Congressional Research Service Reports - 3,025 Matching Results
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- Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response
- This report discusses the ongoing conflict in Syria and U.S. policy regarding the conflict and potential resolutions. It includes information on the recent U.S., French, and British joint missile strike in response to the the use of chemical weapons in Douma, Syria by Syrian government forces.
- Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies
- This report discusses Iran's foreign and defense policy and the reasoning behind it, as well as U.S. concerns regarding their power and nuclear weapon capability.
- Defense Primer: Department of the Navy
- This report provides basic information on the Department of the Navy, which includes both the Navy and the Marine Corps. It also describes the Coast Guard's relationship to the Department.
- Toward the Creation of a U.S. "Space Force"
- This report discusses the possibility of a new military service branch -- the Space Force -- with the goal of asserting "American dominance in space."
- Defense Primer: Geography, Strategy, and U.S. Force Design
- This report describes how world geography influences U.S. military strategy. Of particular importance to U.S. policymakers is preventing the emergence of a regional hegemony in one part of Eurasia or another.
- The War in Yemen: A Compilation of Legislation in the 115th Congress
- This report provides a summary of all legislative proposals that the 115th Congress has considered to date regarding the conflict in Yemen. Proposed stand-alone legislation, resolutions, and amendments to wider bills [National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 2810; P.L. 115-91) and Defense appropriations (H.R. 3219/Division I, H.R. 3354)] reflect a range of congressional perspectives and priorities.
- Defense Primer: Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
- This report discusses the role of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and how the position fits into the organizational structure of the Defense Department.
- North Korea's Nuclear and Ballistic Missile Programs
- This report discusses the rapid advancements North Korea has made in its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs since 2012. Despite the absence of any missile launch activity or nuclear tests in 2018 to date, previous tests and official North Korean statements suggest that North Korea is striving to build a credible regional nuclear warfighting capability that might evade regional ballistic missile defenses. Such an approach likely reinforces their deterrent and coercive diplomacy strategy--lending more credibility as it demonstrates capability--but it also raises serious questions about crisis stability and escalation control. Congress may further examine these advances' possible effects on U.S. policy.
- Military Child Development Program: Background and Issues
- This report traces the development of DOD-sponsored childcare services and discusses these issues in greater depth in order to support Members of Congress in their oversight role. The next section gives an overview of DOD's justification for the CDP program and demand for services. Next is a discussion of current CDP components, policies, and funding. This is followed by the legislative history of DOD-sponsored childcare in the military. The final section discusses issues and options for Congress related to oversight and funding of military childcare programs.
- Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI)
- This report looks at the background and current status of the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), which was formed to increase international cooperation in interdicting shipments of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
- China's Actions in South and East China Seas: Implications for U.S. Interests--Background and Issues for Congress
- This report provides background information and issues for Congress regarding China's actions in the South China Sea (SCS) and East China Sea (ECS), with a focus on implications for U.S. strategic and policy interests. Other CRS reports focus on other aspects of maritime territorial disputes involving China.
- China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities--Background and Issues for Congress
- This report provides background information and issues for Congress on China's naval modernization effort and its implications for U.S. Navy capabilities. The question of how the United States should respond to China's military modernization effort, including its naval modernization effort, is a key issue in U.S. defense planning and budgeting. Many U.S. military programs for countering improving Chinese military forces (particularly its naval forces) fall within the U.S. Navy's budget.
- Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies
- This report discusses Iran's foreign and defense policy and the reasoning behind it, as well as U.S. concerns regarding their power and nuclear weapon capability.
- A Shift in the International Security Environment: Potential Implications for Defense--Issues for Congress
- This report focuses on defense-related issues and does not discuss potential implications of a shift in the international security environment for other policy areas, such as foreign policy and diplomacy, trade and finance, energy, and foreign assistance.
- Defense Primer: RDT&E
- This report describes the appropriations structure and funding levels for the U.S. Department of Defense's (DOD's) research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E). The DOD relies on scientific and technical research funded by the department and performed by industry, universities, federal laboratories, and others; the DOD also relies on technology developed by the private sector for commercial markets.
- Questions Remain, Litigation Continues, over Military Service by Transgender Individuals
- This report discusses the controversy regarding transgender individuals serving in the military, President Trump's memorandums on the subject, and the four lawsuits challenging the President's memorandums.
- Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress
- This report presents background information and issues for Congress concerning the U.S. Navy's force structure and shipbuilding plans. The current and planned size and composition of the Navy, the rate of Navy ship procurement, and the prospective affordability of the Navy's shipbuilding plans have been oversight matters for the congressional defense committees for many years.
