Budgeting for Foreign Affairs and Defense

Program Publications

• March 26, 2013 / By Russell Rumbaugh
  Sequester Cuts Hurting US Foreign Policy
  

  The mandatory across-the-board federal budget cuts known as sequester are weakening America's ability to effectively carry out foreign policy and are also highlighting the existing

  … Read More »
• March 14, 2013 / By Matthew Leatherman
  Benchmarking the Navy’s Pacific Shift
  

  Shifts in U.S. Navy force structure are one compelling, specific way to understand what the military aspect of the "pivot" or "rebalance" to Asia-Pacific means. According to

  … Read More »
• January 04, 2013 / By Russell Rumbaugh, Matthew Leatherman
  The Pentagon as Pitchman: Perceptions and Reality of Public Diplomacy
  

  Opinions on US public diplomacy and the Defense Department’s relationship to it are fairly polarized. Some fear that the Department of Defense drastically expanded efforts to influence

  … Read More »
• December 17, 2012 / By Russell Rumbaugh
  Presidential Inbox 2013: Execute the Defense Builddown
  

  Click here to view the complete Presidential Inbox series. 

  The Challenge:

  The US defense budget is getting smaller, but a declining defense budget does not have to mean a decline in

  … Read More »
• December 13, 2012 / By Russell Rumbaugh, Matthew Leatherman
  The Pentagon as Pitchman: Perception and Reality of Public Diplomacy
  

  The Department of Defense has not institutionalized public diplomacy-like activities throughout its components, belying both hopes that it would internalize these broader concerns into

  … Read More »
• December 06, 2012 / By Russell Rumbaugh, Matthew Leatherman
  The Pentagon as Pitchman: Perception and Reality of Public Diplomacy
  

  The Department of Defense has not institutionalized public diplomacy-like activities throughout its components, belying both hopes that it would internalize these broader concerns into

  … Read More »
• November 15, 2012 / By Barry Blechman, Russell Rumbaugh
  Report Release: A New US Defense Strategy for a New Era
  

  The changing global security landscape and worsening fiscal outlook demand significant adjustments to national security strategy and budgeting, according to an extensive, year-long

  … Read More »
• November 15, 2012 / By Barry Blechman, Russell Rumbaugh
  A New US Defense Strategy for a New Era: Military Superiority, Agility, and Efficiency
  

  The changing global security landscape and worsening fiscal outlook demand significant adjustments to national security strategy and budgeting, according to an extensive, year-long study

  … Read More »
• October 25, 2012 / By Russell Rumbaugh
  New Report: Diplomacy in a Time of Scarcity
  

  The United States faces unprecedented challenges in conducting diplomacy and development as it responds to the residuals of three wars and a constantly changing global environment.  At

  … Read More »
• October 25, 2012 / By Russell Rumbaugh
  Diplomacy in a Time of Scarcity
  

  The United States faces unprecedented challenges in conducting diplomacy and development as it responds to the residuals of three wars and a constantly changing global environment.  At

  … Read More »
• September 17, 2012 / By Russell Rumbaugh
  Resolving Ambiguity: Costing Nuclear Weapons
  

  As the defense budget comes under increasing pressure, many have suggested nuclear weapons as an area for savings. But estimates of what the United States spends on nuclear weapons

  … Read More »
• September 07, 2012 / By Russell Rumbaugh
  Striking the Deal
  

  Defense spending and the issue of sequestration are again in the public debate, as the presidential election campaign moves into high gear, and the start of a new fiscal year looms on

  … Read More »
• June 05, 2012 / By Russell Rumbaugh, Nathan Cohn
  Resolving Ambiguity: Costing Nuclear Weapons
  

  As the defense budget comes under increasing pressure, many have suggested nuclear weapons as an area for savings. But estimates of what the United States spends on nuclear weapons

  … Read More »
• May 10, 2012 / By Matthew Leatherman, R. Jeffrey Smith, Steven Kull
  Consulting the American People on National Defense Spending
  

  With the United States facing large budget deficits, a major debate is underway in Washington DC over whether defense spending will be subject to cuts.

  Unless Congress succeeds in

  … Read More »
• May 10, 2012
  What Kind of Defense Budget Would the American Public Make?
  

  With the United States facing large budget deficits, a major debate is underway in Washington, DC, over whether defense spending will be subject to cuts.

