As the Trump administration takes office, D360’s Transition45 series provides insights and recommendations from our scholars on what the new administration should change in U.S. defense strategy, forces, operations, and institutions.
U.S. forces have been employing electronic warfare for over 75 years, using the spectrum to sense, outmaneuver, and engage our adversaries. Absent U.S. investments in dedicated electronic warfare personnel, training, and equipment, Russia and China are likely to meet or exceed U.S. capabilities. How should the U.S. maintain its superiority in this invisible battlefield?
Special Operation Forces (SOF) has had great success against al Qaeda. This success and continued demand for special operations have led to slightly increased personnel numbers and larger budgets. As demand for SOF increase, so does rates of deployment and concerns for SOF readiness. This paper addresses how the new administration should consider engaging with SOF in the future to ensure SOF is not overextended and remains effective.
Administrative and training requirements that have been levied upon the services, units, and service members are timely. These bureaucratic burdens can impact operational effectiveness and readiness. It is a common mistake among new administrations to improve inefficiencies by adding programs or processes, which often results in increased time burdens. This paper provides some recommendations for effective and realistic change.
United States nuclear deterrent forces has been the bedrock of U.S. national security. The U.S. needs a modern, flexible, and adaptable nuclear enterprise suited to the deterrence challenges of the 21st century and yet current forces are outdated. This paper provides several changes to consider as the new administration conducts a nuclear review.
There is general agreement in the national security community that increased forces are needed. This paper reviews challenges in some of the services and proposes that the new administration should implement force expansion in two phases.
This paper provides recommendations the new administration should consider as it seeks to rebuild the military.
What is the role of U.S. leadership as Russia and China seek to re-make the world order? This paper assesses the challenges and provides recommended changes for U.S. strategy.