Publications

The fiscal year 2026 Defense Department budget request, supplemented by reconciliation, would restore the upward drift in defense spending that has persisted for a decade as U.S.–China military competition has intensified. By following that pattern, the budget may appear to be on a well-grooved course. In actuality, it is an unstable equilibrium among contending ideas and factions within President Donald Trump’s governing coalition.

Over the past decade, Australia’s strategic situation has gotten worse due to Beijing’s expanding ambitions and the growth of Chinese military power to back them up.

In Indo-Pacific Stronghold: Northern Australia’s Role in the Australia-U.S. Alliance, CSBA’s President and CEO, Thomas G. Mahnken, argues that Australia is located in a geographic sweet spot. It is far enough from China to avoid having to face the volume of missile fires that confront Taiwan and Japan while being close enough to the scene of potential conflicts, such as Taiwan and the South China Sea, to be operationally relevant.

On June 25, 2025, CSBA President and CEO, Dr. Thomas Mahnken, testified before the Select Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives to discuss the ongoing competition between the United States and the People's Republic of China in the field of artificial intelligence. 

A protracted war between the United States and China would create immense demands for munitions, requiring production to be grown far beyond surge capacity. These demands have led to calls for the United States to mobilize its defense industry and rapidly expand munitions production, with policymakers and commentators hearkening back to the nation’s role as the “Arsenal of Democracy” in World War II. What would industrial mobilization look like in the 21st century, and how can the Department of Defense prepare for expanded production requirements?

In 2023, the Air Force unveiled plans to acquire a fleet of autonomous unmanned collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) that would fly under the custody of manned aircraft pilots as loyal wingmen. The Air Force has stressed the CCA’s broad usefulness across diverse missions, including forward sensing, air-to-air attack, and electronic warfare. Despite this emphasis, the fact remains that tradeoffs must be made for any aircraft to excel at a given mission. The CCA is no exception.

In 2023, the Air Force unveiled plans to acquire a fleet of autonomous unmanned collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) that would fly under the custody of manned aircraft pilots as loyal wingmen and perform forward sensing, air-to-air attack, and electronic warfare. Moving the CCA from promise to reality will require difficult work stretching far into the future. To succeed, the Air Force must start with an honest accounting of what is required and where things stand.