Program Related Publication Feeds

Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

sherry — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the moratorium on nuclear testing by the United States and the Soviet Union. Following a combined total of 2,000 test explosions, only a handful has been detonated since 1992.

Key Risks in the New Defense Guidance: What Kind of War and Where?

sherry — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

On January 5, the president announced new foundational defense guidance. Fiscal challenges clearly dictated the timing of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) most recent comprehensive review. However, new guidance was essential at some point if DoD was to transition into the post–Iraq/Afghanistan world in the most deliberate and responsible way possible.

Challenges to American Access: The Joint Operational Access Concept and Future Military Risk

sherry — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The recently released Joint Operational Access Concept (JOAC) foreshadows an era of increased constraints on U.S. military actions abroad. The reality is that U.S. military power now competes on a substantially more complicated playing field in a number of important regions around the world. As a consequence, U.S.

Nuclear Scholars Initiative

jdunton — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The 2011 Nuclear Scholars Initiative featured an outstanding class of 20 graduate students and young professionals from across the United States, as well as one from the United Kingdom. Together, they participated in six monthly workshops that covered various aspects of U.S. nuclear weapons policy.

Structure and Dynamics of the U.S. Federal Services Industrial Base, 2000-2010

gsanders — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The U.S. government has a permanent and, until recently, growing reliance on contracts with the private sector for a wide range of services. For the past six years, the Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group (DIIG) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has tracked the trends driving the services industry.

Keeping Faith

jdunton — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

As budgetary pressures rise across the government, leaders at every level are reexamining every expenditure. This is particularly true for leaders in the Department of Defense (DoD), which represents the single greatest share of the government’s discretionary spending—over $670 billion in 2012.

Partnership for Recovery and a Stronger Future

jdunton — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0400

When a magnitude 9.0 earthquake shook the earth beneath the Western Pacific on March 11, 2011, it unleashed a massive nine-meter tsunami toward the coast of the Tohoku region of Japan’s main island of Honshu.

Endangered Ground Forces?

ecurran — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Tomorrow General Raymond Odierno, the chief of staff of the Army, and General James Amos, the commandant of the Marine Corps, will testify before the House Armed Services Committee on the potential impact of sequestration.

Defense in an Age of Austerity

jdunton — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

In order to comply with the Budget Control Act of 2011, the Department of Defense (DoD) will face a drawdown of uncertain magnitude.

U.S. Ground Force Capabilities through 2020

jdunton — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

As an era of greater austerity rushes in, policymakers face numerous difficult choices about how to prioritize shrinking resources. This study is an effort to inform those choices in the particular area of U.S. ground force capabilities, based on an examination of how well current plans align with potential future challenges ground forces might be called upon to address.

DIIG Current Issues No. 25: ASEAN Defense Industry Collaboration

gsanders — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

In February 2011 the defense ministers of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed to promote five areas of security cooperation: maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, peacekeeping operations, counter terrorism, and military medicine.

Beyond New START

jdunton — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The Next Generation Working Group (NGWG) was convened by the CSIS Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) to study the next steps in U.S.-Russian nuclear arms control. It consists of 14 leading young academics, analysts, and officials with professional experience in arms control and other nuclear issues.

Capacity and Resolve

jdunton — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The last decade has seen the United States involved in two wars, an ongoing worldwide struggle against terrorism, and more recently a severe economic recession. This period has exposed two great structural challenges facing the United States. First, in a globalized world, vectors of prosperity quickly become vectors of insecurity. And second, the center of gravity in world affairs is shifting to Asia.

Nuclear Notes

jdunton — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Nuclear Notes is a semi-annual publication of the CSIS Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) featuring
innovative thinking by rising experts. Its goal is to advance the public debate about nuclear weapons strategy and policy by introducing new policy recommendations and by challenging assumptions underlying current nuclear strategy, policy, or practice.

Global Forecast 2011

jdunton — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The Role of Land Forces In Future Conflict

ian — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The coming year promises to be decisive in national defense policy. The Defense Department is gearing up for another round of cuts, new leadership (both civilian and military) will be settling in, and preparations for the 2012 elections will begin in earnest. These circumstances do not bode well for U.S. ground forces.

Comparing Approaches to Identifying and Influencing Social Networks

mentman — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

On May 5, 2011, the Center for Strategic and International Studies hosted a workshop attended by approximately forty experts in various disciplines and subject areas. Each was involved in work that in some way touched upon the understanding or utilization of social networks.

