the understanding and practice of warfare. I use the example of a Ph.D. specifically to emphasize that General Mattis' example of self-study is something to be emulated and his self-study probably taught him more than any Ph.D. program could have."

What Mattis Gets Wrong: Alliances Also Need Rebuilding at Home
By Jane Doe, Politico: "Mattis gets something wrong, though, something important. It’s his attribution of the growing divisiveness in America to tribalism. This misidentifies the nature of the problem. America is of course deeply tribal, and always has been. What we’re living now, though, is political apartheid."
including

Our So-Called Foreign Policy: Why Mattis Isn’t the Last Word on “America First”

Major War Game To Jolt 4 Services, Force Decisions
In conflicts of the future the Pentagon will need some radically new thinking.

It’s Time to Talk About A2/AD: Rethinking the Russian Military Challenge by Michael Kofman

Testimony: China’s military modernization program
Oriana Skylar Mastro | US-China Economic and Security Review Commission
The United States needs to put economic, diplomatic, and military resources behind maintaining the regional order in East Asia — and be willing to take some risks to ensure its success.

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Jim Mattis From His New Memoir
By Hope Hodge Seck, Military.com: ""If I had to do it again," Mattis wrote, "I would have called both [the U.S. Army Central Command] commander and Admiral Moore and said, 'Sir, I have a plan to accomplish the mission, kill Osama bin Laden, and hand you a victory. All I need is your permission.'""

SOCOM Is in the Hunt for a Chaplain Field Ethics Guide
By Shawn Snow, Military Times: "... with the special operations community finding itself stressed and in the midst of several scandals after nearly 18 years of continuous deployment, U.S. Special Operations Command is looking to find additional ways for those men and women of faith to help get its operators back on track."

U.S., CHINA:
Influence Power: How China Covertly Operates in the U.S.
By Bill Gertz, The Washington Free Beacon: "Chinese influence operations in the United States are pervasive and include the use of covert operations to support the objectives of the Communist Party of China in silencing critics of the regime in Beijing."

Gen. Jim Mattis On War And Trump
interview with General Jim Mattis via CBS News
Hoover Institution fellow James Mattis discusses his life and his over 40 years in the military.

James Mattis On Why He Left The Trump Administration But Won't Criticize It
interview with General Jim Mattis via PBS News Hour
Hoover Institution fellow James Mattis talks about his philosophy of leadership and why he’s reluctant to weigh in on current policy from outside the administration.

General Mattis' Finest Hour Editorial of The New York Sun | September 3, 2019
https://www.nysun.com/editorials/general-mattis-finest-hour/90818/
That James Mattis is a tough man, we have no doubt. He is, after all, a Marine. He's been decorated for the kind of valor it's impossible to alloy. The question is whether he'll prove tough enough to withstand the pressure to jump into the 2020 election campaign not as a candidate but as a critic of the commander in chief he served as secretary of defense. It seems the pressure is mounting with every passing day.
Continue Reading

General Jim Mattis:
The Currents, Undercurrents and Crosscurrents of Chaos’ Re-emergence
By Katherine Voyles, Small Wars Journal: “... it’s helpful to look at several pieces of his: his speech at Boeing Field over Memorial Day weekend, the resignation letter, the book Warriors and Citizens, and his letter to All Hands the night before the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

HOW THE PENTAGON IS LATE ON REFORM & THE ARMY ON RUTHLESS PRIORITIZATION

8/23/2019

pentagon_should_take_the_lead_on_tech_-_wsj.pdf
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Congress needs to get its act together for defense funding
Mackenzie Eaglen | The Hill
Congress needs to solidify the new norm of on-time funding and let the political fight over the wall get hashed out in a fight separate from its most basic task of keeping the government open.

Pentagon acquisition chief provides update on major programs
(Defense News) Undersecretary of Defense Ellen Lord briefs reporters on the progress of several major defense programs.

A sneak peek of the Army’s modernization strategy
(Defense News) Get a preview of the new plan from Lt. Gen Eric Wesley, set to be rolled out later this year.

The Pentagon is almost two years late on efficiency reforms
(Defense One) Little progress have been made on various requirements ordered in the 2018 authorization act, GAO found.

Avoiding past mistakes: Are the Army’s modernization plans on the right course?
(Defense News) To avoid past mistakes that have all but crippled the Army’s ability to procure new equipment, the service should ensure its top modernization priorities are aligned with its emerging warfighting doctrine, which could mean rearranging some of its top efforts, conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation is arguing in a new report.

Ruthless Prioritization: The Army’s Realization of the National Defense Strategy – A Conversation with Acting Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy
Bradley Bowman — FDD Event
The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and its Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP) hosted Acting Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy on Tuesday, August 20, 2019. Secretary McCarthy delivered remarks and then participated in a moderated discussion with CMPP Senior Director Bradley Bowman. Topics included the threats the U.S. confronts, great power competition, and future wars, as well as Army readiness and modernization... Watch Here

DOD ACQUISITION REFORM

the_1960s_had_their_day__changing_dod’s_acquisition_processes_and_structures___realcleardefense.pdf
File Size:	11539 kb
File Type:	pdf

Dr. Kathleen Hicks

getting_to_less.pdf
File Size:	91 kb
File Type:	pdf

THUCYDIDES & THE LONG WAR PROBLEM

FORCE PLANNING IN AGE OF GREAT POWER COMPETITION

AGAINST ALL ODDS: CHANGING ACQUISITION CULTURE

THE CRISIS OF AMERICAN MILITARY PRIMACY

NATIONAL MILITARY STRATEGY: REVOLUTIONARY APPROACH

UNDERSTANDING MILITARY MODERNIZATION

5 STRATEGIES FOR SEC. OF DEFENSE

WHY THE 3RD OFFSET FAILS

INADEQUATE DOCTRINES FOR IRREGULAR WAR

ALTERNATIVE WAR STRATEGIES & FORCE POSTURE

REVERSING DECLINE: ELIZABETHIAN ENGLAND

U.S. GRAND STRATEGY FOR WINNING WORLD WAR IV

MULTI-DOMAIN BATTLE REPLACES R.M.A.

GLOBAL DEFENSE SPENDING.pdf
File Size:	1996 kb
File Type:	pdf

REBUILDING AMERICAN MILITARY.pdf
File Size:	1854 kb
File Type:	pdf

Tweets by WilliamHolland

Principles Guiding Pentagon Acquisition Reform
File Size:	56 kb
File Type:	pdf

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