Must-Reads

December 9, 2013  

A2/AD is key | China’s ADIZ, so far | Should the USN buy corvettes?

It’s A2/AD Day, apparently:

Starting by declaring that wars of choice are gravely risky and therefore the U.S. military should be optimized for wars of necessity, Sam Tangredi argues that counter-A2/AD operations “will be the prerequisite effort on which all other military operations hinge.” (National Interest)

Like Tangredi, Toshi Yoshihara draws lessons from World War II. “interwar Japan is a powerful proxy for understanding China’s current anti-access program and for illustrating the universal appeal of anti-access. Such a historic analogy helps to see past the veneer of novelty around China’s anti-access efforts. It also discerns Chinese warfighting preferences and the kinds of tactical and operational effects that China hopes to achieve at sea. Finally, a retrospective look at Imperial Japan furnishes reference points to appreciate the magnitude of China’s anti-access challenge to the United States.” (USNI Proceedings)

Robert Haddick adds up “What We’ve Learned” so far from China’s Air Defense Identification Zone. (War On The Rocks)

Meanwhile, CSBA’s Evan Braden Montgomery has a new report out on America’s nuclear triad. He distills some of its findings in this op/ed. (National Interest)

And here’s the latest in a rousing debate over whether the USN should be buying corvette-type warships. (Information Dissemination)

Finally, the Congressional Budget Office offers a range of options for DoD to bring spending down as required by the Budget Control Act.

Warlord’s Quote

“To every man, there comes in his lifetime, that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered a chance to do a very special thing, unique to him and fitted to his talents; What a tragedy if that moment should find him unprepared or unqualified for the work which would be his finest hour.” — Sir Winston Churchill

Contributed by Maj. Niel Smith, recently Executive Officer of a cavalry squadron at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, now aide de camp to the Commander, U.S. Army Pacific, at Fort Shafter, Hawaii. From a list compiled by the Warlord Loop, a private email forum for national security experts.

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