Strategy & Policy

June 30, 2021 | By John A. Tirpak
The interim National Security Strategy guidance, together with the fiscal 2022 defense budget request, make clear that whatever their other differences, the Biden administration will stick with the National Defense Strategy put forward by the Trump administration.
The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan continues on pace, and though Taliban violence has increased—with the group taking more districts from the Kabul-based government—there are no plans to slow the drawdown yet. U.S. Central Command said June 22 that more than 50 percent of the withdrawal ...
The Pentagon is reportedly planning to draw down the number of fighter squadrons in the Middle East while also withdrawing missile defense systems as part of a broad shift in the U.S. military’s force posture in the region. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III informed ...
The Pentagon’s 2022 budget is light on funding for the Arctic, though Defense Department officials want that to change in future funding requests as it develops a new strategy that will take into account the growing importance of the region. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin ...