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Agility Across the Spectrum: A Future Force Blueprint

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CNP LAUNCHES NEW REPORT ON DEFENSE PRIORITIES:

AGILITY ACROSS THE SPECTRUM: A FUTURE FORCE BLUEPRINT

Report Proposes Strategy for Facing Increasing Threats at a Time of Fiscal Crisis

Contact:
Scott Bates, CNP Vice President
Liz Packard, CNP Communications Director
(202) 682-1800
                                                        
Washington, DC - The Center for National Policy, a nonpartisan national security think tank, today released a new report entitled Agility Across the Spectrum: A Future Force Blueprint.  Taking into account the mounting financial constraints and multiplying national security threats facing the United States, CNP proposes a series of recommendations prioritized by winning today's wars, supporting the troops and expanding the forces, preventing future conflicts, winning future wars and cutting costs.

Collectively, the recommendations are based around an Army that is rebuilt and prepared for modernization; a larger Navy; a Marine Corps returned to its expeditionary roots; and a smaller, more advanced and focused Air Force. These goals should allow the military the agility necessary to fight, win or prevent conflicts ranging from counterinsurgency to conventional war. CNP intends to follow the report with a year-long debate series on several elements of the study.

"The combination of mounting fiscal constraints and of increasing threats to our nation requires innovative and effective policies.  We must stand strong against the threats facing this nation, but we cannot stand still," said CNP's Vice President Scott Bates, a co-author of the report.

Amongst the report's key recommendations are: 

"Strategic Pause": CNP puts forth the idea that Congress and the White House view the next two years as a time to defer commitments to major new and experimental weapons systems outside the scope of what is necessary to win today's wars.  Existing commitments would proceed apace, but major new systems would be subject to debate by America's political and military leaders in terms of where new spending priorities should be focused.

"Rebuild and Reset": CNP supports the expansion of the Army by 65,000 and the Marine Corps by 27,000, and moving a greater percentage of Civil Affairs personnel from the Reserve into the Active component than is currently proposed. CNP also supports fully funding reset needs in order to ensure a reliable equipment stock for current and future operations.
 
"Greater Projection, Longer Range": CNP proposes a number of measures that would allow the United States Armed Forces to enhance its ability to project power across the globe, at a longer range.  These recommendations range from setting a target of a 325 ship Navy by building more submarines and considering a move to lower-cost platforms and studying the concept of creating an all-UCAV carrier.  The report also supports the Marine Corps' continued effort to enhance specialized units with unique regional language and customs training and place a premium on reestablishing itself as primarily an expeditionary force.   CNP also proposes that the Air Force provide Congress a complete vision for maintaining global air dominance in coming decades by increasing the role of unmanned combat aerial vehicles.
 
"The times we are in leave us no room for error or inefficiency," said Bates,  "and simply recognizing the need for change, but not making the requisite adjustments, will not be sufficient; this would only lead to extended conflicts, an empty Treasury and a military stretched to the breaking point."