Six Ways the U.S. Isn't Ready for Wars of the Future
The new ABC’s of combat: autonomy, biotech and cyber.
Down, boy.
Photographer: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images
Given the combination of Covid-19, economic turbulence and an election year, Americans can be forgiven if international security has been pushed out of mind. Congress, fortunately, has not been so distracted: The House Armed Services Committee last week passed a $740 billion annual defense authorization bill.
The measure addressed several hot-button issues specifically — a raise for the troops, Confederate symbols on bases, limiting the president's ability to pull out troops from Europe and Afghanistan. But the longer-term questions are murkier: What are the key areas in which the U.S. must invest to prepare for deterrence and combat operations in the 21st century?