Read the most recent CSIS research on U.S. military force structure.
A cyber attack on a major U.S. port in August was thwarted by the port’s use of threat detection software and quick coordination with a capable, trusted public-sector responder: the U.S. Coast Guard. Close coordination and information sharing between industry and the Coast Guard prevented a potential disaster.
The Air Force continues developing and procuring next-generation aircraft to meet the demands of great power conflict. While fielding new aircraft has slowed the increase in fleet age, the Air Force is not buying enough new aircraft to sustain current force levels.
A roundup of the recent developments in the military’s response to Covid-19 by the CSIS International Security Program.
The Marine Corps continues a major restructuring to develop capabilities for great power conflict in the Pacific by cutting units and personnel. The restructuring remains controversial and a work in progress.
The Biden administration’s emerging fleet plan incorporates smaller ships and large numbers of unmanned systems, as proposed by many strategists, but high costs, production limitations, and congressional opposition may prevent full implementation.
Despite its budget having declined by $3.6 billion, the U.S. Army’s force structure remains steady as a result of cuts to modernization and readiness. In the long term, the Army’s force structure is at risk because of the strategic focus on China, perceived as primarily an air and naval theater.
A roundup of the recent developments in the military’s response to Covid-19 by the CSIS International Security Program.
Each fiscal year, CSIS produces a series of papers on U.S. military forces, including their composition, new initiatives, long-term trends, and challenges. In FY 2022, military forces are “peering into the abyss,” as constrained budgets and strategy changes push the services to cut forces.
Integrating detailed budget data, decades of subject matter expertise, and sophisticated data science, the Defense Futures Simulator serves as a publicly available resource to understand how much the United States spends to achieve its defense objectives, and how that might change in the future.
The response to Covid-19 presents the Biden administration with its first defining challenge. DoD has played a central role in the response thus far, and the new administration has made clear that DoD will continue to play an important, though supporting, role.