Atlantic Council: Generals Jones and Major General Punaro discuss bureaucratic inefficiencies in the Department of Defense (event recap)
On Monday, October 18, the Scowcroft Center ’s Forward Defense (FD) practice hosted General James L. Jones, USMC (Ret.) and Major General Arnold Punaro, USMC (Ret.) for an event titled “Maximizing Military Power through Minimizing Bureaucratic Barriers.” General Jones and Major General Punaro joined the Washington Post’s Missy Ryan to discuss the problems posed by the increasing cost of maintaining and developing the US armed forces. This challenge is the topic of Major General Punaro’s insightful new book The Ever-Shrinking Fighting Force, which catalyzed the conversation. In line with FD’s mission to produce forward-looking analyses of the trends, technologies, and concepts that will define the future of warfare, this event explored how the Pentagon can tackle its looming budgetary woes.
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Atlantic Council Fred Kempe welcomed the audience and began by solemnly noting the passing of General Colin Powell. Mr. Kempe took a moment to remember him as one of America’s great soldiers and statesmen, remarking that he was lucky to count General Powell not only as an honorary director of the Atlantic Council, but also as a personal friend. Mr. Kempe then introduced Ms. Ryan, General Jones and Major General Punaro, who each noted how the topic of the day was one that General Powell worked on himself.
The conversation opened with a discussion of why Americans should be concerned with the Department of Defense’s declining return on investment. Major General Punaro remarked on how, now more than ever, it is important that the United States maintain a strong deterrent, characterizing the current strategic environment as “more dangerous and unstable than it has been since the Cold War” with respect to China’s global ambition. He went on to point out that the Department of Defense is “spending more money in constant dollars than at the peak of the Reagan build-up and yet the force is 50 percent smaller.”
