Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC)
15 Articles

The All-Volunteer Force at 50: Civil-Military Solutions in a Time of Partisan Polarization
Civilian and military elites, as well as the general public, have work to do to combat politicization of the all-volunteer force and help it survive another 50 years.

It’s Time to Fix Congress’ Classification Infrastructure
As Congress works to reassert its authority over United States war making, it should improve its infrastructure and policies for handling sensitive information.

What Should Be Addressed in Austin’s Confirmation Hearing for Defense Secretary?
Some of the top defense experts and thinkers offer their thoughts on what issues they’d like to see addressed and what questions they’d like to see asked at retired Gen. Lloyd…

For House, Senate National Security Committees, Stopgaps for Term Limits
Some alternatives to retain experience in key committee leadership for the good of congressional oversight.

What Did We Learn About Mark Esper and How He Views the World?
From Iran to Afghanistan to collective self-defense, the big takeaways from the Senate confirmation hearing for Mark Esper, nominated by the president to be defense secretary.…

A Tweet Recap of the Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing on Foreign Cyber Threats to the US
There was a lot anticipation for Thursday’s Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on global cyber threats to the United States, with the expectation that more would be…

A Patriot Fears Not Truth about Russian Election Interference: Time for a commission to investigate
Last week, the Washington Post reported that the Central Intelligence Agency briefed Senators that it is “clear” that Russian hacking operations were designed to help Donald…

Guilty Pleas For GTMO Detainees (Without Ever Setting Foot on US Soil)
Last week Steve wrote about the then-not-yet public provision in the Senate version of the FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would permit Guantánamo detainees…

Can Detainees Plead Their Way Out of Guantánamo?
One of the more curious tidbits to emerge from the Senate Armed Services Committee’s draft of the FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act (which the Committee approved…

Military Justice and Its Reform
Congress is examining a significant Obama administration legislative proposal concerning military justice. The proposal provides an occasion to think not only about what ought…

McCain’s Hearing Threat and the Bergdahl Court-Martial
Last month, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, stated his opinion that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who is currently facing charges before a…

Too Much Posturing and Not Enough Substance on Encryption
Obama administration officials revealed late last week that will not force technology firms to weaken digital encryption to give government greater access to user data. This is…