Defense Planning & Procurement

Following are all current, recent, and past IFPA projects, publications, conferences, workshops, articles, and presentations about defense planning and procurement.

research
publications
events
articles &
presentations

  • Research

    Managing the Global Impact of America’s Rebalance to Asia

    The principal drivers behind America's rebalance toward Asia are Asia's growing economic and strategic importance, as well as increased military spending in the region led by China and Russia, trends that are likely to continue in the foreseeable future. The challenge for U.S. policy makers is to minimize any extra-regional disruptions the rebalance may cause and to maximize its global benefits. This project is an integrated, cross-regional study of the rebalance and its global impact.

     
    Support to the Defense Department, Combatant Commands, and Military Service Leadership

    This is an ongoing project for the Department of Defense (DoD), for which the Institute provides detailed policy reports and organizes high-level workshops on critical issues of national security for DoD, combatant command (COCOM), and military service leaderships.

     
    Finding the Right Mix: Disaster Diplomacy, National Security, and International Cooperation

    IFPA undertook this project, completed in 2009, to provide U.S. policy makers with enhanced tools for planning, managing, and concluding a major disaster operation effectively and in a manner that explicitly advances U.S. strategic objectives.

     
    Sending UCAS to Sea: A Superior Carrier through the Unmanned Combat Air System

    This project, launched in 2008, considers the key characteristics, capabilities, and future role in carrier fleet operations of the Navy Unmanned Combat Air System (N-UCAS) now under development.

     
    Planning for Long-term U.S. Military Engagement in Central Asia

    This project, completed in 2004, examined the military and operational requirements that could be anticipated to drive U.S. security planning for operations in Central Asia and adjacent regions over the next ten to twenty years.

     
    Defense Trends and Security Planning Perspectives in Key Regional Theaters

    This in-depth study of U.S., Allied, and coalition-partner security perspectives and policies focused on defense and security trends in South Asia, Europe, the Persian Gulf, and the Asia-Pacific region.

      Overseas Presence and Power Projection

      This study assessed the post-Cold War security environment and the contribution of American military posture to global security. Two monographs were produced: Airpower Synergies in the New Strategic Era and CVX: A Smart Carrier for a New Era.

       

    • Publications

      U.S. National Security Strategy and the New Strategic Triad: Capitol Hill Briefing Report
      Independent Working Group on Missile Defense and the Space Relationship
      July 2012, 34 pp

      Report of the April 20, 2102, Capitol Hill briefing convened and sponsored by the Independent Working Group (IWG) on Missile Defense and the Space Relationship. Organized by IFPA, the meeting brought together expertise on space, nuclear modernization, and missile defense to discuss the synergistic relationships among these core components which together form the elements of a new Strategic Triad to support U.S. national security strategy and defense policy. Participants included Senate and House Staff members, officials from the Departments of Defense, State, and the military services, subject matter experts, representatives from industry, and IWG members.

       
      The Marine Corps: America's Expeditionary Force in Readiness
      39th IFPA-Fletcher Conference on National Security Strategy and Policy
      Conference report
      July 2011, 107 pp

       
      Air, Space, and Cyberspace Power in the 21st-Century
      38th IFPA-Fletcher Conference on National Security Strategy and Policy
      Conference report
      September 2010

      The conference report from the 38th IFPA-Fletcher Conference on National Security Strategy and Policy, "Air, Space, and Cyberspace Power in the 21st-Century," addresses the defining issues for the U.S. Air Force (USAF) in the twenty-first-century security environment as well as the planning, operational, and investment challenges facing the USAF in the years ahead. These include balancing legacy missions with irregular warfare demands; determining where the USAF can take risks in platform modernization and how best to assign acquisition priorities in a constrained budget environment; identifying and promoting new mission areas and service competencies; and articulating an up-to-date strategy for enabling and supporting twenty-first-century security planning that facilitates combatant-commander security cooperation and joint and Allied/coalition operations, and contributing as well to broader interagency requirements.
      The conference was held on January 20–21, 2010, in Washington, D.C. Building on previous conferences in this series, the 38th IFPA-Fletcher National Security Conference brought together a unique mix of expertise from government and the private sector; from the civilian and military communities; from think tanks, industry, and academia; and from the United States and abroad.