Assessing Implementation of the 2010 Nuclear Posture Review

sherry — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

In April of 2009, President Barack Obama helped revive international attention and debate on the feasibility and desirability of a world without nuclear weapons by delivering his now-famous Prague Speech.

The 2011 Unified Command Plan—A Missed Opportunity?

mentman — Tue, 24 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Last month President Obama signed the Unified Command Plan (UCP). The UCP establishes responsibilities and geographic boundaries for the U.S. military’s six regional and four functional four-star combatant commands (COCOMs).

Bin Laden's Gone: What Now for Defense Policy?

ian — Wed, 04 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The death of Osama bin Laden (OBL) at the hands of U.S. special operations forces is a watershed moment for defense strategists. Like the 9/11 attacks, it isn’t really the beginning or end of anything new. The world didn’t change on 9/11. What did change was how the United States and its national security community perceived threats and their likelihood.

A Diminishing Transatlantic Partnership?

jdunton — Tue, 03 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Over the past five decades, the United States, its NATO allies, and other European Union countries have been partners in maintaining transatlantic security and leading contributors to international stability and economic development.

A Collection of Papers from the 2010 Conference Series

jfriedman — Sun, 01 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The PONI conference series provides a forum for graduate students and young professionals from around the country to present new ideas on how to address key challenges in nuclear strategy and policy.

DIIG Current Issues No. 24: India's Defense Spending and Military Modernization

gsanders — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Photo left: INDIA (Jan. 20, 2010) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates receives a tour of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. (DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jerry Morrison)

The Iranian Navy’s Historic Mediterranean Deployment: Timing Is Everything

mentman — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Iranian Warships in the Med. In an unprecedented maneuver, two ships of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN) entered the Mediterranean Sea on February 22, 2011. The Iranian flagship Arvand, a corvette, and its supply ship, Kharg, transited the Suez Canal en route to Syria, ostensibly for a port visit as part of a midshipmen training deployment.

Risk Management in Non-DoD U.S. Government Agencies and the International Community

jdunton — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

As part of ongoing efforts by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy to develop an enterprise-wide risk management framework to guide Department of Defense (DoD) decisionmaking, the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy contracted a CSIS study team to identify risk management lessons learned and best practices among non-DoD U.S.

Tough Choices

jdunton — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Leed and Moody identify a broader construct for how to more accurately evaluate the true cost and operational risks associated with capability reductions—in this instance, for amphibious capabilities. Their report focuses on the often-overlooked but strategically important impact of capability reductions on strategic-shaping—that is, preventative—defense missions as a complement to traditional decisionmaking that emphasizes the impact on combat missions.

Assessing Impact across Policy Domains

mentman — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

On December 2, 2010, the Center for Strategic and International Studies hosted a workshop attended by approximately forty experts in impact assessment and performance measurement. By intention this group represented a diverse range of policy focus—from defense and security issues to international development, intelligence, education, and health care.

Containing the Atom: Paul Nitze and the Tradition of Non-Use of Nuclear Weapons

mentman — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

On a rainy day in June 1982, two men sat on a log in the forest outside of Geneva, Switzerland. The topic of conversation was nothing less than the terms of a dramatic nuclear arms reduction pact between the United States and the Soviet Union. For weeks delegates from both nations had been butting heads at the negotiating table with little progress to show for it.

Shining a Brighter Light on Dark Places: Improving the IAEA’s Use of Intelligence through Cooperation with NATO

mentman — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

As North Korea and Iran have recently demonstrated, the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the Safeguards Regime have not been completely effective in preventing the diversion of nuclear technology for military purposes by non-nuclear powers.

“Closing the Gap” The Euromissiles and President Carter’s Nuclear Weapons Strategy for Western Europe (1977-1979)

mentman — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Shortly after entering the Oval Office for the first time in January 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his top foreign policy aides – including National Security Advisor Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski and Deputy National Security Advisor David Aaron –were immediately confronted with a serious threat to the security of the Western European members of the NATO Alliance.

Structure and Dynamics of the U.S. Federal Professional Services Industrial Base, 1995-2009

gsanders — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The U.S. government has a permanent and growing reliance on contracts with the private sector for a wide range of professional and support services. For the past five years, the CSIS Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group has tracked the trends driving the professional services industry since 1995.

European Defense Trends

jdunton — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The international security challenges facing European governments are more complex than ever. In parallel, the economic recession has forced governments to make difficult choices in their defense budgets that will greatly affect their near- and long-term military capabilities.

