Dept of Defense Role in Foreign Assistance, and More from CRS
The structure, development and ramifications of growing U.S. Department of Defense foreign assistance activities are described in a major new report from the Congressional Research Service. See “The Department of Defense Role in Foreign Assistance: Background, Major Issues, and Options for Congress” (pdf), August 25, 2008.
Other noteworthy new reports from CRS that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf).
“Pay-for-Performance: The National Security Personnel System,” September 17, 2008.
“The Defense Base Act (DBA): The Federally Mandated Workers’ Compensation System for Overseas Government Contractors,” September 15, 2008.
“The North Korean Economy: Leverage and Policy Analysis,” updated August 26, 2008.
“Presidential Claims of Executive Privilege: History, Law, Practice and Recent Developments,” updated August 21, 2008.
“Periods of War,” updated August 19, 2008.
“The Manhattan Project, the Apollo Program, and Federal Energy Technology R&D Programs: A Comparative Analysis,” September 3, 2008.
Satellite imagery of RAF Lakenheath reveals new construction of a security perimeter around ten protective aircraft shelters in the designated nuclear area, the latest measure in a series of upgrades as the base prepares for the ability to store U.S. nuclear weapons.
It will take consistent leadership and action to navigate the complex dangers in the region and to avoid what many analysts considered to be an increasingly possible outcome, a nuclear conflict in East Asia.
Getting into a shutdown is the easy part, getting out is much harder. Both sides will be looking to pin responsibility on each other, and the court of public opinion will have a major role to play as to who has the most leverage for getting us out.
How the United States responds to China’s nuclear buildup will shape the global nuclear balance for the rest of the century.