There is a national security imperative in not only making sure social media platforms are regulated, but that they are done so properly in a way that enhances, rather than thwarts, the free and open discourse that our democracy relies on.
Continuing to start the fiscal year on October 1 will only perpetuate the current pattern of delayed appropriations and DoD programs, writes Robert Hale.
The Biden administration will shape its defense plans in the midst of the ongoing Covid-19 threat and historically large federal deficits. Seamus Daniels explores the budget landscape and potential priorities for the new Defense Department leadership.
Austerity hawks who focus overly much on the size of the national debt as an indicator of national security strength are missing the bigger picture. Expected interest rate hikes haven’t materialized, and instead the U.S. is missing opportunities for long-term investment.
Using “the Pentagon” or “the White House” as if they were actors in the political process risks misleading readers from what is going on.
On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper notified members of Congress that he would take $3.6 billion from military construction projects to build 175 more miles of wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.
The new budget deal adds $1.6 trillion to the deficit over the next ten years, a bill the current generation has no intention of paying and which it happily sends to its children and grandchildren.
Congress will likely pursue a budget agreement that raises the Budget Control Act spending limits from their original levels for FY 2020. If they fail, the Department of Defense faces sequestration for the first time since 2013.
The Fiscal Year 2020 budget that the Trump administration released Monday embroils the Department of Defense in many confrontations with the Congress. The DOD will be dragged into a series of political confrontations and may end up as collateral damage.
Some legislators have pushed to restrict the president from launching preemptive nuclear strikes without the authorization of Congress. While proponents of congressional authorization hope that it will reduce tensions, it will only serve to increase the risks of accidental or inadvertent escalation.