       
      Finding the Right Mix: Disaster Diplomacy, National Security, and International Cooperation
      Charles M. Perry, with Marina Travayiakis, Bobby Andersen, and Yaron Eisenberg
      January 2009

      This study focuses on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR). It explores ways to make civil-military cooperation more effective in supporting a whole-of-government strategy for addressing twenty-first century threats. It is designed to assist those responsible for the management of large-scale HA/DR efforts achieve a greater unity of effort and division of labor among the diverse civilian and military, national and international, and public and private sector entities to execute such operations. It identifies critical capabilities and key operational challenges; reviews existing and proposed cooperative mechanisms to facilitate disaster relief planning, training, and implementation; and examines several recent cases of disaster response for lessons learned.

       
      Re-Calibrating Security Force Assistance (SFA) as a Critical Component of Waging Irregular Warfare (IW) within the Context of the Global War on Terror (GWOT)
      Jacquelyn K. Davis and Charles M. Perry
      December 2008
      NATO's Relevance and EUCOM's Priorities in Dealing with a Rising Russia
      Jacquelyn K. Davis and Charles M. Perry
      August 2008

      This report summarizes and elaborates upon discussions held at an IFPA workshop by the same name held on July 30, 2008, and organized in support of GEN Bantz Craddock, USA, then SACEUR and commander of USEUCOM. The report discusses emerging Allied concerns over a more assertive Russian security posture, and discusses potential opportunities for USEUCOM-led security cooperation in the greater Black Sea and Caucasus region as a way to enhance stability. Against the backdrop of the Russian-Georgian conflict (which erupted shortly after the workshop was held), the report also offers recommendations for appropriate U.S. and Allied responses.

        NATO's Strategic Relevance and U.S. European Command Planning
        Jacquelyn K. Davis and Charles M. Perry
        March 2008

        This report analyzes the perspectives of NATO and SHAPE officials on the proper scope, focus, and timing of future adjustments to the Alliance’s 1999 Strategic Concept to bring it into closer accord with current and emerging strategic trends and priorities. The report also evaluates potential revisions to NATO’s deterrence posture (including with respect to forward-deployed nuclear weapons), and examines emerging requirements for Allied counter-proliferation planning, “out-of-area” missions (such as Afghanistan ), and civil-military coordination to protect Allied territory and critical infrastructure. Based on these assessments, recommendations are made for U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) planning priorities.

         
        Implementing the New Triad: Nuclear and Non-Nuclear Forces in 21st-Century Deterrence
        36th IFPA-Fletcher Conference on National Security and Policy:
        January 2005, 122 pp

         
        Planning for and Responding to Threats to the U.S. Homeland
        35th IFPA-Fletcher Conference on National Security Strategy and Policy
        October 2004, 132 pp

         
        Central Asia in U.S. Strategy and Operational Planning: Where Do We Go from Here?
        Jacquelyn K. Davis and Michael J. Sweeney
        January 2004

        This monograph, the result of a project completed in 2004, examines the military and operational requirements that could be anticipated to drive U.S. security planning for operations in Central Asia and adjacent regions over the next ten to twenty years.

         
        Defense Reform, Modernization, & Military Cooperation in Southeastern Europe: Vol. 3 of the IFPA-Kokkalis Series on Southeast European Policy
        Edited by Charles M. Perry and Dimitris Keridis
        January 2004, 318 pp

         
        Alliance Diversification & the Future of the U.S.-Korean Security Relationship
        Charles M. Perry, Jecquelyn K. Davis, James L. Schoff, and Toshi Yoshihara
        January 2004, 224 pp

         
        Crisis Management in Japan & the United States: Creating Opportunities for Cooperation amid Dramatic Change
        Edited by James L. Schoff
        January 2004, 156 pp

         
        Security Planning and Military Transformation after Iraqi Freedom
        34th IFPA-Fletcher Conference on National Security Strategy and Policy
        December 2003

         
        Missile Defense and Counterproliferation on the Korean Peninsula: Exploring U.S.-ROK Requirements and Options
        January 2003, 34 pp

         
        The Strategic and Operational Implications of NATO Enlargement in the Baltic Region
        July 2002
        Homeland Security and Special Operations: Sorting Out Procedures, Capabilities, and Operational Issues SOF and Homeland Security Report
        March 2002, 16 pp