Seizing the Wireless Advantage: Conference Proceedings

ian — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

On September 15, 2010 the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) hosted a one-day conference to better understand various perspectives on the future of the Electro-Magnetic Spectrum (EMS). The event brought together key stakeholders from the across the government, industry, and academia, with two intended outcomes.

A Collection of Papers from the 2010 Nuclear Scholars Initiative

mark jansson — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The 2010 Nuclear Scholars Initiative featured an outstanding class of graduate students and young professionals from across the United States as well as two graduate students from Europe. The monthly workshops that the scholars participated in during the first six months of 2010 covered numerous areas of nuclear policy and strategy.

Role of Nuclear Weapons in NATO Security

sherry — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

NATO remains a collective security alliance whose purpose, as embodied in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, is to defend the territorial integrity of all of its member states.

The End of Operation Iraqi Freedom and DoD’s Future in Iraq

ian — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Last night, President Barack Obama announced a formal end to the U.S. combat mission in Iraq. With roughly 50,000 Americans remaining behind until next year, it is certain that U.S. service personnel have not seen the end of hostile action.

"Don't Stop Now, Mr. Secretary. You're on a Roll!"

sherry — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ most recent decision to shutter Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) and to cut the Department of Defense (DoD) contract workforce are new examples of his penchant for bold decisionmaking. The centrifugal pressures of ongoing wars, long-term readiness, and looming federal deficits are forcing his hand.

Surprise Is Inevitable; Vulnerability Is Not

jdunton — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) mission to protect the nation necessitates its leaders’ concern about the military’s readiness for a vast and expanding range of missions. These concerns are heightened in the midst of two ongoing campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan and within the context of a world that is increasingly complex.

Karzai's Visit to Washington

sherry — Tue, 11 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Q1: Last weekend, President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan published an op-ed on the U.S.-Afghan relationship in which he referred to the “genuine partnership” between the two governments. What would such a partnership look like?

Iraq after the Death of al Qaeda in Iraq’s Leadership

mentman — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Q1: Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced on Monday that Iraqi forces had killed the leaders of al Qaeda in Iraq and the Islamic State of Iraq. What impact will these deaths have on violence in Iraq?

A Collection of Papers from the 2009 Conference Series

jfriedman — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The PONI conference series provides a forum for graduate students and young professionals from around the country to present new ideas on how to address key challenges in nuclear strategy and policy.

A Growing Terrorist Threat?

jdunton — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Five events during the fall of 2009 thrust concerns over “homegrown” terrorism—or extremist violence perpetrated by U.S. legal residents and citizens1 —into public view:

The First Quadrennial Homeland Security Review

sherry — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Q1: What is the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review?

Technical Challenges Associated With the New U.S. Nuclear Agenda

jwarden — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

As President Obama leads the campaign to work toward a world without nuclear weapons, ongoing activities in Iran and North Korea suggest that the world may be headed in the opposite direction.

The Ingenuity Gap

jdunton — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The officer management system comprises the laws, policies, procedures, and practices that guide how officers enter service and are subsequently developed, promoted, and separated. The purpose of this study is to examine whether that system aligns with the demands officers are likely to face in the years ahead. The basic question is whether we can continue to count on success.

The Case for an Afghanistan Timeline

sherry — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Q1: Last week President Obama announced that U.S. troops will begin withdrawing from Afghanistan in July 2011. What exactly does this entail?

President Obama at West Point

sherry — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

After much anticipation, President Obama last night announced his revamped war strategy for Afghanistan: a 30,000-troop buildup intended to reverse Taliban gains, increase the capability of the Afghan National Army and police, shore up the Karzai government, and begin withdrawals of U.S. forces by 2011.

Q1: What does the new strategy entail?

The Afghan "Surge": Beginning, Middle, or End?

sherry — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Last night President Obama described a new way forward in Afghanistan. Throughout months of intensive deliberations, it was always clear that answers to two key questions would determine how we proceed. The first: where collectively do we want to go? Rebuild Afghanistan from the bottom up or reinforce our strategic position against those that might use Afghanistan as a terrorist sanctuary?

Exploring the Nuclear Posture Implications of Extended Deterrence and Assurance

jwarden — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The emerging North Korean and Iranian nuclear capabilities, coupled with ongoing Chinese and Russian strategic modernization programs, have brought increased attention from both practitioners and strategists to U.S. extended nuclear deterrence and the role it plays in assuring allies that the United States is committed to protecting their security.

CSIS Trilateral Track 2 Nuclear Dialogues Consensus Statement

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Providing leadership in this difficult political context will require the United States, the United Kingdom and France to achieve unprecedented levels of cooperation and collaboration.