When: Monday, November 13, 2017, 10:00 — 11:30 a.m.
Where: The Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC
What:
While the U.S. defense budget has contracted from its recent peak, it remains unparalleled in international perspective and relatively high even in relation to Pentagon resources during the Cold War. Even so, concerns about force readiness have grown. Partly due to budget caps from the 2011 Budget Control Act, and influenced by an operational tempo that is difficult to sustain, some point to recent mishaps like the collisions of guided-missile destroyers in the Pacific as a symptom of a growing problem. Other readiness worries include overworked crews seeing less training time as well as a shortage of usable equipment. There are also questions as to why the military services are having so much difficulty when it comes to readiness, despite a relative easing of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan relative to the pace of activity a decade ago.
On November 13, the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence will convene a panel of experts from several branches of the military to address the readiness debate. Timothy Hayden of the Army, Kate Higgins-Bloom of the Coast Guard, and Daniel Keeler of the Navy, all currently Federal Executive Fellows at Brookings, will participate in the discussion. They will be joined by Mara Karlin, nonresident senior fellow and former deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development. Senior Fellow Michael O’Hanlon will moderate and add his perspective as well.
Following their conversation, panelists will take audience questions.