Project Iceberg

Part of the: 
U.S. Defense and National Security
Project Iceberg
Project Iceberg examines the less obvious, but pressing defense issues that the next President and Secretary of Defense must understand and address—or risk Titanic-like repercussions for the nation.

National Security’s Hidden Problems And What the Next President Can Do About Them

Phase I:

The Secretary of Defense has many problems that everyone—especially his President—can see dominating the horizon. But in addition to the visible problems, the Secretary faces several “iceberg problems” that he may be tempted to overlook. If ignored, these could have Titanic-like repercussions for the Department of Defense (DoD) and the nation.

Senior scholars from the CSIS International Security Program had an initiative ahead of the national security transition in 2009 to identify and chart a course to navigate DoD’s biggest iceberg problems before disaster strikes. To this end, CSIS is convened a series of targeted research efforts and expert working group meetings. In fall 2008, the effort culminated with the release of a monograph on the subject. Issues examined include:

  • Managing the growing ranks of contractors
  • The increasing cost of defense
  • Army personnel and structure challenges
  • Inadequate framework for working with allies and partners
  • DoD (and the broader U.S. government) still unprepared for another Hurricane Katrina-like catastrophe
  • The lack of a consensus on U.S. nuclear forces

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