Building a New Defense Strategy

Chris, Melanie, and Zack, discuss Frank Hoffman’s recent War on
the Rocks essay, “U.S. Defense Strategy after the Pandemic,”
which makes the case for adjusting U.S. strategic objectives in
light of flat or declining Pentagon budgets over the next few
years. While the Pentagon might intend “to implement the 2018
National Defense Strategy as if the pandemic and recession never
happened,” Hoffman explains, we “should evaluate US national
security strategy under much more austere defense spending
scenarios.” And now we can. As it happens, War on the Rocks, in
partnership with the American Enterprise Institute and Center for
Strategic & International Security, has just rolled out a
clever online budgeting tool that allows users to design their
own defense strategies according to a wide range of criteria. Be
sure to check it out.


Grievances include gun violence and big bugs (cicadas), and for
Joe Biden wanting to take away drug maker patents. Shout outs to
Liz Cheney, the G-7’s proper stance on Taiwan, and the World
Health Organization and think-tank transparency — and a special
attaboy for Producer Tre, the hardest working dude in the podcast
universe.


 


Links


Frank Hoffman, “US Defense Strategy after the Pandemic,” War
on the Rocks, April 20, 2021

Caroline Multerer, “#100: Create an Office of Gun Violence
Prevention in the Department of Homeland Security,” Atlantic
Council, April 29, 2021

Eli Clifton and Ben Freeman, “Restoring Trust in the Think
Tank Sector,” Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, May
10, 2021

Defense Futures

Matthew Lesh, "'Stakeholder Capitalism' Caused the Oxford
Vaccine Debacle," Wall Street Journal, May 5, 2021

Afshin Molavi, "Globalization in a Needle," Substack, April
30, 2021

Robert Work, "Storm Clouds Ahead: Musings about the 2022
Defense Budget," War on the Rocks, March 30, 2021

Charles Q. Brown, Jr. and Gen. David H. Berger, "Redefine
Readiness or Lose," War on the Rocks, March 15, 2021

Nike Ching, "G-7 Countries Back Taiwan's Observer Status in
World Health Assembly," VOA News, May 5, 2021