The purpose of the report is to provide the way and the means by which out military will advance out enduring national interest as articulated in the 2010 National Security Strategy and to accomplish the defense objectives in the 2012 Quadrennial Defense Review. The Goldwater-Nichols Reorganization Act of 1986 charges the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with the Responsibility of assisting the President and the Secretary of Defense in providing strategic direction for the Armed Forces. In consultation with the geographic and finctional Combatant Commanders and the Joint Chiefs of Staff,...

The participating U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Federal oversight agencies, which comprise the Southwest Asia Joint Planning Group, are pleased to present the Fiscal Year 2015 Comprehensive Oversight Plan for Southwest Asia (FY 2015 COPSWA). This annual plan reflects essential interagency collaboration within the oversight community to provide comprehensive reviews of contingency expenditures, to identify whether critical oversight gaps exist, and to recommend actions to address those gaps. The FY 2015 COPSWA incorporates the planned and ongoing oversight by the Inspectors General of...

The conflict in Afghanistan has shifted into a fundamentally new phase. For the past 11 years, the United States and our coalition partners have led the fight against the Taliban, but now Afghan forces are conducting almost all combat operations. The progress made by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)-led surge over the past three years has put the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) firmly in control of all of Afghanistan's major cities and 34 provincial capitals and driven the insurgency into the countryside. ISAF's primary focus has largely...

Afghan security forces are now successfully providing security for their own people, fighting their own battles, and holding the gains made by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the last decade. This is a fundamental shift in the course of the conflict. The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) have seen their capabilities expand rapidly since 2009, while insurgent territorial influence and kinetic capabilities have remained static. During the 2012 fighting season, ISAF led the fight against the insurgency, helping to put the Government of the Islamic Republic of...

The United States has played a leading role in transforming the international system over the past sixty-five years. Working with like-minded nations, the Untied States has created a safer, more stable, and more prosperous world for the American people, our allies, and our partners around the globe more existed prior to World War II.

The Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) guidebook is a company-level reference tool for company commanders and Soldiers, Department of the Army (DA) Civilians, and Family members to use in sexual harassment and sexual assault prevention and response efforts. This guidebook consolidates current Army and DoD policy and recently published directives pertaining to the SHARP program. It does not supersede, rescind, or amend any published policy of the Department. Roles, responsibilities, and process steps are laid out to assist in handling sexual harassment complaints and...

Interview: Honorable Ambassador John Gunther Dean's Perspectives of Lebanon

The Defense Science Board Task Force on Assessment of Nuclear Treaty Monitoring and Verification Technologies was established to examine a broad range of questions concerning the capability of the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Intelligence Community (IC) to support future monitoring and verification of nuclear nonproliferation and arms control treaties. The Terms of Reference (TOR) for the study, found in Appendix B, state the tasking.

Unmanned systems continue to deliver new and enhanced battlefield capabilities to the warfighter. While the demand for unmanned systems continues unabated today, a number of factors will influence unmanned program development in the future. Three primary forces are driving the Department of Defense's (DoD) approach in planning for and developing unmanned systems. 1. Combat operations in Southwest Asia have demonstrated the military utility of unmanned systems on today's battlefields and have resulted in the expeditious integration of unmanned technologies into the joint force structure....