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Topic: Forces

Read the most recent CSIS research on U.S. military force structure.

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Analysis / Forces

U.S. Military Forces in FY 2020: The Strategic and Budget Context

This first white paper in Mark Cancian’s military forces series analyzes the strategy and budget context for building forces in FY 2020, criticisms of the strategy, budget and resulting force plans, and risks for sustaining force levels in the future.

October 3, 2019 — Mark Cancian
Analysis / Forces

U.S. Military Forces in FY 2020: The Struggle to Align Forces with Strategy

The overall theme of this year’s military forces report is the struggle to align forces and strategy, unrelenting operational demands, and legacy programs whose smooth operations and strong constituencies inhibit rapid change.

September 24, 2019 — Mark Cancian
Analysis / Forces, Strategy

Fly-Fight-AI: Air Force Releases New AI Strategy

The 2019 Artificial Intelligence Strategy recognizes that leveraging AI means investing in the AI ecosystem: the people, computing infrastructure, data, and policies necessary to support any organization’s deployment of AI technology.

September 13, 2019 — Lindsey Sheppard
Analysis / Forces

When is More Actually Less? Situational Awareness and Nuclear Risks

For most of the nuclear age, enhanced strategic situational awareness has been viewed as beneficial to crisis stability. Today, existing and emerging technology offers the prospect of insight into adversary actions and activities with unprecedented speed and precision. But can there be too much of a good thing?

August 2, 2019 — Rebecca Hersman, Bernadette Stadler, via War on the Rocks
Analysis / Forces, Reform

Space Force or Space Corps? Competing Visions for a New Military Service

In 2018, President Trump requested the creation of the U.S. Space Force. Since then three competing visions for its structure have been crafted: one from the Department of Defense and two from the U.S. House and Senate. This brief compares these three legislative proposals to create a new military service for space.

June 27, 2019 — Kaitlyn Johnson
Analysis / Acquisition, Forces

Beating the Air into Submission: Investing in Vertical Lift Modernization (Part II)

In our last paper, we discussed the current state of the U.S. vertical lift fleet and how past investment decisions helped shape this fleet. This brief will focus on future investments. Vertical lift aircraft are a substantial part of the U.S. military, both in terms of fleet size and investment levels. Helicopters and tiltrotors make…

May 10, 2019 — Gabriel Coll, Andrew Hunter
Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy https://www.flickr.com/photos/usnavy/30299881610/
Analysis / Acquisition, Budget, Forces

Penny Wise and Pound Foolish: The Navy’s Carrier Construction Strategy

The Navy had several viable approaches for adapting its carrier force to the new defense strategy. Instead, it opted to avoid a decision and will waste billions of dollars as a result. Funds for shipbuilding are too scarce to waste. It’s time to make a decision about carriers.

March 15, 2019 — Mark Cancian, sdaniels, via US Naval Institute
Analysis / Forces

War by Proxy: Iran’s Growing Footprint in the Middle East

There is growing Iranian activism in the Middle East despite U.S. and allied efforts to weaken Iran’s economy and politically isolate Tehran. Nevertheless, Iran has weaknesses and vulnerabilities that can be exploited by the United States and its partners.

March 11, 2019 — Seth G. Jones, sdaniels, via CSIS
Photo courtesy of AFP
Opinion / Forces

It Is Long Past Time To Stop Expanding NATO

Expansion weakens the alliance rather than strengthening it. It’s time to stop NATO expansion.

March 1, 2019 — Mark Cancian, sdaniels, via War on the Rocks
Analysis / Forces

How Does Space Policy Directive-4 Reorganize U.S. Military Space Operations?

On February 19, 2019, President Trump signed a new Space Policy Directive, which directs the Department of Defense (DoD) to formally create a separate military service for space. This long-anticipated announcement endorses DoD to submit to Congress a request to stand up the U.S. Space Force.

February 20, 2019 — Kaitlyn Johnson, sdaniels, via CSIS
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