Analyst, Teal Group
Analyst at Teal Group, a Fairfax, Virginia aviation consulting firm
PROFILE
Richard Aboulafia
Guest
FROM Richard Aboulafia
Which Way, L.A.?
The Wars of the Future and the Wars of the Past As we talk about his year's Pentagon budget, remember this: the US spends more on the military services, their arms and equipment than the rest of the world's nations combined. And the spending may well go up, despite cuts in some high-profile programs in what Secretary Robert Gates calls a “ reform budget .”
To the Point
Gates Calls for a Major Overhaul in Defense Spending Yesterday was supposed to be "bloody Monday" for the defense industry, but its stocks rallied as Defense Secretary Gates outlined his latest budget . The US spends more on the military services, arms and equipment than the rest of the world's nations combined. Despite cuts in high-profile projects, Pentagon spending may go up, because, as one analyst said, "For everything they took away, they added something else." The debate will be about conventional warfare versus counterinsurgencies like those in Iraq and Afghanistan, and about jobs in congressional districts. Image: Marine Gen. James Cartwright (R), vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, answers a question during yesterday's press conference with Defense Secretary Gates. DoD photo: Cherie Cullen
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To the Point
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
To the Point
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.