National Security’s Hidden Problems And What the Next President Can Do About Them
Phase I: The next Secretary of Defense will inherit many problems that everyone—especially his President—can see dominating the horizon. But in addition to the visible problems, the next Secretary faces several “iceberg problems” that he may be tempted to overlook. If ignored, these could have Titanic-like repercussions for the Department of Defense (DoD) and the nation.
Senior scholars from the CSIS International Security Program have undertaken an initiative ahead of the national security transition in 2009 to identify and chart a course to navigate DoD’s biggest iceberg problems before disaster strikes. To this end, CSIS is convening a series of targeted research efforts and expert working group meetings. In fall 2008, the effort will culminate with the release of a monograph on the subject. Issues under examination include:
Managing the growing ranks of contractors
The increasing cost of defense
Army personnel and structure challenges
Inadequate framework for working with allies and partners
DoD (and the broader U.S. government) still unprepared for another Hurricane Katrina-like catastrophe
The lack of a consensus on U.S. nuclear forces
For more information on Project Iceberg, please contact Sam Brannen, Fellow, CSIS International Security Program at 202-741-3860.
