Features

October 1, 2008  

The right defense budget

The next president must finish the 2010 defense budget, set priorities for 2011 and beyond, and conduct the next Quadrennial Defense Review — all urgent and critical tasks.

Mackenzie Eaglen sets America’s defense spending in the context of its global superpower commitment and makes the case for a stable defense budget pegged at a minimum of 4 percent of GDP.

Marion Blakey builds specifics on that framework, highlighting America’s most critical equipment modernization needs.

Winslow Wheeler calls for Pentagon acquisition reform and stringent audits to get more, not less, for every defense dollar.

And Eric Sayers homes in on miniature satellites and their potential for underpinning the most cost-effective defense strategy of all — deterrence.