         
        National Security for a New Era: Focusing National Power
        Final Report from the 31st Annual IFPA-Fletcher Security Conference
        November 2001, 105 pp

         
        Expeditionary Solutions for a Gordian World
        Final Report from the IFPA-Fletcher-USMC Security Conference
        March 2001

         
        National Strategies and Capabilities for a Changing World
        Report from the IFPA-Fletcher Conference 2000
        January 2001, 128 pp

         
        Assessing the Cruise Missile Puzzle: How Great a Defense Challenge?
        David R. Tanks
        October 2000, 40 pp

         
        Strategic Dynamics in the Nordic/Baltic Region: Implications for U.S. Policy
        Charles M. Perry, Michael J. Sweeney, and Andrew C. Winner
        June 2000, 205 pp

         
        Final Report on Strategic Responsiveness: Early and Continuous Joint Effectiveness-Across the Spectrum
        April 2000

         
        The Role of Naval Forces in 21st-Century Operations
        Edited by Richard H. Schultz and Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr.
        January 2000, 284 pp

         
        United States as a 21st Century Aerospace Power
        December 1999, 35 pp

         
        Air/Missile Defense, Counterproliferation and Security Policy Planning
        Edited by Jacquelyn K. Davis, Charles M. Perry, and Jamal S. Al-Suwaidi
        July 1999, 144 pp

         
        Strategic Paradigms 2025
        Jacquelyn K. Davis and Michael J. Sweeney
        June 1999, 353 pp

         
        CVX: A Smart Carrier for a New Era
        Jacquelyn K. Davis
        January 1998, 78 pp

        Airpower Synergies in the New Strategic Era
        Charles M. Perry, Laurence E. Rothenberg, and Jacquelyn K. Davis, with a foreword by Frank Carlucci
        June 1997, 88 pp

         
        War in the Information Age
        Co-edited by Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr.
        January 1997
        The Submarine and U.S. National Security Strategy in the Twenty-first Century
        Jacquelyn K. Davis, Michael J. Sweeney, Charles M. Perry
        January 1997, 85 pp

         
        Security Strategy and Missile Defense
        Edited by Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr.
        December 1995

         
        Special Operations Forces: Roles and Missions in the Aftermath of the Cold War
        Co-edited by Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr.
        July 1995

         
        Long-Range Bombers and the Role of Airpower in the New Century
        Charles M. Perry, Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr., and Joseph C. Conway
        June 1995, 96 pp

         
        Forward Presence and the U.S. Security Policy: Implications for Force Posture, Service Roles, and Joint Planning
        Jacquelyn K. Davis
        June 1995, 72 pp

         
        Aircraft Carriers and the Role of Naval Forces in the Twenty-First Century
        Jacquelyn K. Davis
        June 1993, 59 pp

         
        Security Dynamics on the Korean Peninsula: Implications for Regional Stability and Defense Planning
        Workshop report
        June 1992

         

      • Events

        40th IFPA-Fletcher Conference: Positioning Special Operations Forces for Global Challenges
        June 5 – June 6, 2013, Washington, D.C.

        On June 5-6, 2013, the Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis (IFPA) and the International Security Studies Program of The Fletcher School of Tufts University will convene a high-level conference in Washington, D.C., in support of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). “Positioning Special Operations Forces for Global Challenges” will be held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in downtown Washington, D.C. (1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW). This will be the fortieth IFPA-Fletcher Conference on National Security Strategy and Policy, in a series widely recognized as one of the nation’s premier strategic dialogues.

         
        U.S. National Security Strategy & the New Strategic Triad: Capitol Hill briefing held by the Independent Working Group on Missile Defense and the Space Relationship
        April 20, 2012, Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.

        Organized by IFPA, this Capitol Hill briefing brought together expertise on space, nuclear modernization, and missile defense to discuss the synergistic relationships among these core components which together form the elements of a new Strategic Triad to support U.S. national security strategy and defense policy. The focus was priority issues and programs within and among space, nuclear modernization, and missile defense. Presentations were given by a panel of experts drawn primarily from IWG membership. The conference drew at least seventy-five participants from House and Senate staffs, the U.S. military services, the official civilian government, and the broader Washington, D.C., policy community. The program was videotaped as part of an effort to give broader dissemination to the presentations and discussion.