  Unless Congress succeeds in

  … Read More »
• February 13, 2012 / By Russell Rumbaugh
  A New Incentive
  

  President Obama released his budget request for fiscal year 2013 today, which starts October 1 of this year.  With it, he has added a new twist to the debate about our national security

  … Read More »
• February 13, 2012 / By Russell Rumbaugh
  The Reality of the Defense Builddown
  

  The President released the FY13 defense budget request today, and the total amount is $5B less than the FY12 appropriated levels. We are certainly into the defense builddown. But we

  … Read More »
• October 28, 2011 / By Russell Rumbaugh
  What We Bought: Defense Procurement from FY01 to FY10
  

  Prevailing wisdom on defense spending in the past decade asserts that despite the large amount spent, we did not modernize our weapons systems. In reality, the military services did take

  … Read More »
• October 28, 2011 / By Russell Rumbaugh
  What We Bought: Defense Procurement from FY01 to FY10
  

  As the congressional super committee grapples with the problem of lowering the nation's deficit and controlling its debt, defense budgets have taken center stage.  Some have argued that

  … Read More »
• September 06, 2011 / By Gordon Adams
  Rethinking COIN: Petraeus Retires
  

  Gen. David Petraeus retired on August 31, 2011, after 37 years of service and with a well-deserved reputation as one of the principal architects of counter-insurgency (COIN) strategy in

  … Read More »
• June 15, 2011
  Russell Rumbaugh Joins Stimson as BFAD Co-Director
  

  Russell Rumbaugh served as a staffer for Senator Kent Conrad on the Senate Budget Committee covering both the 050 Defense and 150 International Affairs accounts of the US Government

  … Read More »
• April 21, 2011 / By Gordon Adams, Rebecca Williams
  Stimson Releases New Report on Security Assistance
  

  As the Arab world struggles to emerge from oppressive, generations-old autocracies, America's robust program to train and equip foreign militaries has become a focus of attention. The

  … Read More »
• April 20, 2011 / By Gordon Adams, Rebecca Williams
  A New Way Forward: Rebalancing Security Assistance Programs and Authorities
  

  Stimson’s Budgeting for Foreign Affairs and Defense project released its new report on security assistance policies, programs, and authorities: A New Way Forward: Rebalancing Security

  … Read More »
• February 22, 2011
  Serious Training Needs Proposed for Foreign Service: Academy Report Identifies Critical Needs
  

  The U.S. Diplomatic Service is in need of greater professional education and training, according to a new report issued today by the American Academy of Diplomacy and the Stimson

  … Read More »
• February 17, 2011 / By Jonathan Larkin
  Preparing for Diplomacy in the 21st Century
  

  Preparing for Diplomacy in the 21st Century: Education and Training Reform in the US Foreign Service

  
  

  Diplomats are the nation's first line of defense. The Department of State presently

  … Read More »
• January 18, 2011 / By Gordon Adams, Matthew Leatherman
  Five Myths About Defense Spending
  

  This article originally appeared in the Washington Post's Outlook section on Sunday, 16 January.

  By Dr. Gordon Adams and Matthew Leatherman
  

  Defense spending is a massive part of our

  … Read More »
• January 04, 2011 / By Gordon Adams, Matthew Leatherman
  A Leaner and Meaner Defense
  

  The United States faces a watershed moment: it must decide whether to increase its already massive debt in order to continue being the world’s sheriff or restrain its military missions

  … Read More »
• December 16, 2010 / By Gordon Adams, Rebecca Williams, Matthew Leatherman
  Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review Released
  

  Stimson's Budgeting for Foreign Affairs and Defense program, led by Gordon Adams, released  a scorecard analyzing the QDDR. You can view the scorecard here, or read more of their

  … Read More »
• November 10, 2010
  Obama’s Asia Policy after the Midterms
  

   

  President Obama was criticized by many last November for asserting his intention of becoming the first "Pacific President."  One year later, with Secretary Clinton just returning from

  … Read More »
• November 02, 2010 / By Matthew Leatherman, Rebecca Williams, Elizabeth Cutler, Hans-Inge Lango
  Anticipating the National Security Priorities of the 112th Congress
  

  Republicans look set to win back the House and make significant gains in the Senate.  This switch has major implications for a number of domestic issues - but it says surprisingly

