Lessons from Lebanon: A Defense Budget Wish List heritage.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from heritage.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The uncertainty caused by unanswered legal and policy questions maydeter companies from developing technology to countershoulder-fired missiles. By addressing the legal issues related toexport controls and providing clear guidelines for deployment,Congress, the DHS, and the State Department can remove some of theobstacles that inhibit the technological improvements needed todeploy an integrated C-MANPADS system.
A hollow force lacks the resources to provide trained and readyforces, to support ongoing operations, and to modernize. Today'smilitary is not hollow, but it could become so in a decade or lessif funding for the military isn't adequate. There are already signsthat defense funding is lacking as services like the Air Force andthe National Guard are forced to make difficult choices. To preventa hollow force in the future, the government must focus on theright modernization efforts, while continuing to meet currentdefense needs. Heritage research has focused on identifying thethreat of a hollow force and determining the right strategies fordefense spending and modernization. In the long-term, federalspending will have to be reformed to provide adequate funds fordefense, and the shape of our military must be transformed toreflect future threats.
Iraq is not Vietnam. There are far fewer U.S. troops in Iraq todaythan there were in Vietnam in the late 1960s, and there are farfewer casualties. Additionally, troop levels are more stable inIraq, and American strategy in Iraq is less reliant on militarymuscle and more focused on the political and economic aspects offighting a counterinsurgency.