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- Voice of Revolution -  Having declared himself President-elect, Joe Biden on November 10 announced a 23-member transition team to review the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) between now and when the new president is supposed to take office on January 20, 2021. The people chosen and the institutions they come from -- created
during the Cold War -- are indicative that a Biden administration will be as hopelessly stuck in past failures as have its predecessors. U.S. pragmatism follows the adage that failures will somehow turn into successes if only one reshuffles the cards enough times. Fossilized Cold War relics will not provide the U.S. with a way forward no matter how much it tries.
Defense News notes two notable members of the team: "The team is led by Kathleen Hicks, who served as both principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, as well as deputy undersecretary of defense for strategy, plans, and forces in the Obama administration. She is currently the director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies' [CSIS] International Security Program.
"Also included on the list is Christine Wormuth, director of the RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center. Wormuth held a number of roles in the Obama administration, culminating as undersecretary of defense for policy from 2014-2016. Both Hicks and Wormuth were seen as contenders for top DoD jobs, perhaps deputy secretary of defense, before today's announcement."
Center for Strategic and International Studies The CSIS is a U.S. thinktank that says its "purpose is to define the future of national security. We are guided by a distinct set of values -- non-partisanship, independent thought, innovative thinking, cross-disciplinary scholarship, integrity and professionalism, and talent development. CSIS's values work in concert toward the goal of making real-world impact." "A Brief History" of the CSIS on its website states it was founded in 1962 "at the height of the Cold War" and that since then it "has been at the forefront of solutions to the vexing foreign policy and national security problems of the day. [...] In 2007, the CSIS Smart Power Commission provided a diagnosis of America's declining standing in the world and offered a set of recommendations for a smart power approach to America's global engagement.[...] CSIS is regularly called upon by Congress, the executive branch, the media, and others to explain the day's events and offer recommendations to improve U.S. strategy."
Topics that the CSIS deals with include: climate change; cypersecurity and technology; defense and security; economics; energy and sustainability; global health; human rights; international development.
RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center
The RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center (ISDP) says its "work spans the political, military, and economic aspects of global challenges, drawing on the best available qualitative data, quantitative data, and methodological tools. ISDP helps its clients understand and manage security challenges, evaluate the effectiveness of military forces and postures, and build the capacity of allies and partners."
The ISDP website further states that it "focuses on the most-pressing challenges facing the United States and the world, including potential threats and opportunities relating to China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, terrorism, civil war, space, and technological change. ISDP has helped clients develop strategies and operational concepts through workshops, gaming, and other cutting-edge methods. Topics include countering advanced Chinese missiles, deterring Russian and North Korean aggression, and targeting terrorist networks through coordinated applications of hard and soft power."
The ISDP is also involved in evaluating "how U.S. competitors are modernizing their military forces to constrain U.S. and allied military power projection." It also supports "U.S. efforts to strengthen both the governments and the militaries of allies and partners. By applying proven analytical methods, ISDP helps identify opportunities for U.S. programs to improve the ability of allies and partners to operate alongside, or in place of, U.S. military forces." The ISDP is part of the RAND Corporation, that began as the U.S. Air Force's "Project RAND" (Research ANd Development) after World War II that conducted long-range planning of weapons development. In March 1946, the Douglas Aircraft Company was granted a contract to conduct research on intercontinental warfare as Project RAND. Project RAND separated from Douglas on May 14, 1948, becoming the RAND Corporation. Between 2013-2019, RAND was the top recipient of U.S. government and defence contractor funding, receiving $1,209,100,000 in six years. Center for a New American Security Biden's Pentagon transition team also draws two members from the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). It describes itself as "an independent, bipartisan, nonprofit organization that develops strong, pragmatic, and principled national security and defense policies. CNAS engages policymakers, experts, and the public with innovative, fact-based research, ideas, and analysis to shape and elevate the national security debate. A key part of our mission is to inform and prepare the national security leaders of today and tomorrow." Its website indicates a preoccupation with U.S. contention with Russia and China. A section titled "A New American Way of War," says, "The 2018 National Defense Strategy [NDS] rightly focuses on competing with, deterring and, if necessary, defeating Chinese and Russian aggression. This stark break from a post-Cold War era focused on regional and irregular threats requires a wholesale rethinking of how the U.S. military fights wars.
"A New American Way of War begins where the nascent ideas of the NDS leave off to develop new warfighting approaches, operational concepts, and associated force structure requirements." Biden's Pentagon Transition Team The full list of Biden's Pentagon transition team is:
- Susanna Blume of CNAS, who served as deputy chief of staff for programs and plans under Bob Work
- Sharon Burke of the New America think tank, a former assistant secretary of defense for operational energy
- Lisa Coe of OtherSide Consulting, a defence industry consultant
- Melissa Dalton of the CSIS, who has held a number of jobs in the Pentagon
- John Estrada, a Marine Corps veteran who was appointed as ambassador to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago towards the end of the Obama administration
- Victor Garcia of Rebellion Defense, a former director of engineering for the U.S. Digital Service
- Karen Gibson, a retired Army lieutenant general who retired in March as deputy director of National Intelligence for National Security Partnerships
- Michelle Howard, a retired four-star admiral who became the first woman to serve as vice chief of staff for any military branch - Andrew Hunter of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a well-known acquisition expert
- Mike McCord of the Stennis Center for Public Service, a former DoD comptroller during the Obama administration
- Farooq Mitha, who served as special assistant to the director of the Department of Defense Office of Small Business Programs under Obama and as a senior advisor on Muslim American engagement for the Biden campaign
- Frank Mora for Florida International University, a former deputy assistant secretary of defence for the Western Hemisphere under Obama - Michael Negron, a Navy vet with ties to former Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel who is currently assistant director at the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to the state of Illinois - Stacie Pettyjohn of the RAND Corporation, an expert in wargaming who works on strategy and doctrine issues
- Ely Ratner of the Center for a New American Security, Biden's deputy national security adviser during the Obama administration
- Deborah Rosenblum of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a nuclear expert who has been part of negotiations with North Korea
- Lisa Sawyer of JPMorgan Chase, who worked a number of jobs at both the Pentagon and National Security Council
- Shawn Skelly of CACI International, a Navy vet, former commissioner on the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service and vice-president of the Out in National Security group
- Terri Tanielian of the RAND Corporation, who focuses on military and veteran health issues - Veronica Valdez, a former special assistant to both Navy and Air Force leadership, currently with the Port of Seattle
- Debra Wada, a former assistant secretary of the Army (Manpower & Reserve Affairs) and longtime House Armed Services Committee staffer.
Voice of Revolution is a publication of the U.S. Marxist-Leninist Organization.
(TML Weekly Supplement, November 21, 2020 - No. 45)
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