Networking and Media (Formerly NewsMedia) May 31, 2024

Advancing Cyber Defense and Information Integrity: A Comprehensive Approach to Securing U.S. National Security

Despite significant efforts in legislation, strategy, and policy, current defenses against cyber and information operations are likely inadequate to counter the growing threat of malign cyberspace activities. The U.S. faces considerable challenges in protecting critical infrastructure and democratic processes from sophisticated cyber threats and disinformation campaigns. Adversaries, including China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, use cyber-attacks, economic espionage, and influence operations to disrupt government functions, destabilize democracy, and challenge U.S. global leadership. Cyberspace’s appeal to malign actors lies in its low cost, scalability, and deniability, allowing easy manipulation of digital environments, from social media to critical infrastructure. Cyber tools exploit vulnerabilities in software, hardware, and human factors, making everything connected to the internet a potential target. The increasing use of artificial intelligence and algorithms further complicates defense efforts. To address these threats, a comprehensive "whole-of-government and society" approach is necessary. This includes strengthening cybersecurity defenses, promoting digital and media literacy, regulating social media, and fostering public resilience. Greater collaboration with industry, academia, and citizens is essential to implement successful strategies. Additionally, U.S. strategy must expand offensive cyber capabilities to deter adversaries when defense and deterrence fail. The paper recommends four main actions: 1) Expanding education and messaging to combat cyber and disinformation threats. 2) Strengthening partnerships for sharing intelligence and coordinating defense strategies. 3) Enhancing cybersecurity regulations for critical infrastructure and digital platforms. 4) Modernizing infrastructure and cyber defenses while using cyber compellence to deter malign activities. In conclusion, the U.S. must adopt a whole-of-society approach to strengthen its cyber and information operation defenses, involving allies, the private sector, and the public to safeguard national security, protect democracy, and secure America's global role.

Organic Industrial Base May 31, 2024

Reforming the U.S. Organic Industrial Base and Safeguarding the Indo-Pacific Through Regional Sustainment

The Eisenhower School’s Organic Industrial Base (OIB) Industry Study Seminar explored whether U.S. maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) capacities can sustain military forces in the Indo-Pacific, especially from 2027-2030, amid rising competition with China. The seminar found that the current OIB lacks sufficient capability, with an aging workforce, deteriorating infrastructure, and fragile global supply chains. Policies also fail to fully utilize foreign MRO facilities. To address this, the seminar recommended creating a "Responsive OIB" by leveraging MRO services from U.S. allies and partners (A&P) in the Indo-Pacific, which could mitigate readiness challenges. The Regional Sustainment Framework (RSF) could help by positioning MRO services closer to contested areas, improving supply chains, and enhancing interoperability. The Department of Defense should reform OIB locations, integrate A&P MRO services, and develop a civilian maintenance reserve force. Additionally, improving infrastructure, incorporating cyber resiliency, and aligning MRO with future weapon system acquisitions are essential for readiness.

Organic Industrial Base: May 30, 2022

Reimaging the OIB of the Future

With Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China’s emergence as a near-peer competitor, the nation faces a critical inflection point. The Department of Defense (DoD) can innovate and embrace technologies and processes to strengthen industrial base effectiveness or continue to rely on legacy processes that struggle to keep pace with competitors.

Organic Industrial Base: May 30, 2023

The Defense Sustainment Agency: Leading the OIB of the Future

The Eisenhower School’s class of 2023 OIB industry study cohort, Seminar 16, set its sights on reimagining the OIB of the future with an academic focus on the depot-level maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), and modification services to sustain readiness of complex weapon systems. During the seminar’s journey, common themes were noted through several interactions with industry and government senior leaders across the MRO and sustainment enterprise -- flexibility, agility, interoperable, effective, efficient, forward projecting, and distributing to the point of need -- as key requirements for a future OIB. Seminar 16 welcomed the challenge of making this vision a reality in an OIB environment fraught with unfavorable market dynamics, aging and underfunded infrastructure, and a shrinking workforce. Accordingly, the conclusion of this report reflects the seminar’s aspiration for the creation of a new defense agency, the Defense Sustainment Agency (DSA), as a solution for mitigating the above issues and placing the U.S. on a stronger footing for prevailing in a peer conflict by 2030 and beyond.

