Tag: National security
Stevenson’s army, November 11
Honor veterans today!
I have long argued that the only thing election returns can tell is who won, who got more votes, not how or why it happened. That’s especially true this year when the two national exit polls had significant differences in the numbers of voters they found. Given that caveat, here’s a big collection of the data. And note that Nate Cohn of the NYT has a long story trying to tell why the polls were wrong.
David Ignatius reports a bitter interagency fight over declassifying some materials about Russia which Esper, Haspel & others warn would reveal key sources and methods.
This is new information which might explain why Esper was fired this week and Haspel may be.
Meanwhile, the national security community suffers more firings, resignations, and burrowing in of Trump loyalists.
WSJ explains the Biden-McConnell relationship.
I have a piece in The Hill urging the new administration to speed the naming of all the top 1200 nominees so they can start planning together.
As you know, it’s the season for think tanks to make their suggestions to a new administration, Here’s CFR on how to revitalize the State Dept.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, November 10
– The administration is deliberately refusing to allow the transition to begin.
– The president has abruptly fired the Secretary of Defense, installed an official with limted experience, while threatening also to fire the CIA director and FBI director. Esper is trying to defend himself.
– This is the season for “what Biden will do ” stories. Most are highly speculative, based on sources that may or may not have power in the new administration. I’m only going to send stories I think are soundly based, especially by reporters with very good sources. So pay attention to what Michael Gordon reports for WSJ and David Sanger for NYT.
– Armenia has lost the war, cut a deal.
– AEI scholar questions the way the combatant commands are run.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, October 16
– AP reports WH efforts to politicize CDC
–Trump lets California burn without relief.
–Confusion in the ranks over troop withdrawals.
– More on those mixed messages.
– Sweden boosts defenses against Russia.
Missed opportunity: Yesterday, WH released a “National Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technologies.”Doesn’t say who wrote it. No letter from Trump. I bet there would be bipartisan support for many of its ideas. Instead, it sinks like a stone.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, September 30
After last night’s dispiriting display of socially-distanced mud wrestling, let’s turn to something completely different.
Two bipartisan congressional reports on important national security matters: a House panel on future defense and a task force report on arms control.
WSJ reports how China is taking control of various international organizations.
A retired Navy captain writes about Chinese actions in the Taiwan strait.
US Navy has moved ship to help Greece against Turkey.
SAIS profs Barno and Bensahel preview their new book about military adaptation.
Russian Duma goes remote because of Covid infections.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, September 23
As you’ll learn when we discuss the Senate, there are many ways to obstruct and delay in addition to the filibuster. Democratic Leader Schumer invoked one Tuesday. The rule [XXVI, 5] requires unanimous consent for any committee to meet more than 2 hours after the full Senate has convened, and never after 2pm. This will limit Judiciary hearings on the Supreme Court nominee.
Meanwhile, candidates to become House Appropriations Chair in the next Congress are endorsing the return of earmarks.
Save the date: December 11 is when funding for the new fiscal year runs out, assuming the Senate agrees to the Continuing Resolution that passed the House with strong bipartisan support.
The Hill says DOD is planning full US withdrawal from Afghanistan by next May.
The National Security Adviser is pressuring DOD to add funds for the Navy. It’s unusual for someone in that position to do such budget stuff.
Politico says CIA is censoring and limiting what it send to WH about Russia
Lee Drutman, whose writings about interest groups I’ve assigned, says the US political parties are collapsing and some kind of transformation is coming.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, September 9
When I see a think tank or commission report that suggests better ways to make national security policy, I’m eager to share the ideas even if I’m skeptical of some of them. I spent 3 years working on the Project on National Security Reform, which produced an 800-page study with good ideas, only a few of which actually were put into place. I assign my spring course the excellent Process Makes Perfect report by Kori Schake and William Wechsler. And so when I saw the Less Art, More Science report by a group called FP21, I downloaded it for me and for you.
Since no authors were listed, I was curious and discovered FP21 is an offshoot of National Security Action, an organization of mostly careerist and Democratic appointees, many of whom I know and admire. The trouble with the Less Art, More Science report, however, is that it presumes that with more data and more strategic thinking, we will make better policy. I’m all for that approach, but I know from years of study that most big problems are too hard. The goals are multiple and priorities change and conflict [Strengthen the government but avoid corruption; build up the army and guarantee civilian control; punish human rights violators but don’t undermine US companies and their trade]. The report even had a template for policy memos that is sensible but could easily become a rigid checklist. Anyway, read it for the good parts.
Sen. Ben Sasse [R-Neb] has his own list of congressional reforms.
New America has report on “brain drain” of congressional staff.
FT says China is offering the Taliban roads for peace.
Australian insurgency expert says US is on brink of “incipient insurgency.”
Politico says USAID is shutting down its coronavirus task force; reasons unclear.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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