The Bush administration requested $190 billion in war funding for fiscal year (FY) 2008. Congress approved $87 billion of this request in late 2007, leaving the remaining $103 billion to be considered in 2008. Additionally, in February 2008 the administration submitted a placeholder $70 billion request for war funding in FY 2009. Press reports indicate […]
Tying U.S. Defense Spending to GDP: Bad Logic, Bad Policy
by Travis Sharp Arguing that defense spending is historically low as a percentage of GDP, and therefore must be increased, is a bit like a landlord arguing that because a tenant received a much-deserved pay raise, their rent should be increased automatically. Intelligent defense planning relies on requirements, tradeoffs, and a thorough evaluation of […]
Ten Questions for General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker
by Kingston Reif by Travis Sharp Download these questions in PDF format. QUESTIONS FOR GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS 1. PETRAEUS: General, you told Fox News in 2007 that “Historically, counterinsurgency operations have gone at least nine or 10 years.” According to that timeline, how far along are we right now in Iraq? Are we half way […]
Lieutenant General Robert Gard Sets the Record Straight on the Surge
by Robert G. Gard Transcript of remarks delivered on April 1, 2008 When President George W. Bush announced in January 2007 that the United States would “surge” 30,000 additional soldiers into Iraq, he said that the expected security gains would give Iraqis “confidence in their leaders” and provide the Iraqi government with “the breathing space […]
Problems with Using the Supplemental Budget Process to Fund Ongoing Military Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan
by Travis Sharp Download a PDF version of this analysis. Colleen Garcia provided research assistance for this report. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY It takes more than two years for the White House to develop, and Congress to approve, a budget for each new fiscal year. Since natural disasters and other emergencies, including the deployment of U.S. military […]