Private Sector and Support Services March 30, 2017

Private Sector and Support Services

The Department of Defense (DoD) spends over 50% of its acquisition budget on services, and contractors play a critical role in US military operations. This Industry Study Report finds that the Private Sector Support and Services (PS3) industry is robust and healthy, despite a recent tumultuous period of decreased demand, budget constraints, and market upheaval. While the DoD continues to refine and improve its acquisition of services, more work remains. This report assesses the PS3 industry, analyzes government policies and practices, and makes recommendations for continued improvement.

Reconstruction March 30, 2017

Reconstruction

The Class of 2017 Reconstruction Industry Seminar analyzed the various components that encompass the industry, from government departments, non-governmental organizations, and private industry, to international partners and organizations. The analysis specifically included two country studies and visits: the post-conflict peace process in Colombia with the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) and the post-disaster operations in Haiti connected to the 2010 earthquake and 2016 Hurricane Matthew. While both countries have made great strides in making sure both processes are planned, they are not absent numerous obstacles and challenges that threaten prevention of a lasting solution in both. This paper addresses these obstacles and challenges in greater detail and offers US policy recommendations that could help maximize finite resources and foster better, more lasting solutions to these countries. It is the seminar’s expectation that, in the long run, these recommendations will make them better partners and allies of the United States.

Robotics and Autonomous Systems May 30, 2022

Shaping a Responsible and Security Future with Robotics and Autonomous Systems

The United States’ ability to promote innovation and growth in the robotics and autonomous system (RAS) industries directly impacts US national security and global stability. The character of warfare is constantly evolving. Recent events in Ukraine (and previously in Nagorno-Karabakh) revealed that RAS represents a disruptive technology at the leading edge of that evolution. RAS enable smaller, dispersed forces to effectively challenge legacy sources of military strength in the air, on land, and at sea.

Robotics and Autonomous Systems: May 30, 2023

The Rise of Robots and Autonomous Systems: Unraveling the Challenges in U.S. Commercial and Defense RAS Industries

General Douglas MacArthur is famously credited with saying, “Military failure can almost always be summarized in just two words: Too late.” Recently, the Secretary of the Air Force, Frank Kendall, resurrected this phrase to warn slow technological movement would place the United States at a strategic military disadvantage, with potentially devastating effects. As the U.S. faces a pacing challenge with China, with implications for the global world order, U.S. Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) advancement will play a critical role. The 2022 National Defense Strategy emphasizes autonomous technology as an asymmetric approach to deter aggression, change kinetic conflict, and complicate escalation dynamics. The Department of Defense (DoD) seeks to mature autonomous technology through strategic investments in the domestic ecosystem and with U.S. allies and partners. The rapid advancement of commercial RAS drives the need for DoD to be a fast follower, rapidly incorporating commercial capabilities into military-relevant capabilities. Unlike many industries, the greatest obstacles to full RAS incorporation, commercially and militarily, will be cultural, ethical, and social. Accordingly, for the DoD to achieve superiority across the RAS industry, the United States must deftly navigate not only the technological challenges, but also the “soft” challenges: safety, social acceptance, trust, and human-machine integration.

Robotics and Autonomous Systems: March 30, 2025

Robotics and Autonomous Systems

The Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Industry has seen ever-increasing relevance and importance in its applications both within the Department of Defense (DOD) and throughout society. Enhancing human productivity in activities ranging from self-driving automobiles to unmanned aircraft that can deliver weapons without requiring human control or consent, the development and advancement of these technologies have the potential to alter daily life as we know it. These emerging capabilities provide ample opportunity for the DOD to influence and leverage these capabilities to support national security strategies. This paper will examine the industry, current and future RAS applications as they relate to increased human productivity, and the implications these advancements have on our way of life. It will then provide recommendations on what the DOD can do to better position itself to capitalize on RAS growth and prevent missteps.

Shipbuilding: May 30, 2023

Navigating the Waves: Assessing and Addressing Key Issues in U.S. Shipbuilding and Repair

For over seven decades, the United States has championed a rules-based global order, allowing international commerce to flourish. The 2022 National Security Strategy (NSS) reaffirms this vision, specifying the United States' commitment to “an open, prosperous, and secure international order…free from aggression, coercion, and intimidation.” Critical to fulfilling this ambition is ensuring the United States has the military capacity to protect its territory and project its global power. To achieve this, the United States Government must dedicate time and resources to modernize and strengthen its military, equipping it to successfully prevail in great power competition with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) while addressing acute threats such as Vladimir Putin’s Russia.