- Coast Guard Cutter Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress
- This report provides background information and potential oversight issues for Congress on the Coast Guard's programs for procuring 8 National Security Cutters (NSCs), 25 Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPCs), and 58 Fast Response Cutters (FRCs). The Coast Guard's proposed FY2019 budget requests a total of $705 million in acquisition funding for the NSC, OPC, and FRC programs.
- China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities--Background and Issues for Congress
- This report provides background information and issues for Congress on China's naval modernization effort and its implications for U.S. Navy capabilities. The question of how the United States should respond to China's military modernization effort, including its naval modernization effort, is a key issue in U.S. defense planning and budgeting. Many U.S. military programs for countering improving Chinese military forces (particularly its naval forces) fall within the U.S. Navy's budget.
- United States Special Operations Command Acquisition Authorities
- This report describes United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) acquisition authorities for unclassified acquisition programs and compares these authorities to those granted to the military departments. It also compares the military departments' and SOCOM's chains of command, describes the scope of acquisition activity and program oversight, and explores whether SOCOM has unique characteristics that influence how it conducts acquisition.
- Withdrawal from International Agreements: Legal Framework, the Paris Agreement, and the Iran Nuclear Agreement
- This report outlines the legal framework for withdrawal from international agreements under domestic and international law, and it examines legal issues related to the potential termination of two agreements that may be of significance to the 115th Congress: the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) related to Iran's nuclear program.
- U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress
- This report discusses Special Operations Forces (SOF), which play a significant role in U.S. military operations and, in recent years, have been given greater responsibility for planning and conducting worldwide counterterrorism operations.
- Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons
- This report provides basic information about U.S. and Russian nonstrategic nuclear weapons. It begins with a brief discussion of how these weapons have appeared in public debates in the past few decades, then summarizes the differences between strategic and nonstrategic nuclear weapons. It then provides some historical background, describing the numbers and types of nonstrategic nuclear weapons deployed by both nations during the Cold War and in the past decade; the policies that guided the deployment and prospective use of these weapons; measures that the two sides have taken to reduce and contain their forces, and the 2018 NPR's recommendation for the deployment of new U.S. nonstrategic nuclear weapons. The report reviews the issues that have been raised with regard to U.S. and Russian nonstrategic nuclear weapons, and summarizes a number of policy options that might be explored by Congress, the United States, Russia, and other nations to address these issues.
- The War in Yemen: A Compilation of Legislation in the 115th Congress
- This report provides a summary of all legislative proposals that the 115th Congress has considered to date regarding the conflict in Yemen. Proposed stand-alone legislation, resolutions, and amendments to wider bills [National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 2810; P.L. 115-91) and Defense appropriations (H.R. 3219/Division I, H.R. 3354)] reflect a range of congressional perspectives and priorities. This product will be updated during the second session of the 115th Congress to reflect new legislative proposals.
- The 2018 National Defense Strategy
- This report discusses the 2018 National Defense Strategy which lays out the goals and methods of the Defense Department for the year.
- Defense Primer: Military Retirement
- This report provides a brief overview and guide to military retirement plans and funding methods.
- Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response
- This report discusses the ongoing conflict in Syria and U.S. policy regarding the conflict and potential resolutions. It includes information on the recent U.S., French, and British joint missile strike in response to the the use of chemical weapons in Douma, Syria by Syrian government forces.
- Transatlantic Perspectives on Defense Innovation: Issues for Congress
- This report discusses defense innovation and technology research and development in the American, British, French, and German military and ways to use implement such innovations into NATO forces.
- China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities: Background and Issues for Congress
- This report provides background information and issues for Congress on China's naval modernization effort and its implications for U.S. Navy capabilities. For an overview of the strategic and budgetary context in which China's naval modernization effort and its implications for U.S. Navy capabilities may be considered, see Appendix A.
- Army Futures Command
- This report discusses the Army Futures Command, a proposed central command focused on Army modernization efforts.
- Defense Primer: Future Years Defense Program (FYDP)
- This report discusses the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP) and its purpose and organization.
- Cluster Munitions: Background and Issues for Congress
- This report discusses cluster munitions and their use and dangers. U.S. policy regarding them is discussed including the November 2017 rule issued by the DOD which relaxed standards for cluster munitions to allow the use of munitions that did not gave a 1% or less unexploded submunitions rate in extreme war situations reversing a 2008 rule.
- Al Qaeda and U.S. Policy: Middle East and Africa
- This report examines the threat posed by Al Qaeda affiliates in the Middle East and Africa as described by U.S. officials and outside observers, as well as the U.S. approach to date in responding to these threats.
