The 2021 NDAA - Land Mines, Cluster Munitions, and Defense Cooperation

How the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act and the Defense Appropriations Act Can Prepare the U.S. for Great Power Competition, with colleagues at the Heritage Foundation, Heritage Foundation Special Report #222, March 23, 2020. "The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act and the Department of Defense Appropriations Act are key tools for helping the Department of Defense (DOD) adapt to great power competition. The process of preparing for great power competition will not be a fast one, nor is it a matter of simply giving the DOD more resources. It will require prioritizing the long-term challenge posed by China and Russia, while divesting from previous efforts that do not contribute to meeting those challenges. Even if the United States dedicated all federal taxpayer dollars to the defense of the nation, the DOD would still have to make hard decisions about which capabilities are necessary now and in the future, as well as about the level of readiness of each unit. The 2021 authorization and appropriations acts are excellent opportunities for Congress to help the DOD make those decisions."

Expanding the Perimeter

How to Expand Defense Trade Cooperation Between the U.S., the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, with Daniel Kochis, Heritage Foundation Issue Brief, April 26, 2017. "Of the United States’ alliances, none are stronger than those it enjoys with Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The U.S. has stood shoulder to shoulder with these English-speaking allies in two World Wars, the Cold War, two wars in Iraq, and the war in Afghanistan, and that collaboration continues today in the fight against ISIS. The U.S. also works closely with these allies in the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing community, which includes New Zealand. It is therefore in America’s interest to promote even closer defense collaboration with Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. A major pillar of improved collaboration is improved defense trade cooperation."

Broadening the River

Brexit and the Arrival of Trump Signal the Beginning of an Exciting New Era of Closer and Deeper US-UK Relations, BrexitCentral, January 19, 2017. "So let’s try something new: focusing on reality. Let’s get a few solid accomplishments under our belt – starting, but not ending, with that trade deal – and then see how we feel about each other, and ourselves. I’d love to go back to the era of Roosevelt and Churchill, or Reagan and Thatcher, because they all combined great rhetoric with great achievements, but that’s not happening. Yet we do have the chance – because you now have the freedom, and we appear to have the desire – to break the mould, to do things that used to be impossible, or merely unthinkable. If politics allow us to make Churchill’s river that little broader for both our benefit, and for the years that will follow our new administrations, it would be folly not to take it."

The U.S.-U.K. Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty Moves Forward

Senate Action on U.S.-U.K. Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty Represents Important Progress, Heritage Foundation WebMemo #3029, September 28, 2010. "The committee’s favorable report on the two treaties with the U.K. and Australia, and on the Defense Trade Cooperation Treaties Implementation Act, is a step forward, and a victory for the commonsense belief that the U.S. should treat Britain and Australia as the close allies that they are."

What Cameron Should Say (Or Have Said)

Britain’s David Cameron Must Tell Obama the Truth, Foxnews.com, July 20, 2010. "In a relationship, troubles never come one at a time. The Anglo-American Special Relationship is no different. Obama’s early discourtesies – the ejection of Winston Churchill from the Oval Office, the gift of incompatible DVDs to Gordon Brown, who is partially blind – were minor in themselves. But they were a token of the president’s belief that Britain is just like any other European country – easily wooed, and hence of no real account."

Cameron's Visit and the US-UK Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty

David Cameron Must Press for U.S. Ratification of the U.S.–U.K. Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty, Heritage Foundation Foundry, July 16, 2010. "The U.S.–U.K. Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty, which was signed in 2007 and ratified by Britain in 2008, has the support of the Obama Administration. But the Administration has not worked hard enough to allay the concerns that have so far prevented the U.S. Senate from ratifying the treaty. During Prime Minister David Cameron’s visit to the United States, he should press President Obama to demonstrate his commitment to advancing the Anglo–American Special Relationship and improving the efficiency of defense procurement in both countries by announcing his intention to work with the Senate to secure the rapid ratification of this treaty."

Dr. Liam Fox and the US-UK Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty

Unfinished Business: The U.S.-U.K. Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty, Heritage Foundation Foundry, July 6, 2010. "In an important speech at the Heritage Foundation on Wednesday that demonstrated the new British government’s commitment to standing shoulder to shoulder with the U.S., Dr. Liam Fox, the British Secretary of State for Defense, issued a blunt warning that the U.S., Britain, and its allies in Afghanistan need to 'hold our nerve' and 'see the job through.'"

The U.S.-Australia Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty

Now Is the Time to Seek Ratification of the U.S.-Australia Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty, Heritage Foundation WebMemo #2836, March 18, 2010. "The U.S.–Australia Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty, like its U.S.–U.K. counterpart, is in the American interest. . . . The ball is now where it has been since 2007: in the Administration’s court. With the President’s postponement of his previously announced visit to Australia, it is all the more important for his Administration to demonstrate its commitment to the U.S.–Australia partnership. The energy with which it pursues this opportunity of closer defense ties with Australia and the U.K. will speak to its commitment to defense procurement reform, sensible export promotion, and firmer ties with America’s closest allies."