Recent publications of the Congressional Research Service on defense policy and related topics include these (all pdf).
“Navy CG(X) Cruiser Program: Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress,” September 20, 2007.
“The FY2008 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Policy Issues,” updated September 17, 2007.
“Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-76: Implications for the Future,” August 21, 2007.
“Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies: FY2008 Appropriations,” updated August 2, 2007.
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.