Defense Policy Choices for the Bush Administration

Front Cover
Brookings Institution Press, Aug 1, 2011 - Political Science - 232 pages

This updated edition incorporates lessons from the war in Afghanistan, other developemnts since September 11, and a critical assessment of the Bush administration's defense strategy and budget plan, both of which were formulated and publicly unveiled after the release of the book's first edition. "O'Hanlon has insightfully separated what the nation needs to maintain an adequate defense from what the military and its suppliers want, crafting a realistic and affordable proposal for defense spending for the coming decade." --Robert D. Reischauer, President, Urban Institute "The best unclassified study to date of the military implications of a China-Taiwan conflict for the United States. His sobering analysis makes a compelling case for a cautious arms sales policy toward Taiwan as well as prudent U.S. military planning." --Mike Mochizuki, George Washington University

Selected pages

Contents

Introduction
1
A Successful Defense Drawdown
6
The 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review
9
Critical Assessment of the Rumsfeld Plan
17
The Bush Homeland Security Budget
23
Plan of the Book
26
TWO Military Readiness and Overseas Commitments
28
Reducing Overseas Commitments
45
The Case for Limited National Missile Defense
125
The Clinton Administrations NMD Program
133
BoostPhase Endoatmospheric Intercept
142
Offensive Nuclear Weapons
146
Conclusion
152
Helping Taiwan Defeat a Chinese Blockade
154
The Strategic Backdrop
156
The ChinaTaiwan Military Balance
159

Conclusion
61
TwoWar Framework
63
Desert Storm plus Desert Shield plus Bosnia
67
The Capabilities of Smaller Rapidly Deployable US Forces
71
The Hollowing Iraqi and North Korean Militaries
73
South Koreas Strong Military
75
Conclusion
78
Beyond the Korean and Iraqi Threats
80
Modernizing the US Military
86
The Contemporary Debate on a Revolution in Military Affairs
87
Rethinking the Pentagons Modernization Agenda
102
Conclusion
119
Building a Limited National Missile Defense and Cutting Nuclear Forces
121
Why China Could Not Seize Taiwan
166
Could China Coerce Taiwans Capitulation?
185
Force Planning Implications for the United States
190
The Basic Approach to Breaking the PRC Blockade
193
Arms Sales
199
Conclusion
202
Summary and Conclusion
204
A Different TwoWar Capability
205
Selective Reductions in Overseas Deployments
207
Modest Increases in the Defense Budget
208
Index
211
Copyright

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Common terms and phrases

able addition Air Force aircraft allies American approach armed armed forces Army attack billion blockade budget Bush administration carrier carry China Chinese Clinton combat consider continue costs countries cuts Defense Department of Defense deployed deployment East effective enemy equipment example fact fighter future given ground important improved increase initial International Iraq Italy least less levels limited major March missile missile defense missions modest munitions naval Navy nearly North Korea nuclear Office operations Pentagon percent perhaps Persian Persian Gulf personnel planes ports possible potential presence President probably proposed purchase rates readiness reduce region remain Report require Review risk roughly ships South spending Storm Strait strategic strike submarines Taiwan Taiwanese testing theater threat troops types U.S. military United Warfare warheads Washington weapons

References to this book

About the author (2011)

Michael E. O'Hanlon is a senior fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, where he holds the Sydney Stein Jr. Chair. His recent books include The Future of Arms Control (Brookings, 2005; with Michael A. Levi), Neither Star Wars nor Sanctuary (Brookings, 2004), and Crisis on the Korean Peninsula (McGraw Hill, 2003; with Mike Mochizuki).

Bibliographic information

TitleDefense Policy Choices for the Bush Administration
Ebrary Academic Complete
AuthorMichael E. O'Hanlon
PublisherBrookings Institution Press, 2011
ISBN081579648X, 9780815796480
Length232 pages
Subjects › 

Political Science / Security (National & International)
  
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