Covid-19 Response Update: October 13
A roundup of the recent developments in the military’s response to Covid-19 by the CSIS International Security Program.
Topic: Forces
Read the most recent CSIS research on U.S. military force structure.
U.S. Military Forces in FY 2022: Peering into the Abyss—The Budget and Strategy Overview
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.
Data / Acquisition, Budget, Forces, Strategy
The Defense Futures Simulator
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.
Covid-19 and the Military: Maintaining Operations While Supporting Civil Society
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.
Nuclear Modernization under Competing Pressures
The Biden administration will face early decision points regarding the modernization of critical elements of the U.S. nuclear weapons enterprise in an environment buffeted by competing forces and pressures.
Building Military Forces for the 2020s: Implementing Strategy and Exercising Global Leadership in an Era of Reduced Resources
As the Biden administration charts a new strategy for the Department of Defense, it will need to make difficult decisions on force structure and optimization, with real implications for readiness.
Indigenous Representation in National Security
In this article, Gabriella Gricius addresses the need for more Indigenous representation in the national security field and how Indigenous voices can provide vital recommendations to policymakers.
Operation Overwatch
In this article for the Represent series, Megan Gemar suggests a comprehensive program to address the concerning female retention rates in the Army and build inter-service connections amongst women.
Rethinking Military Roles and Missions in a New Administration
It’s been 70 years since the Department of Defense last formally reviewed the roles and missions set of its component services. With the creation of the Space Force and the rise of new technologies, it’s more than time for DoD to conduct a new review.
Cultivating a Defense Department Workforce for the Digital Era
Among the top priorities for President Biden’s Department of Defense should be retaining and cultivating a skilled STEM workforce at all levels in the Pentagon.