Harlan Ullman, Author at Centrul de analiza si studii de securitate

A plea for a strong, smart, affordable national defense
A plea for a strong, smart, affordable national defense

General

A plea for a strong, smart, affordable national defense

U.S. Marines, from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, patrol in the town of Garmser in Helmand... Here is a stunning paradox: The United States has the most competent and capable military in the world. But that military faces the very real likelihood of collapsing into a hollow, far less capable force. The reasons are hidden in plain sight. No. 1 is the budget. The fiscal 2015 defense budget requested by the White House totals about $700 billion. However, that level is economically unsustainable for the long term, even as the United States faces a new enemy in the Islamic State. Moreover, sequestration will cut $50 billion a year from defense [...]

By Harlan Ullman|2017-11-14T21:28:00+02:00November 25th, 2014|General|0 Comments

11/11/11
11/11/11

Blogs, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues

11/11/11

11/11/11 represents the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 when an armistice was declared on the Western Front ending World War I. President Woodrow Wilson subsequently declared November 11th Armistice Day. In 1954, the law renamed Armistice as Veteran’s Day, not to be confused with Memorial Day that celebrates those American who gave their lives in battle. In the UK, 11/11/11 is known as Remembrance Day with the wearing of red paper poppies commemorating the end of a war in which more than fifty million perished. And the next year, 1919, perhaps another fifty million died in the Spanish Flu epidemic. But the likelihood [...]

By Harlan Ullman|2017-11-14T21:28:00+02:00November 25th, 2014|Blogs, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues|0 Comments

Defense at risk—but not why you think
Defense at risk—but not why you think

America, Blogs, Harlan Ullman., Regions

Defense at risk—but not why you think

London: To hear the anguished cries of critics of the Obama administration’s defense plans, one would think the nation is disarming. We are told that at a projected end strength of 450,000 active duty Army personnel, ground forces will be headed to pre-World War II levels. The Navy, with some 290 ships or less, will be down to the size of the pre-World War I fleet. Is the sky falling? Unfortunately, the first complaint is misleading. And the second dismisses the fighting power of today’s Navy. Worse, the real dangers to the future size and capability of the U.S. military are entirely ignored. Regarding the size of ground forces, America [...]

By Harlan Ullman|2017-11-14T21:28:02+02:00November 10th, 2014|America, Blogs, Harlan Ullman., Regions|0 Comments

Statement before the House of Commons Defence Committee on Future Force 2020
Statement before the House of Commons Defence Committee on Future Force 2020

Blogs, Defense / Homeland Security, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues

Statement before the House of Commons Defence Committee on Future Force 2020

1. It is a great privilege and compliment to appear before this committee. I have known a number of its distinguished members as well as chairmen from even before Bruce George sat at its head to James Arbuthnot and very much respect your work. 2. As you know, this committee is not vested with the same constitutional authority as the U.S. Congress’s two Armed Services Committees. That does not mean you cannot and should not play a more important role in the defence debate; exercising oversight; identifying critical issues; and issuing reports such as your excellent study on FF 2020. 3. As a further postscript, I had the very good [...]

By Harlan Ullman|2017-11-14T21:28:02+02:00November 10th, 2014|Blogs, Defense / Homeland Security, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues|0 Comments

America votes
America votes

America, Blogs, Harlan Ullman., Regions

America votes

Next Tuesday, America goes to the polls to elect all manner of officials from city counsel person and sheriff to members of Congress. Congressional and gubernatorial races have of course attracted national attention. While the House of Representatives will remain firmly in Republican hands, the future control of the Senate is uncertain. Both parties predict that should they lose or win the Senate, the future of the nation is at stake. Unfortunately, whether Republicans win or Democrats maintain Senatorial control, it will make little difference. The political system is badly broken and all the king’s horses and all the king’s men cannot repair it. Interestingly, control of the Senate races [...]