View Deterrence in the Last Sanctuary By Zack Cooper, Thomas G. Roberts PublishedJanuary 2, 2018 There’s never been a war in the space domain, but some believe it won’t be that way forever. For 60 years, space has been the exception: the one domain that has remained free from the scars of war. By better understanding the dynamics of the second space age, we may be able to keep it that way.
View Bad Idea: Space-Based Missile Interceptors By Thomas G. Roberts PublishedDecember 19, 2017 The idea of space-based missile interceptors is not new nor prohibited, but it is a bad idea. This piece looks beyond the policy arguments and explores the inefficiencies and vulnerabilities of space-based missiles.
View Bad Idea: Armed Drones in West Africa By Alice Hunt Friend PublishedDecember 11, 2017 While the use of drones in West Africa is an operational tool, Alice Hunt Friend contends that they will make the U.S. counterterrorism efforts harder to acquire.
View How to Counter a North Korean Missile By Todd Harrison, Tom Karako PublishedDecember 8, 2017 In this episode of The CSIS Podcast, Todd Harrison and Tom Karako discuss the future of U.S. missile defense after North Korea tested its longest-range missile yet, the Hwasong-15.
View Bad Idea: UAVs Aren’t Usable in Contested Environments By Andrew Metrick PublishedDecember 4, 2017 The conventional wisdom is that existing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are not capable of operating in contested environments. However, new thinking can enable the use of existing UAS to support operations in such environments.
View CBO’s Nuclear Weapons Cost Estimate Is Way Too High; Hint — Bombers By Todd Harrison PublishedNovember 21, 2017 The recent estimate on how much the next generation of nuclear weapons will cost by the relentlessly nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office differed from an earlier report by an impressive $800 million.
View Bringing the Air Force into its Centennial By Heather Wilson PublishedOctober 5, 2017 Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson spoke at CSIS on October 5, 2017, outlining the service’s priorities for its major acquisition efforts over the next three decades.
View Options for the Ground-Based Leg of the Nuclear Triad By Todd Harrison, Evan Linck PublishedSeptember 21, 2017 The purpose of this report is to provide an independent assessment of the options available; including the impetus for the program, a review of the Air Force’s analysis of alternatives for the GBSD, alternatives to modernization, and key questions for policymakers to consider as the MDAP moves forward.
View How It Works: Detecting a North Korean Missile Strike on Guam By Todd Harrison, Tom Karako, Thomas G. Roberts PublishedAugust 28, 2017 In August 2017, North Korea threatened to launch four ballistic missiles towards Guam, targeting waters less than 30 kilometers off the island’s coast. How and when would U.S. missile defense forces respond if an attack like this were to take place?
View Seven Ways to Make the LRS-B Program a Success By Todd Harrison, Andrew Hunter PublishedOctober 27, 2015 Many things can (and often do) go wrong in defense acquisitions, but here are seven things the military, contractor team, and Congress can do to help keep the LRS-B program on track.
