Stop the Decline of Our Navy

| Posted in Defense Drumbeat

Contrary to Gregg Easterbrook, the Navy has entered a genuine crisis caused by years of dangerous underinvestment and the folly of sequestration. After peaking at nearly 568 ships in 1987, the fleet now numbers 275 ships...

Shortchanging Missile Defense

| Posted in Defense Drumbeat

Within days of President Obama releasing his fiscal 2016 defense budget this month, Pakistan tested a nuclear-capable Ra’ad short-range missile, Russia announced plans to test a new RS-26 intercontinental ballistic missile, Iran launched a satellite into space and North Korea...

Hearing Schedule: February 23-27

| Posted in Defense Drumbeat

WASHINGTON - House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) released the following schedule featuring (4) hearings the week of February 23-27, 2015. Witnesses are listed in alphabetical order, consistent with the U.S. House of Representatives Committee Repository.

Congressman Forbes Warns of Complacency in Strategic Planning

| Posted in Defense Drumbeat

"The first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem, as they say, and Air-Sea Battle came as badly needed intervention at a critical point. It is hard to believe today that less than a decade ago, these issues did not appear on most defense policy makers’ radar as major planning considerations. But at the birth of Air-Sea Battle, “China” truly was what two U.S. Naval..."

Washington Post: U.S. fight against jihadism has lost its momentum

| Posted in Defense Drumbeat

"PRESIDENT OBAMA’S neglect of the anti-terrorism march in Paris seemed reflective of a broader loss of momentum by his administration in combating Islamic jihadism. Five months after the president launched military operations against the Islamic State, fighting in Iraq and Syria appears..."

Chairman Thornberry in Washington Post: "Effective action against extremists"

| Posted in Defense Drumbeat

"Last spring, first lady Michelle Obama held a sign that said “#BringBackOurGirls,” a response to the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in Nigeria by an al-Qaeda cousin called Boko Haram. The girls are still missing. In December, members of the Pakistani Taliban murdered 132 schoolchildren and 10 staff members in Peshawar..."