- China-U.S. Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities-Background and Issues for Congress
- This report provides background information and issues for Congress on China's naval modernization effort and its implications for U.S. Navy capabilities. For an overview of the strategic and budgetary context in which China's naval modernization effort and its implications for U.S. Navy capabilities may be considered, see Appendix A.
- Joint-Resolution Seeks to End U.S. Support for Saudi-led Coalition Military Operations in Yemen
- This report discusses Senate Joint Resolution 54 which directs the President to remove U.S. forces from "hostilities in or affecting" Yemen (except for those U.S. forces engaged in counterterrorism operations directed at al Qaeda or associated forces). It provides a brief overview of U.S. involvement in Yemen both militarily and diplomatically through advisement of Saudi Arabia on reducing civilian casulaties and refueling of Saudi planes used in airstrikes.
- A Shift in the International Security Environment: Potential Implications for Defense-Issues for Congress
- This report discusses the changing international security environment and how the new realities should effect U.S. defense spending and strategy.
- Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies
- This report discusses Iran's foreign and defense policy and the reasoning behind it, as well as U.S. concerns regarding their power and nuclear weapon capability.
- Defense Primer: Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
- This report discusses the role of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and how the position fits into the organizational structure of the Defense Department.
- Artificial Intelligence and National Security
- This report discuses research and development of artificial intelligence (AI) applications for the military, their potential uses, and the programs of competing nations such as China and Russia.
- Possible U.S. Policy Approaches to North Korea
- This report describes President Trump's current policy toward North Korea and possible options for future U.S. policy. Options include diplomatic engagement, international and U.S. sanction increases, military strikes, destabilization of the North Korean government through intelligence activities and popular resentment, enhanced military cooperation with allies, and additional funding for preventing arms trading and related trade with North Korea.
- The North Korean Nuclear Challenge: Military Options and Issues for Congress
- This report discusses the North Korean nuclear threat and possible military options the U.S. could use to reduce or eliminate the threat. The report begins with a brief overview of the situation, nuclear capabilities of North Korea, and effects military action would have on the region and its stability. Seven military related options are discussed along with possible issues of interest to Congress.
- Australia
- This report discusses Australia's strategic alliance with the United States and their economic ties with China and ways these two interests may conflict. Relations between the U.S. and Australia and recent tensions between U.S. President Trump and Australian President Turnbull are also discussed.
- Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Issues
- This report provides a brief synopsis of selected sections in the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2018 (H.R. 2810), as passed by the House on July 14, 2017, and the Senate on September 18, 2017. The FY2018 NDAA Conference report was passed by the House on November 14, 2017, and the Senate on November 16, 2017. Issues include military endstrengths, pay and benefits, and other personnel policy issues.
- Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies
- This report discusses Iran's foreign and defense policies and their motivations. Policies in each area of the world and their nuclear programs are discussed.
- Kuwait: Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy
- This report describes Kuwait's political and governmental structure, economy, relations with the U.S. especially in the area of defense, regional policies, and human rights issues.
- China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities: Background and Issues for Congress
- This report provides background information and issues for Congress on China's naval modernization effort and its implications for U.S. Navy capabilities. The question of how the United States should respond to China's military modernization effort, including its naval modernization effort, is a key issue in U.S. defense planning and budgeting. Many U.S. military programs for countering improving Chinese military forces (particularly its naval forces) fall within the U.S. Navy's budget. The issue for Congress is how the U.S. Navy should respond to China's military modernization effort, particularly its naval modernization effort. Decisions that Congress reaches on this issue could affect U.S. Navy capabilities and funding requirements and the U.S. defense industrial base. For an overview of the strategic and budgetary context in which China's naval modernization effort and its implications for U.S. Navy capabilities may be considered, see Appendix A.
- A Shift in the International Security Environment: Potential Implications for Defense-Issues for Congress
- This report discusses the changing international security environment and how the new realities should effect U.S. defense spending and strategy.
- Lebanon
- This report provides an overview of Lebanon and current issues of U.S. interest. It provides background information, analyzes recent developments and key policy debates, and tracks legislation, U.S. assistance, and recent congressional action. Topics discussed include politics, security challenges, Hezbollah and its wars and power, economic issues, and refugees in Lebanon from Syria.
- Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies
- This report gives a overview of Iran's defense policies and programs and foreign policy. Regions covered are the Near East, South and Central Asia,Russia, Europe, East Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the United States. Iran's nuclear programs and security issues are also discussed.
- Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy
- This report discusses Afghanistan's government and political structure, ongoing security and defense issues, U.S. assistance to the Afghan military, U.S. humanitarian and economic aid, human rights issues, regional relations, and economic development.