Latest news with #JenniferKavanagh
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Trump Narrows Fed Search Ahead of Putin Meeting
On the early edition of Balance of Power, Bloomberg Washington Correspondent Joe Mathieu discusses President Donald Trump continuing his search for a new Fed Chairman ahead of his metting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. On today's show, Defense Priorities Senior Fellow Jennifer Kavanagh, Bully Pulpit International Managing Director Adam Hodge, Former RNC Communications Director Lisa Camooso Miller, and Representative Troy Downing (R-MT). (Source: Bloomberg)
Channel 4
2 days ago
- Politics
- Channel 4
‘Compromising Ukraine is not something Trump wants'
We spoke to Jennifer Kavanagh, who is Director of Military Analysis at Defense Priorities, about the upcoming Trump-Putin summit.
Korea Herald
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
US think tank proposes slashing USFK troop level to about 10,000 from 28,500
A US think tank recommended a reduction of the US Forces Korea troop level to about 10,000 from the current 28,500 in a report released Wednesday, amid speculation that the Pentagon might weigh the idea of a troop drawdown on the Korean Peninsula to prioritize deterring Chinese threats. Defense Priorities, a Washington-based institution, released the report, titled "Aligning global military posture with US interests," saying that the US troop presence should be reduced even further if Seoul limits the US ability to use USFK assets to address other regional security crises outside the peninsula. The report was written by Jennifer Kavanagh, senior fellow and director of military analysis at the think tank, and Dan Caldwell, a former senior adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The think tank recommended cutting all ground combat units not tied to base security from South Korea, along with Army signal, intelligence, and headquarters units, and some of their associated support and sustainment units -- a reduction that would remove most of the 2nd Infantry Division from Korea, including the rotational brigade combat team and Army combat aviation units. It also said that the US should cut airpower based in Korea, moving two fighter squadrons from US bases in South Korea back to the US and that about a third of air maintenance and other support units and personnel can also be returned stateside. "In total, this would reduce the total US military presence in South Korea by more than 50 percent, leaving about 10,000 personnel along with two fighter squadrons (including a larger super squadron) and support forces," the report said. "The ground personnel left would be primarily for support, sustainment, logistics, and maintenance, leaving the responsibility for combat operations in the event of any crisis on the peninsula to South Korean forces." The think tank called for the troop reduction, arguing that Seoul has not offered the US "unrestricted contingency access" to use its bases for operations elsewhere in the theater during a conflict. "(US) forces left in South Korea might be sidelined in the event of a regional war," the report noted. In May, The Wall Street Journal reported that the US is weighing the idea of pulling out roughly 4,500 troops from South Korea and moving them to other locations in the Indo-Pacific, including Guam. The Pentagon dismissed the report as "not true," reaffirming that America remains "fully" committed to the defense of South Korea. Making the recommendation for a troop reduction, the authors said that the US military posture in East Asia should be realigned to focus on balancing Chinese power and protecting US interests, while calling for moving US forces away from the Chinese coast and shifting more frontline defense responsibilities to allies, including Japan and the Philippines. They also underscored the need to focus a US global military posture review on four priorities: defending the homeland, preventing the rise of a rival regional hegemon in key areas, burden shifting to allies and partners, and protecting US economic security. Kavanagh, one of the authors, told Yonhap News Agency that the report has been shared widely in Washington, and the authors hope to discuss it with Trump administration officials. Last month, Ambassador Matthew Whitaker, US permanent representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, said that the US' global force posture review is expected to be completed in late summer or early fall. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby is expected to play a key role in reshaping the US force posture and missions. During an interview with Yonhap News Agency in May last year, Colby advocated for an adjustment of USFK's role to focus more on threats from China rather than "being held hostage" to countering North Korean challenges. He also stressed the need for South Korea to undertake "overwhelming" responsibility for its own defense, while saying that if the US gets heavily involved in a war with North Korea, it would be a "perfect distraction" when America should prioritize countering Chinese threats. (Yonhap)
Washington Post
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Bring U.S. troops home from the Middle East
Dan Caldwell is a former senior adviser at the Defense Department and a veteran of the Iraq War. Jennifer Kavanagh is a senior fellow and director of military analysis at Defense Priorities. On June 21, B-2 bombers launched from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri flew 37 hours round trip to attack Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow and Natanz, while 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from a submarine in the Persian Gulf at Natanz and Isfahan. These strikes were supported by dozens of aerial refuelers, reconnaissance aircraft and fighter jets that escorted the bombers into Iran.
Nikkei Asia
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Nikkei Asia
Trump's impulsive Iran strike casts doubt over US commitment to Asia
An Air Force B-2 stealth bomber returns after the U.S. attacked key Iranian nuclear sites, at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, U.S., on June 22, 2025. © Reuters Jennifer Kavanagh is a senior fellow and director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, a foreign policy think tank based in Washington. "Now is the time for peace," U.S. President Donald Trump declared after authorizing U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities at Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. Unfortunately, what happens next is something even he cannot predict or control. Instead, by opting to use military force against Iran, Trump has sacrificed his own diplomatic leverage, made Americans less safe, and put his second-term foreign policy priorities -- including peace in Ukraine and a renewed U.S. focus on Asia -- at risk.
