D360’s Defense Outlook series examines the dynamics and interdependencies among strategy, budget, forces, and acquisitions. This series includes recurring annual reports on the defense budget, force structure, acquisition trends, and U.S. defense strategy.
This report assesses the Biden administration’s FY 2022 defense budget request. It outlines the priorities and potential effects of ongoing strategic reviews, tracks current congressional action on FY 2022 defense appropriations, and identifies key issues for FY 2023.
Military forces include not just traditional services, but also the newly created Space Force, special operations forces, civilians, and contractors. In his final paper in a series on U.S. forces, Mark Cancian analyzes recent changes to these national security elements.
The Air Force continues to develop and procure next-generation aircraft to meet the demands of great power conflict. While fielding new aircraft has arrested the fleet’s increasing age, the Air Force is not buying enough new aircraft to sustain its force structure.
The Marine Corps begins a major restructuring to develop capabilities for great power conflict after two decades of conducting counterinsurgency ashore. However, many commentators worry that the restructuring will make the Marine Corps too narrowly focused.
Unlike the other services, the Navy has sought to grow significantly. However, its previous plan to reach 355 ships collapsed. A new plan incorporates smaller ships and large numbers of unmanned systems.
The Army plans for a slow expansion while continuing to take steps towards modernization for great power conflict. In the second white paper in his series on U.S. forces, CSIS’s Mark Cancian analyzes the Army’s plans and challenges for growth and modernization.
CSIS Senior Adviser Mark Cancian annually produces a series of papers on US military forces. This first white paper in the series analyzes what DOD did with military forces in FY 2021 and four challenges and a wild card that military forces face in the future.
In their latest analysis, Todd Harrison and Seamus P. Daniels outline overall trends in the defense budget, changes in the FY 2021 request, and issues for Congress and the next administration to consider.
The Trump administration characterized its FY 2020 defense budget request as a “masterpiece.” The CSIS Defense Budget Analysis program provides its assessment of the budget, its implications for future defense spending, and FY 2020 appropriations.
Annually, CSIS senior adviser Mark Cancian publishes a report on U.S. military forces—their composition, new initiatives, long-term trends, and challenges as well as the strategic and budget context that shapes their structure. This report, a compilation of previously published white papers, takes a deep look at each of the military services, special operations forces, DOD…