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
Cities need to rapidly become compact, efficient, electrified, and nature‑rich urban ecosystems where we take better care of each other and avoid locking in more sprawl and fossil‑fuel dependence.
Hurricanes cause around 24 deaths per storm – but the longer-term consequences kill thousands more. With extreme weather events becoming ever-more common, there is a national and moral imperative to rethink not just who responds to disasters, but for how long and to what end.
The program invites teams of researchers and local government collaborators to propose innovative projects addressing real-world transportation, safety, equity, and resilience challenges using mobility data.
The Pentagon’s new report provides additional context and useful perspectives on events in China that took place over the past year.