         
        Implementing a New Vision for SOCOM: Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities
        February 29, 2012, Washington, D.C., a SOCOM-IFPA workshop
        NATO Special Operations Headquarters Senior Steering Group Meeting
        May 24 – May 26, 2011, Krakow, Poland

        The fifth SSG meeting took place in Krakow, Poland, on May 24–26, 2011, in conjunction with the NATO SOF Commanders' Conference and the dedication of the new Polish SOF Headquarters. The NATO SOF Commanders' Conference featured a panel presentation by four SSG members, focusing on lessons-learned from Afghanistan and recent operations. The four SSG members who participated on this panel — Dr. Jacquelyn K. Davis, Dr. Rob de Wijk, Commodore Lars Wille-Jorgensen, and Dr. Andrzej Karkoszka — || had each traveled to Afghanistan with members of the NSHQ and met with ISAF and national SOF teams to hear their perspectives on lessons-learned and the way ahead for NATO SOF planning, training and education, and capabilities development. This meeting also featured the participation of senior Polish defense officials and leaders from U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), including Admiral Eric Olson.

         
        39th IFPA-Fletcher Conference on National Security Strategy and Policy: The Marine Corps—America's Expeditionary Force in Readiness
        April 14 – April 15, 2011, Washington, D.C.

         
        U.S.-Russian Relations Beyond New START: What’s Next, What’s Possible, and What’s Necessary
        March 7, 2011, Washington, D.C., an IFPA-DTRA-EUCOM workshop
        Exploring Options for Iran: Implications for DoD and Interagency Planning
        January 28, 2011, Washington, D.C., an IFPA-DTRA workshop
        NATO Special Operations Headquarters Senior Steering Group Meeting
        November 21 – November 24, 2010, Mons, Belgium

        This meeting was held in Mons, Belgium, on November 21-23, 2010, in conjunction with the NSHQ's formal activation ceremony and a NATO SOF commanders' conference. At this meeting, Dr. Jamie Shea, then of the Secretary General's Private Office, reported on the results of NATO's Lisbon Summit and highlighted the creation of a new NATO directorate focused on emerging security challenges (where he will now work as its Deputy Assistant Secretary General). The SSG also considered ways to boost support for SOF forces, planning, and capabilities in national capitals and discussed new mission areas, emanating from NATO's New Strategic Concept, for NATO SOF.

         
        Responding to a Nuclear Event Outside the United States: Synchronizing Department of Defense, Combatant Command, and Interagency Roles, Missions, and Capabilities
        September 29, 2010, Washington, D.C., in support of the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
        New START, Nuclear Modernization, and Missile Defense
        July 20, 2010, Washington, D.C., Independent Working Group Conference

        The event featured sessions on threats and recent trends in missile defense; current issues including New START , the Nuclear Posture Review, nuclear modernization, and implications for missile defense; and priorities, budget needs and constraints, and programmatic initiatives.

         
        The Air Force's Nuclear Mission and the Future of Deterrence Planning
        June 11, 2009, Washington, D.C., in support of the chief of staff, U.S. Air Force
        38th IFPA-Fletcher Conference on National Security Strategy and Policy: Air, Space, and Cyberspace Power in the 21st-Century
        January 20 – January 21, 2010, Washington, D.C.

         
        NATO SOF Coordination Centre Senior Advisory Group Meeting
        September 9 – September 11, 2009, Rome, Italy

        The second meeting of the NATO SOF Coordination Centre (NSCC) Senior Advisory Group (SAG). held in conjunction with a larger NATO SOF Symposium entitled "NATO Special Operations Forces (SOF) – Key to Mission Success at the Strategic Level." At this second meeting, SSG members discussed implications of the new NATO Strategic Concept for SOF employment and mission planning, as well as opportunities for enhanced intelligence sharing and the operational development of Alliance SOF.

         
        NATO SOF Coordination Centre Senior Advisory Group Meeting
        June 17, 2009, Brussels and Mons, Belgium

        The first meeting of the NATO SOF Coordination Centre (NSCC) Senior Advisory Group (SAG). SAG members were introduced to the NSCC, given briefings about its capabilities, personnel, mission-taskings, and its role in operational planning for Afghanistan.

