The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) is an independent, non-profit,
Washington, D.C.
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
-based
think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...
specializing in US
defense policy, force planning, and
budgets. It is headed by
Thomas Mahnken. According to its website, CSBA's mission is "to promote innovative thinking and debate about national security strategy, defense planning and military investment options ...
ndto enable policymakers to make informed decisions in matters of strategy, security policy and resource allocation."
CSBA emphasizes initiatives the United States and its allies can take to wisely invest in the future, including during periods of fiscal austerity and uncertainty. CSBA evaluates its policy proposals through the
net assessment methodology,
wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a realistic simulation of an armed conflict. Wargaming may be played for recreation, to train military officers in the art of strategic thinking, or to s ...
, and by estimated impact on the
Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to:
Current departments of defence
* Department of Defence (Australia)
* Department of National Defence (Canada)
* Department of Defence (Ireland)
* Department of National Defense (Philipp ...
budget over multiple Future Years Defense Programs.
Background
CSBA traces its origins to the Defense Budget Project, which was established by Gordon Adams in 1983 at the
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) is a progressive American think tank that analyzes the impact of federal and state government budget policies. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Center's stated mission is to "conduct resear ...
in order to "fill a vital information gap in the policy debate" during the
Reagan Administration
Ronald Reagan's tenure as the 40th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1981, and ended on January 20, 1989. Reagan, a Republican from California, took office following a landslide victory over ...
's defense buildup." In May 1995, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments was incorporated in its current form. Over the next two decades, CSBA played a prominent role in the debate over the
revolution in military affairs (RMA) and the transformation of the US military.
Since September 11, 2001, CSBA has focused its analysis on linking near-term requirements to longer term challenges. According to the group's website, CSBA "looks out two to three decades to identify emerging security challenges and opportunities." CSBA describes its current efforts as "drawing attention to a set of worrisome and profound emerging areas of concern: a rising
China threat in the Pacific Theater; a
nuclear-armed Iran; maintaining the US
defense industrial base
The term defense industrial base (or DIB), also known as the defense industrial and technological base, is used in political science to refer to a government's industrial assets that are of direct or indirect importance for the production of equip ...
; and realigning the
defense budget
A military budget (or military expenditure), also known as a defense budget, is the amount of financial resources dedicated by a state to raising and maintaining an armed forces or other methods essential for defense purposes.
Financing milit ...
." Over the past few years, CSBA has played a prominent role in the ongoing development of an
AirSea Battle
AirSea Battle is an integrated battle doctrine that forms a key component of the military strategy of the United States. The doctrine became official in February 2010, and was renamed to Joint Concept for Access and Maneuver in the Global Commons ...
concept by the U.S. Air Force and Navy. Following cuts to U.S. defense spending and accelerating foreign military modernization, CSBA has also taken a lead role in highlighting the need to rebalance the Department of Defense's force structure and invest wisely for future challenges.
CSBA is a
501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization. The group's public education and research program is funded by grants and contributions from a range of foundations and corporations. The majority of CSBA's income comes from research support under contract with the Department of Defense, its sub-agencies, the six branches, and the
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Staff
Notable key personnel employed by CSBA have included:
*
Thomas G. Mahnken, President from 2016–present
*
Andrew Krepinevich
Andrew Francis Krepinevich Jr. (born 13 February 1950) is a defense policy analyst who is a distinguished senior fellow at (and former longtime president of) the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.
Army service
Born in New York Stat ...
, President from 1993 to 2016
*
Eric S. Edelman
Eric Steven Edelman (born October 27, 1951) is an American diplomat who served as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (2005–2009), U.S. Ambassador to Turkey (2003–2005), U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Finland (1998–2001), and Princip ...
, Distinguished Fellow, former
Undersecretary of Defense for Policy (2005–2009),
Ambassador to Turkey (2003–2005),
Ambassador to Finland (1998–2001)
Notable alumni
*
Robert O. Work, former Vice President for Strategic Studies, served as
Deputy Secretary of Defense
The deputy secretary of defense (acronym: DepSecDef) is a statutory office () and the second-highest-ranking official in the Department of Defense of the United States of America.
The deputy secretary is the principal civilian deputy to the sec ...
from May 2014 to July 2017.
*
Michael G. Vickers, former Vice President for Strategic Studies, served as
Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and
.
Board of directors
Notable board members include:
*
Barbara Humpton, Chair
*
Jack Keane
John M. "Jack" Keane (born February 1, 1943) is a retired American four-star general, a former Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is a national security analyst, primarily on F ...
*
Paul J. Selva
Past notable board members have included:
*
Nelson M. Ford
*
Dave McCurdy
David Keith McCurdy (born March 30, 1950) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and former politician who was the Democratic U.S. Representative from Oklahoma's 4th congressional district, in office from 1981 to 1995. Described as a moderate or con ...
References
External links
Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments official siteProfileat
SourceWatch
The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) is a progressive nonprofit watchdog and advocacy organization based in Madison, Wisconsin. CMD publishes ExposedbyCMD.org, SourceWatch.org, and ALECexposed.org.
History
CMD was founded in 1993 by prog ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Center For Strategic And Budgetary Assessments
Foreign policy political advocacy groups in the United States
Foreign policy and strategy think tanks in the United States