  … Read More »
• October 26, 2010 / By Peter Alsis
  Moving Forward in Iraq: the US Civilian Mission and Security
  

   

  As the US mission in Iraq begins the transition to civilian leadership, security will continue to play a central role in its success.  With combat operations ended and all US forces

  … Read More »
• October 18, 2010
  Anticipating National Security Priorities in the 112th Congress
  

  On October 15, Gordon Adams was joined by Steve Clemons of The Washington Note and New America Foundation, Jen DiMascio of Politico, Tom Gjelten of National Public Radio, and Josh Rogin

  … Read More »
• July 28, 2010
  The Future of S/CRS
  

  As the long-awaited Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) proceeds through its summer schedule, there has been a lot of speculation about the future of one particular part

  … Read More »
• October 08, 2009 / By Gordon Adams
  Afghanistan and Pakistan: The Graveyard for US Foreign Policy Planning?
  

  The foreign policy machinery in the Obama administration is finally grinding away on a difficult long-term policy and institutional problem: What should the US development and foreign

  … Read More »
• July 20, 2009 / By Gordon Adams, Rebecca Williams
  DOD Authorities for Foreign and Security Assistance Programs: A Comparison of the FY 2010 House and
  

  The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) marked up its version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on June 18 and the Senate Armed Services

  … Read More »
• July 01, 2009
  Analysis of the FY 2010 International Affairs Budget Request
  

  The Obama Administration has requested $53.9 billion for International Affairs in its FY 2010 budget request. This request is a 26 percent increase over the last administration’s FY 2008

  … Read More »
• May 06, 2009 / By Gordon Adams
  Change to administration’s plan proposed
  

  House lawmakers want the State Department to handle aid to Pakistan.

  Administrative authority for a new $400 million counterinsurgency fund for Pakistan should
  reside within the State

  … Read More »
• February 10, 2009 / By Gordon Adams
  Increasing the U.S. defense budget won’t stimulate the economy
  

  The next war—the battle for even more defense spending—is now under way. Major weapons
  program manufacturers are worried that Defense Secretary Robert Gates may be serious about
  looking

  … Read More »
• October 14, 2008 / By Gordon Adams
  Rebalancing the Toolkit: Strengthening the Civilian Instruments of Statecraft
  

  The Challenge

  America’s statecraft is unbalanced and our national security is paying the price. Today, the military is being asked to perform a growing number of national security

  … Read More »
• October 01, 2008 / By Gordon Adams, William Bacchus, Stephen Chaplin, David Glaudemans, Eric Lief, Richard Nygard, Thomas Pickering, J.J. Saulino, Stanley Silverman
  A Foreign Affairs Budget For the Future:  Fixing the Crisis in Diplomatic Readiness
  

  “Our diplomatic leaders - be they in ambassadors’ suites or on the State Department’s seventh floor - must have the resources and political support needed to fully exercise their

  … Read More »
• September 08, 2008 / By Gordon Adams
  Establishing the Next President’s National Security Agenda: Strengthening the Civilian Instrument
  

  The next president will inherit a severe and growing imbalance in the tool kit he has available for dealing with the national security challenges of the early twenty-first century. In

  … Read More »
• August 04, 2008 / By Gordon Adams
  Establishing the Next President’s National Security Agenda: How to Confront the Budget Morass
  

  In the third part of a series originally written for the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, Gordon Adams examines the complexities of the nearly-unwieldly defense budget.

  Making matters much

  … Read More »
• June 13, 2008 / By Gordon Adams
  Transforming European Militaries: Coalition Operations and the Technology Gap
  

  Gordon Adams and Guy Ben-Ari identify the key requirements for improvement of Europe’s abilities as an international actor. They focus on national and collaborative, as well as

  … Read More »
• June 01, 2008 / By Gordon Adams
  Strengthening Statecraft and Security: Reforming U.S. Planning and Resource Allocation
  

  The Budgeting for Foreign Affairs and Defense project is pleased to present a report by Dr. Cindy Williams and Dr. Gordon Adams, “Strengthening Statecraft and Security: Reforming U.S.

  … Read More »
• July 01, 1987 / By Gordon Adams
  Defense Spending and the Economy: Does the Defense Dollar Make a Difference?
  

  The impact of defense spending on the economy has become part of the growing debate about the need to put defense on the table to achieve deficit reduction.  It’s not a new subject; the

  … Read More »