[LINK] O/t: "The U.S. might lose a war with China, congressional commission says"

[Stephen Loosley]

https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2024/07/the-d-brief-july-30-2024/398423/


New: The U.S. might lose a war with China, congressional commission says. 

This is because the U.S. military “lacks both the capabilities and the capacity required to be confident it can deter and prevail in combat,” in the judgment of the Commission on the National Defense Strategy, a group of former lawmakers and military leaders, and policy experts. 

See: "RAND: Commission on the National Defense Strategy"  https://www.rand.org/nsrd/projects/NDS-commission.html

"Congress established the Commission on the National Defense Strategy by statute to examine and make recommendations with respect to the National Defense Strategy"


Among its findings, per the RAND Corp., which supported the effort:

“The United States faces the most challenging global environment... since the end of the Cold War. The trends are getting worse, not better.

“DoD cannot, and should not, provide for the national defense by itself... A truly ‘all elements of national power’ approach is required to coordinate and leverage resources across DoD, the rest of the executive branch, the private sector, civil society, and U.S. allies and partners.

“DoD is operating at the speed of bureaucracy when the threat is approaching wartime urgency.

“The NDS force-sizing construct is inadequate for today’s needs and tomorrow’s challenges. We propose a Multiple Theater Force Construct—with the Joint Force, in conjunction with U.S. allies and partners—sized to defend the homeland and tackle simultaneous threats in the Indo-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East."

“U.S. industrial production is grossly inadequate...

“The Joint Force is at the breaking point of maintaining readiness today. Adding more burden without adding resources to rebuild readiness will cause it to break.

“The United States must spend more effectively and more efficiently to build the future force, not perpetuate the existing one. 

Additional resources will be necessary. Congress should pass a supplemental appropriation to begin a multiyear investment in the national security innovation and industrial base.” 

Congressional reax: “The American public must be educated on the threats we face, and encouraged to engage in national service, whether through the military or civil service. I support the Commission’s urgent call to engage more in this area,” said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed from Rhode Island in his opening statement for Tuesday’s hearing.

“In light of the wide-ranging global security challenges presented by Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific region, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the persistent terrorist threat posed by extremist groups and rogue regimes, the committee would appreciate the Commission’s assessment of the resources necessary to prevail in strategic competition, as well as its recommendations for strengthening U.S. global engagement and alliances,” said Reed. 

New: Five firms will compete to make brains for USAF robot wingmen. One or more will eventually be chosen to produce autonomous control systems to be integrated onto collaborative combat aircraft built by General Atomics and Anduril, the Air Force’s program executive officer for fighters and advanced aircraft said Monday. Which firms?  Defense One’s Audrey Decker reports, here.

https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2024/07/five-firms-will-vie-make-brains-usaf-robot-wingmen/398416/



And lastly: Can Donald Trump really build an Iron Dome over America? “

In a word, no. The president-turned-candidate is still selling the same old missile-defense snake oil,” writes national-security analyst Joe Cirincione in an op-ed that doubles as a quick summary of what kinds of systems can shoot down what kind of missiles, and why Trump, the GOP’s 2024 platform, and Project 2025 seem to all get it wrong. 

Read that, here.  https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2024/07/can-donald-trump-really-build-iron-dome-over-america/398394/

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