When optimum manning is not optimal

It was the shot heard ‘round the Navy’s Human Systems Integration (HSI) world. “We’re going to effectively migrate, reconstitute in a way, the surface fleet afloat,” …

How to navigate the defense downturn

Strategists and armchair warriors might want to wall off the armed forces from budget cuts, buy new stuff, fix the war-damaged gear and maintain high personnel …

Air Force strategy study looks to long-term critical capabilities

With the end of the Cold War, the Air Force, like its sister services, faced a fundamental challenge to its raison d’être. While …

TO DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES for the principle of what his Efficiency Initiatives Decisions memo seeks to achieve. Reducing duplication, overhead and excess across the Defense Department is not just desirable, it’s …

Those who launch revolutions in the modern era usually offer grand slogans as the reason for the revolt. Still, whether it was the American populace demanding the end of King George III’s …

The Obama administration has made improving relations with Russia one of its main foreign policy goals and its efforts have borne fruit and put U.S.-Russia relations on a positive footing for the …

Replacing legacy helicopters requires a technology leap

The OH-58 Kiowa Warrior has been in Army service since 1969. For a helicopter approaching a half-century of service, you’d think it would be nearing …

Close-air support detractors are clinging to outdated concepts

Misperceptions about close-air support (CAS) continue to plague the relationship between ground and air forces. CAS is a mission area where myth and reality …

The human challenge of technology-intensive military systems

During the major combat operations phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Army Patriot air and missile defense units were involved in two fratricide incidents. In …

TO THE MILITARY OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA for its predictable but nonetheless unrealistic response to proposed military health care reforms as part of the new defense budget cuts.

In his plan, Defense …