The Evening CSIS: Defense 360, Think Tank Ranks, Get Around & More

Good Evening,

Welcome to The Evening CSIS—my daily guide to key insights CSIS brings to the events of the day plus HIGHLY RECOMMENDED content from around the world. If you want to view this in your browser, click here.

Defense 360
Today CSIS launched Defense 360, a one-stop shop for all things CSIS defense analysis, all packaged in a smooth new website defense360.csis.org. It features in-depth analysis from CSIS experts as well as a commentary from CSIS President and CEO John Hamre: “ Looking Back at the Need for Goldwater-Nichols .”

On the site you’ll find pieces from our defense team including: Andrew Hunter on the trends in defense acquisition in 2015, Todd Harrison’s take on defense modernization plans, as well as what to expect for defense policy in 2016 by the project's leaders Kathleen Hicks, Mark Cancian, Todd Harrison, and Andrew Hunter.

Dive Deeper: For more on this project, see today's op-ed in Defense One by that same CSIS team.

And Defense News's Aaron Mehta has even more coverage here.

UPenn Think Tank Rankings: CSIS #1 in Intl Security
Today our friends at the Wilson Center hosted the annual launch of the University of Pennsylvania’s Global Think Tank Rankings.

I’m proud to report that for the fifth consecutive year, CSIS has been ranked as the number 1 “Defense and International Security Think Tank.”

Dr. James McGann directs the study, which examined over 7,000 think tanks worldwide and ranks the top 150.

Some additional highlights of CSIS’s rankings in various categories include:

CSIS ranked number 3 overall in the US behind our friends at Brookings and Carnegie. When factoring in the rest of the world, CSIS ranked number 4 globally behind Brookings, Chatham House, and Carnegie. Major congrats to our peers—you earned it and we are pleased to be in your company.

In addition, congratulations to CSIS’s Steve Morrison and the Global Health Policy Center who ranked number 3 in the category of “Top Global Health Policy Think Tanks.”

Finally, congratulations to my colleagues in External Relations. Despite CSIS’s SVP for External Relations (me), your hard work generated rankings of number 1 in “Think Tanks with the Best External Relations/Public Engagement Program,” number 1 in “Think Tanks with the Best Use of the Internet,” and number 1 in “Best Use of Media (Print or Electronic).” Thanks team, you all make it fun to come to work every day.

The 2015 Global Think Tank Index has much more information to dive deeper into. You can read the full report here.

Iraq Struggles
Despite victory in Ramadi, Iraq’s military is still struggling, as successfully training a home-grown fighting force proves slow work, as this report from AP’s Susannah George shows.

Dive Deeper: This December piece from Anthony Cordesman outlines the challenges facing the US forces already in Iraq: “ More Special Forces for Iraq and Syria: Tactical Asset or Strategic Tokenism .”

In that Number
220,000
Brazil will deploy 220,000 soldiers to fight the Zika virus, which is spreading quickly across the country.
Source: BBC.

Critical Quote
“We've created this thing, and we still have a very primitive approach to securing and governing it.”
—James A. Lewis, director of the CSIS Strategic Technologies Program, on digital infrastructure and the cyberspace race.
Source: W a shin gton Post .

One to Watch

Siobhán O’Grady (@siobhan_ogrady) is a staff writer at Foreign Policy. She previously reported for the Houston Chronicle as a political reporting fellow with the Washington Center for Politics & Journalism. Siobhán is one to watch for high-quality reporting on terrorism, Iran, and other foreign policy issues.

Optics
CNN has a thorough background article with videos and infographics on the mosquito-borne Zika virus that has rapidly spread across South America.

Highly Recommended
Has the Internet made air travel irrelevant? Via the New Yorker.

CSIS Today
Today, CSIS launched a new initiative, “ Defense Outlook: A CSIS Series on Strategy, Budget, Forces, and Acquisition .” And, catch the “Clean Power Plan 2016,” as an expert energy panel discusses an state, federal, and court activity planning for the upcoming year. Finally, CSIS hosted Admiral Harry B. Harris, commander of US Pacific Command, for a discussion on strategic opportunities in the Indo-Asia-Pacific .

CSIS Tomorrow
Join us tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. for “ Beyond Aid: The Integration of Sustainable Development in a Coherent International Agenda ,” as experts in international development share their thoughts on how policy coherence for sustainable development can help to achieve ambitious global goals by 2030. And at 6:00 p.m., join us for the latest Schieffer Series, “ A Discussion on Terrorism.” Bob Schieffer moderates a discussion with Fran Townsend, Juan Zarate, and Mary Louise Kelly.

This Town Tomorrow
Join AEI tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. for a keynote with Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI) on the coming year in cybersecurity and what lies ahead for domestic and international cyberspace policy.

CSIS on Demand
What do the recent Taiwanese elections means for US-China relations? Joseph Wu, secretary general of the Democratic Progressive Party, joined CSIS to discuss the outcomes and implications of Taiwan’s January 2016 elections. Watch the discussion on demand.

Sounds
Are Europe’s borders closing? As big question marks hang over the European Union, NPR’s On Point discusses Europe’s future amid the pressure from last year’s massive influx of refugees.

I Like It Like That
Eye-catching things in CSIS's orbit

ICYMI yesterday, CSIS iDeas Lab producer Sam Ellis shot this DC in Winter photo montage of our bout with Snowzilla. We got a lot of great feedback on it so for those of you who missed it try to remember to forget the snow, but enjoy what it looked like when it was still pretty.

Smiles
Encore for the promise of an endless summer that the Beach Boys provide even when one is staring into the face of slush and snow. Another incredible live performance from the Tami Show is this clip of “I Get Around.” Check out Mike Love’s dance moves, Brian Wilson’s incomparable voice, and Dennis Wilson destroying it on drums. The warmth of the sun indeed.

Feedback

I always welcome and benefit from your feedback. Please drop me a line at aschwartz@csis.org.