The Wounded Giant

A farseeing and controversial analysis of the military America needs and the military we can afford from the director of research at Brookings.

Congress' plan for deficit reduction includes more than a one trillion dollar cut to defense spending over the next decade This, Michael O'Hanlon argues, isn't just unwise-it is potentially catastrophic. In this clear-eyed look at our military budget, O'Hanlon gives real, concrete examples of what can be reduced and what can be cut without risk to our country's security and lays out a reasonable plan for a smaller, more efficient post-war U.S. military.

O'Hanlon tests his proposals through a series of chilling plausible scenarios. What would happen if North Korea detonated a nuclear bomb? If the Pakistani government fell? If China turned militant? The questions raised are not easy ones, but are a necessary part of the national conversation the U.S. needs to have on its military operations.