The Congressional Research Service developed “a series of short primers to provide Members of Congress an overview of key aspects of the Department of Defense and how Congress exercises authority over it.” The defense primers, several of which have been recently updated, can be found here.
Other noteworthy recent CRS publications include the following.
Overseas Contingency Operations Funding: Background and Status, updated September 6, 2019
Congress and the War in Yemen: Oversight and Legislation 2015-2019, updated September 6, 2019
Afghanistan: Issues for Congress and Legislation 2017-2019, updated September 3, 2019
DHS Border Barrier Funding, updated September 6, 2019
Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons, updated September 6, 2019
The FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) paints a picture of a Congress that is working to both protect and accelerate nuclear modernization programs while simultaneously lacking trust in the Pentagon and the Department of Energy to execute them.
For Impact Fellow John Whitmer, working in public service was natural. “I’ve always been around people who make a living by caring.”
While advanced Chinese language proficiency and cultural familiarity remain irreplaceable skills, they are neither necessary nor sufficient for successful open-source analysis on China’s nuclear forces.
To maximize clean energy deployment, we must address the project development and political barriers that have held us back from smart policymaking and implementation that can withstand political change. Here’s how.