War on the Rocks Writing Contest: Defense Spending and Strategy
The Question (courtesy John Nagl):
The United States Congress has dramatically reduced funding for the Department of Defense under sequester, but has not allowed the Department to cut base structure, benefits, or end strength to anything like the same degree. The Department has done the only thing it can in this situation, cutting operations and maintenance to the bone (with real risks to U.S. national security), but still can’t balance the books.
What should the Department of Defense do? Telling Congress to simply provide more resources isn’t working.
Please write, in 1000 words or less, what the Department of Defense should do. Estimate the savings offered by your solution on an annual steady-state or a total by 2020.
The top three entries will be published on War on the Rocks and the winners will each receive a War on the Rocks flask.
The Judges:
- Frank Hoffman, USMC (ret.)
- Dr. John Nagl, USA (ret.)
- Admiral John Harvey, USN (ret.)
- General David A. Deptula, USAF (ret.)
Submissions:
Send your entry to editor@warontherocks.com no later than Sunday, November 2, 11:59 PM with CONTEST in the subject line.
Yes, you can enter anonymously or ask that we publish your entry – if you win – under a pseudonym. Just be ready to tell us where to send your prize. Or we can arrange a dead drop.