         
        Re-Calibrating Security Force Assistance as a Critical Component of Waging Irregular Warfare within the Context of the Global War on Terror
        November 20, 2008, Washington, D.C., in support of U.S. Special Operations Command
        NATO’s Relevance and EUCOM’s Priorities in Dealing with a Rising Russia
        July 30, 2008, Washington, D.C., in support of U.S. European Command
        37th IFPA-Fletcher Conference on National Security Strategy and Policy: A New Maritime Strategy for 21st-Century National Security
        September 26 – September 27, 2007, Washington, D.C.

        The 37th IFPA-Fletcher conference on national security strategy and policy. Building on previous conferences in this series, the 37th IFPA-Fletcher National Security Conference provided a timely, high-level forum for presentation and analysis of the U.S. Navy’s New Maritime Strategy. It brought together a unique mix of expertise from government and the private sector; from the civilian and military communities; from think tanks, industry, and academia; and from the United States and abroad.

         
        Modernizing the Nuclear Stockpile and Implementing the New Triad
        February 28, 2007, Washington, D.C., in support of U.S. Strategic Command
        The Way Ahead with Iran: A Libya in Waiting, a Nuclear Pariah, or Something in Between?
        August 1, 2006, Washington, D.C., in support of the under secretary of state for arms control and international security
        Building Multi-party Capacity for a WMD-free Korean Peninsula
        February 17, 2006, Honolulu, Hawaii

        Government officials and foreign-policy experts from the United States, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and Australia gathered for a one-day workshop to discuss the six-party talks and to explore options for building regional capacity to implement a denuclearization agreement with North Korea, if and when one is concluded.

         
        36th IFPA-Fletcher Conference on National Security and Policy: Implementing the New Triad: Nuclear and Non-Nuclear Forces in 21st-Century Deterrence
        December 14 – December 15, 2005, Washington, D.C.

         
        The 35th Annual IFPA-Fletcher Conference on National Security Strategy and Policy: Planning for and Responding to Threats to the U.S. Homeland
        October 28 – October 29, 2004, Washington D.C.

         
        Space and Information Operations in a Homeland Security Contingency
        April 2, 2002, Washington D.C., in support of U.S. Space Command and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency
        Planning for and Responding to Bio-terror Threats to the U.S. Homeland: NORTHCOM's Roles, Capabilities, and Requirements
        March 30, 2004, Washington, D.C., in support of U.S. Northern Command
        The 34th Annual IFPA-Fletcher Conference on National Security and Policy: Security Planning and Military Transformation after Iraqi Freedom
        December 2 – December 3, 2003, Washington D.C.

         
        SOCOM Strategic Vision Wargame
        December 3 – December 6, 2002, Norfolk, Virginia, in support of U.S. Special Operations Command, and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency
        The 33rd IFPA-Fletcher Conference on National Security Strategy and Policy
        October 16 – October 17, 2002, Washington, D.C.

         
        The 32nd IFPA-Fletcher Conference on National Security Strategy and Policy: Meeting the Homeland Security Challenge
        March 25 – March 26, 2002, Washington D.C.
        Homeland Security and Special Operations: Sorting Out Procedures, Capabilities, and Operational Issues
        January 17, 2002, Washington D.C., in support of U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Joint Forces Command, and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency

         
        IFPA Fletcher Conference: National Security for a New Era: Focusing National Power
        November 14 – November 15, 2001, Washington D.C.

         

      • Articles & Presentations

        New Strategic Dynamics in the Arctic Region: Implications for National Security and International Collaboration, article drawn from material in full-length study
        Charles M. Perry and Bobby Andersen
        Atlantisch perspectief [Atlantic Perspective] October 2012

        Statement for the Record on U.S. SOCOM and SOF Futures
        Dr. Jacquelyn K. Davis, July 11, 2012

        Testimony before the Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee, Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives, U.S. Congress hearing.

        China-U.S. Strategic Stability
        Speech by Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr.

        Prepared for Nuclear Order — Build or Break, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington, D.C., April 6, 2009

        U.S. National Defense Strategy & Security of Japan: U.S. Military Transformation and Beyond
        Speech by James L. Schoff, October 29, 2008, Tokyo, Japan