ISP Brief October 2016
October 31, 2016
It is our pleasure to send you the October Edition of ISP Brief, the monthly newsletter of the CSIS International Security Program. ISP Brief features articles and commentary written by our scholars, their analysis as published in various media sources (including video and audio highlights), and links to recent events. We hope the newsletter provides you, our readers, a snapshot of the excellent work underway in ISP, and the engaging thoughts of our experts. As always, your feedback is welcome.
Featured
Assessing the Third Offset Strategy
October 28, 2016
8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
CSIS, 1616 Rhode Island Avenue NW
The U.S. Military and Commercial Space Industry
October 24, 2016
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
CSIS, 1616 Rhode Island Avenue NW
Defense360
Check out our new Defense360 series: Assessing Defense Reform
Publications
READ "World Cup 2018: Russia Wins Just by Hosting" by Lisa Sawyer Samp, in The Huffington Post.
READ "Two Cheers for OCO: Grease for Budget Wheels" by Mark Cancian, in Breaking Defense.
READ "U.S. - India Security Cooperation" by Kathleen Hicks, Richard Rossow, Andrew Metrick, John Schaus, Sarah Watson, and Natalie Tecimer, CSIS International Security Program and The Wadhwani Chair on U.S.-India Studies.
READ "Perspectives on Security and Strategic Stability: A Track 2 Dialogue with the Baltic States and Poland" by Kathleen Hicks, Heather Conley, Lisa Sawyer Samp, Jeff Rathke, and Anthony Bell, CSIS International Security and Europe Programs.
Multimedia
WATCH the video for ISP's new Aerospace Security Project and follow on Twitter @CSISAerospace.
WATCH Mark Cancian speak at The Institute of World Politics about "Alternative Defense Strategies in a Cost-Capped Environment."
WATCH Kathleen Hicks discuss the future geopolitical and operational environment at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) 2016 conference.
WATCH Andrew Hunter speak on a panel about modernization and readiness at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) 2016 conference.
Check out the Missile Defense Project's updated interactive timeline on "The Missile War in Yemen."
Upcoming Events
The Role of Space in Maritime Operations with Rear Admiral Christian Becker
November 2, 2016
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
CSIS, 1616 Rhode Island Avenue NW
Semiconductors and the Future of the Tech Economy
November 2, 2016
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
CSIS, 1616 Rhode Island Avenue NW
Keeping Chemical Weapons Out of the Hands of Terrorists
November 10, 2016
9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
CSIS, 1616 Rhode Island Avenue NW
U.S.-Korea Defense Acquisition Policy and the International Security Environment
November 21, 2016
9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
CSIS, 1616 Rhode Island Avenue NW
Select Recent Events
Harnessing the Power of Tech and Innovation in America - A Conversation with Megan Smith
October 25, 2016
9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
CSIS, 1616 Rhode Island Avenue NW
Dark Waters: Threat Networks and Maritime Security with Admiral Kurt Tidd
October 18, 2016
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
CSIS, 1616 Rhode Island Avenue NW
Implementing Innovation Series: A Look at Using Public-Private Partnerships to Invest in Defense Infrastructure
October 18, 2016
10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
CSIS, 1616 Rhode Island Avenue NW
Fukushima After 2047 Days: Current Revitalization on the Ground
October 17, 2016
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
CSIS, 1616 Rhode Island Avenue NW
Enriching the Policy Ecosystem: Broadening the Talent Base
October 5, 2016
8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
CSIS, 1616 Rhode Island Avenue NW
Maintaining Maritime Superiority with Admiral John Richardson
October 3, 2016
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
CSIS, 1616 Rhode Island Avenue NW
Media Highlights
"On the heels of this week's failed missile attacks on a US Navy vessel, the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies published the following timeline illustrating the interceptions of ballistic missiles in Yemen." - The Missile Defense Project was mentioned in the Business Insider article "Iranian-backed militants in Yemen have steadily increased their missile attacks" on October 19, 2016.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter announces new chief innovation officer for the Pentagon during his keynote address at "Assessing the Third Offset" conference at CSIS. - The Washington Examiner article "Carter creates new chief innovation officer at the Pentagon" on October 28, 2016.
"While the services will need to be ready for the possibility of a war being fought in a megacity, they may also find that for some large cities, the fight won’t be too tough." - Mark Cancian quoted in the National Defense article "Urban Warfare: Army, Marine Corps Prepare to Fight in Megacities" for November 2016.
"It's an ongoing game of cat and mouse between the offense and defense like you see in a lot of military areas." - Andrew Hunter quoted in the CNBC article "Terrorists have a cheap new weapon that's surprisingly simple to deploy" on October 24, 2016.
"I think the DOD is going after the commissaries because they're looking at it as one extra cost that maybe they could get rid of." - Todd Harrison quoted in the NPR article "With More Big-Box Stores In Reach, Are Commissaries Still Needed?" on October 23, 2016.
"China complains bitterly about the prospects of a THAAD radar in the neighborhood, but for such bitterness they have no one to blame but themselves for aiding and abetting Kim Jong Un's missile development." - Tom Karako quoted in the Business Insider article "Pentagon: A North Korean nuclear attack 'will be met with an overwhelming and effective response'" on October 20, 2016.
"The thing that we always have to remember when it comes to the defense budget and government spending at large is that the spending with companies lags behind changes in the budget itself.” - Todd Harrison quoted in the Washington Business Journal article "Wells Fargo: Defense company third quarter growth will be driven by this sector" on October 17, 2016.
"Regardless of the discrete results of this particular test, it signals their [North Korea] continued resolve to get this right, meaning intermediate and longer range missiles." - Tom Karako quoted in the Business Insider article "'They will get it right sooner or later, so we'd better be ready'" on October 17, 2016.
"'Everyone would like to see a grand bargain, which is a government wide deal that tackles revenue, entitlements and discretionary spending' in the military." - Mark Cancian quoted in the Stars and Stripes article "How will the US military prepare for future conflicts?" on October 16, 2016.
“You can’t look at the next twenty years and not think about how Asia is going to evolve.” - Kathleen Hicks quoted in the Warrior article "Is War With China Inevitable?" on October 10, 2016.
"A NFZ is something that would be accomplished mostly through the air, setting up territory where civilians could take shelter from aircraft. ' On the whole, it doesn’t necessarily entail a major ground-based deployment in this area itself.'"- Melissa Dalton quoted in The Intercept article "Did Tim Kaine and Mike Pence Realize That “Safe Zones” in Syria Would Require U.S. Troops?" on October 5, 2016.
"When the Army sought a new light tactical truck, they told the industry, “’Bring to the table what you can build, and if we like it we’ll buy it.’ And that’s essentially what they’re doing,” says defense industry analyst and former Pentagon procurement official Andrew Hunter." - Andrew Hunter quoted in the Nation Defense article "Army Bracing for Extended Procurement Holiday" on October 3, 2016.
"This is the first time DOD has acknowledged that half of its OCO budget is being used for base budget activities and not war-related costs." - Todd Harrison quoted in the Inside Defense article "Pentagon will need to fund 'enduring requirements,' now in OCO account, once combat ends" on September 30, 2016.
“He emphasized in a forward-leaning and deliberate way how nuclear forces are the backbone of our forces, including conventional forces.” - Tom Karako quoted in the Foreign Policy article "Hacked Audio of Clinton Fundraiser Raises More Suspicions of Russian Meddling" on September 30, 2016.
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The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a bipartisan, nonprofit organization founded in 1962 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. It seeks to advance global security and prosperity by providing strategic insights and policy solutions to decisionmakers.