United StatesCategory

Defending Air Bases in an Age of Insurgency: Volume III: Integrated Base Defense Principles for Commanders

  This third and final volume in the Air University Press monograph series Defending Air Bases in an Age of Insurgency provides concise principles designed to assist Air Force and Space Force commanders in better understanding their role in base defense to better protect their people, resources, and war-fighting assets. Volume I of this book… Continue Reading Defending Air Bases in an Age of Insurgency: Volume III: Integrated Base Defense Principles for Commanders

Overview of Department of Defense Use of the Electromagnetic Spectrum

Communication using the electromagnetic spectrum (“the spectrum”) enables a number of modern military capabilities. The Department of Defense (DOD) uses electromagnetic radiation to enable military communications, navigation, radar, nonintrusive inspection of aircraft, and other equipment. DOD also heavily relies on electromagnetic radiation for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) applications such as missile early warning and… Continue Reading Overview of Department of Defense Use of the Electromagnetic Spectrum

Canada-U.S. Relations

The United States and Canada typically enjoy close relations. The two countries are bound together by a common 5,525-mile border—“the longest undefended border in the world”—as well as by shared history and values. They have extensive trade and investment ties and longstanding mutual security commitments under NATO and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Canada… Continue Reading Canada-U.S. Relations

U.S. Agent Orange/Dioxin Assistance to Vietnam

U.S. assistance to Vietnam for the environmental and health damage attributed to a dioxin contained in Agent Orange and other herbicides sprayed over much of the southern portion of the country during the Vietnam War remains a significant bilateral issue. Between fiscal years (FY) 2007 and 2021, Congress appropriated nearly $390 million to address these… Continue Reading U.S. Agent Orange/Dioxin Assistance to Vietnam

Transportation Security

The nation’s air, land, and marine transportation systems are designed for accessibility and efficiency, two characteristics that make them vulnerable to terrorist attack. While hardening the transportation sector is difficult, measures can be taken to deter terrorists. The enduring challenge facing Congress is how best to implement and finance a system of deterrence, protection, and… Continue Reading Transportation Security

U.S. Trade Policy Primer: Frequently Asked Questions

Congress plays a major role in U.S. trade policy through its legislative and oversight authority. Since the end of World War II, U.S. trade policy has focused on fostering an open, rules-based global trading system, liberalizing markets by reducing trade and investment barriers through negotiations and agreements, and enforcing trade commitments and related laws. Internationaltrade… Continue Reading U.S. Trade Policy Primer: Frequently Asked Questions

Army Training, Sir: The Impact of the World War I Experience on the Evolution of Training Doctrine in the US Army

The American Army’s mobilization for World War I was fraught with difficulties, resulting in a number of failings that produced a capable but flawed expeditionary force. The traditional interpretation of army training during that conflict was lackluster as it produced combat units that lacked critical capabilities. The experience of learning how to train and how… Continue Reading Army Training, Sir: The Impact of the World War I Experience on the Evolution of Training Doctrine in the US Army

Mexico: Background and U.S. Relations

Mexico, the 10th most populous country globally, has the 15th largest economy in the world. It is currently the top U.S. trade partner and a major source of energy for the United States, with which it shares a nearly 2,000-mile border and strong economic, cultural, and historical ties. Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the populist leader… Continue Reading Mexico: Background and U.S. Relations

New START Treaty: Central Limits and Key Provisions

The Obama Administration and outside analysts argued that New START strengthens strategic stability and enhances U.S. national security. Critics, however, questioned whether the treaty would serve U.S. national security interests because, they argued in 2010, Russia was likely to reduce its forces with or without an arms control agreement and because the United States and… Continue Reading New START Treaty: Central Limits and Key Provisions

U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces

Even though the United States has reduced the number of warheads deployed on its long-range missiles and bombers, consistent with the terms of the 2010 New START Treaty, it is also developing new delivery systems for deployment over the next 10-30 years. Congress will review plans for U.S. strategic nuclear forces during the annual authorization… Continue Reading U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces