Uses of Force Abroad 1798-2015, and More from CRS
The United States has used its armed forces hundreds of times in conflicts abroad, even though it has only engaged in eleven declared wars throughout its history.
A newly updated tabulation of U.S. military actions has been prepared by the Congressional Research Service, up to and including the October 14, 2015 deployment of 90 U.S. troops to Cameroon. The CRS listing does not include covert actions, disaster relief operations or training exercises. See Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-2015, October 15, 2015.
Other new or newly updated CRS products include the following.
U.S. Natural Gas Exports and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, CRS Insight, October 15, 2015
International Crises and Disasters: U.S. Humanitarian Assistance Response Mechanisms, updated October 16, 2015
State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs: FY2016 Budget and Appropriations, updated October 13, 2015
Less-than-Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement Signed in Burma, CRS Insight, October 15, 2015
U.S.-China Cyber Agreement, CRS Insight, October 16, 2015
Greenhouse Gas Pledges by Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, updated October 19, 2015
Alternative Inflation Measures for the Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA), updated October 15, 2015
Federal Public Transportation Program: In Brief, updated October 15, 2015
Number of Hispanic U.S. Circuit and District Court Judges: Overview and Analysis, CRS Insight, October 15, 2015
A U.S. Patent Box: Issues, CRS Insight, October 15, 2015
Cost-of-Living Adjustments for Federal Civil Service Annuities, updated October 15, 2015
Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, updated October 15, 2015
Investing in interventions behind the walls is not just a matter of improving conditions for incarcerated individuals—it is a public safety and economic imperative. By reducing recidivism through education and family contact, we can improve reentry outcomes and save billions in taxpayer dollars.
The U.S. government should establish a public-private National Exposome Project (NEP) to generate benchmark human exposure levels for the ~80,000 chemicals to which Americans are regularly exposed.
The federal government spends billions every year on wildfire suppression and recovery. Despite this, the size and intensity of fires continues to grow, increasing costs to human health, property, and the economy as a whole.
To respond and maintain U.S. global leadership, USAID should transition to heavily favor a Fixed-Price model to enhance the United States’ ability to compete globally and deliver impact at scale.