by Christopher Hellman BACKGROUND On March 2, 2009, the Obama Administration released the initial details of its proposed Fiscal Year 2010 budget for the federal government. As part of this budget, the Administration is seeking $533.8 billion in funding for the Department of Defense, which does not include funding for military operations in Iraq and […]
Fiscal Year 2010 Pentagon Defense Spending Request: February “Topline”
by Travis Sharp FY 2010 Pentagon Defense Spending Request Resources Executive Summary February 26, 2009 On February 26, President Barack Obama released a preliminary outline of its spending priorities and agency budgets (known as “toplines”) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010, which begins on October 1. In a typical year, the President would submit a detailed […]
Biden Previews Foreign Policy Tone in Munich
by John Isaacs Prepared by Cuyler O’Brien On February 7, Vice President Joseph Biden spoke at the 45th annual Munich Security Conference and outlined key pillars of the Obama administration’s emerging foreign policy. Biden signaled that the new administration will focus heavily on bilateral and multilateral partnerships. As Biden emphasized, “International alliances and organizations do […]
Congress and National Security Under Bush: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
by John Isaacs THE GOOD For eight years, Congress stopped Bush proposals for a new generation of nuclear weapons, including small nuclear weapons, the Nuclear Bunker Buster (Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator) and the Reliable Replacement Warhead. The Bush Administration did not resume nuclear testing and did not withdraw the U.S. signature from the Comprehensive […]
Experts Respond to Commission on WMD Proliferation and Terrorism Report
by Leonor Tomero and Alan Pearson The Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Proliferation and Terrorism released its final report today: World at Risk. The Commission was created by HR 1, commonly known as the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007, in order to “address the grave threat that the proliferation of weapons […]
