Defense industry, strategy at major crossroads
August Cole and Zachary Miller/The Hill
The U.S. defense industry faces as much uncertainty in the next six months as any time since the Berlin Wall fell. Unsteady attempts by lawmakers to avoid sequestration now make hundreds of billions of dollars in debilitating federal budget cuts a real possibility.
The Navy’s Biofuels Program and the Great Green Fleet – Opportunities and Risks
Andrew Holland/Consumer Energy Report
If the Navy guarantees its market over the next decade, there will be certainty for biofuels companies to make the investments necessary to reach commercial scale.
6 Myths About Biofuels in the Military
Biofuels Digest
Myths abound on military biofuels – some passed around by the usual suspects in an attempt to create fear, uncertainty and doubt, and thereby win crucial political points during an election season.
Syria says will use chemical weapons if attacked
Paul Schemm and Ben Hubbard/Associated Press
The Syrian regime threatened Monday to use its chemical and biological weapons in case of a foreign attack, in its first ever acknowledgement that it possesses weapons of mass destruction.
Top Afghans Tied to ’90s Carnage, Researchers Say
Rod Nordland/New York Times
The atrocities of the Afghan civil war in the 1990s are still recounted in whispers here — tales of horror born out of a scorched-earth ethnic and factional conflict in which civilians and captured combatants were frequently slaughtered en masse.
There’s Still Hope for the Planet
David Leonhardt/New York Times
The world’s largest economies may now be in the process of creating a climate-change response that does not depend on the politically painful process of raising the price of dirty energy.
AP Interview: US Afghan withdrawal halfway done
Deb Riechmann/Associated Press
This year’s pullout of 23,000 American troops from Afghanistan is at the halfway mark, U.S. Gen. John Allen, the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces, said Sunday in an interview with The Associated Press.
ASP Paper: “Bold and Decisive” Plan for Europe
Peter Charles Choharis
This Perspective Paper, by ASP Adjuct Fellow Peter Charles Choharis, argues that the United States should promote two new institutional frameworks–permitting countries to exit the Eurozone and declare sovereign bankruptcy–that will allow European countries to achieve final resolution of their debt exposure and undertake the structural reforms necessary for economic growth.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
Biofuels Power Carrier Strike Group during RIMPAC Exercises off Hawaii
Robert Gardner
Testing biofuels on the Nimitz’s carrier strike group is sure to be a milestone in Navy history. Running a carrier strike group on mostly alternative fuels is a powerful expression of the Navy’s alternative energy plans.
Laser Fusion Hits Milestone
Nicholas Cunningham
Two weeks ago, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved a milestone on the journey to commercializing fusion energy. On July 5, NIF, which is housed within the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), used lasers to deliver a record amount of energy to its target.
The China-Africa Nexus: Implications for U.S. Strategy
Ashley Boyle
China has announced a US$20 billion loan package to Africa, to be disbursed over the next three years, in a move that ensures strong ties between the continent and Beijing for years to come. The amount of the loan package is double that made by China in 2009 and according to Beijing, demonstrates that China will “continue to steadfastly stand together with the African people, and will forever be a good friend, a good partner and a good brother.”
Water Security: The Need to Engage with Rural Communities
Matthew Baker
The United States is currently experiencing one of the worst droughts in its history. 55% of the nation is enduring drought conditions, and the toll of insufficient precipitation will soon trickle down to the consumer. Supermarkets are expected to raise the prices of goods such as milk, cheese, and meat in the coming months.
HASC Hearing on Sequestration: Cuts lack Strategic Assessments
Zachary Miller
On Wednesday, the House Armed Services Committee held a hearing on industry perspectives on sequestration. The primary message of the hearing: the lack of strategic planning for national security.
Climate Change, Drought, and National Security
Carl Grote
Climate change threatens to amplify the occurrence and intensity of droughts worldwide. Such dry spells endanger our economic security as well as U.S. foreign interests.
Solar Industry’s Future Looks Bright
Nicholas Cunningham
While the shale gas revolution and the resurgence in U.S. oil production have garnered a lot of attention in the energy world in recent months, the solar industry has quietly made significant gains in bringing down costs.
About the American Security Project: The American Security Project is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy and research organization dedicated to fostering knowledge and understanding of a range of national security issues, promoting debate about the appropriate use of American power, and cultivating strategic responses to 21st century challenges.
For more information, visit www.americansecurityproject.org. info@americansecurityproject.org
