An updated report from the Congressional Research Service proposes a series of questions to help inform and guide congressional debate on the future of the U.S. war in Afghanistan and its aftermath. See In Brief: Next Steps in the War in Afghanistan? Issues for Congress, June 15, 2012.
Other new and (mostly) updated CRS reports that Congress has not made publicly accessible include the following.
Navy Irregular Warfare and Counterterrorism Operations: Background and Issues for Congress, June 13, 2012
The Navy Biofuel Initiative Under the Defense Production Act, June 13, 2012
Navy Ship Names: Background For Congress, June 15, 2012
Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress, June 14, 2012
Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress, June 14, 2012
Coast Guard Cutter Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress, June 13, 2012
Employee Stock Options: Tax Treatment and Tax Issues, June 15, 2012
Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), June 15, 2012
U.S. Response to the Global Threat of Malaria: Basic Facts, June 15, 2012
U.S. Response to the Global Threat of Tuberculosis: Basic Facts, June 15, 2012
U.S. Response to the Global Threat of HIV/AIDS: Basic Facts, June 15, 2012
U.S.-Taiwan Relationship: Overview of Policy Issues, June 15, 2012
Drought in the United States: Causes and Issues for Congress, June 12, 2012
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.