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Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response

Description: 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.
Date: September 21, 2018
Creator: Humud, Carla E.; Nikitin, Mary Beth D. & Blanchard, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies

Description: 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.
Date: September 25, 2018
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense Primer: Department of the Navy

Description: 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.
Date: August 6, 2018
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Toward the Creation of a U.S. "Space Force"

Description: This report discusses the possibility of a new military service branch -- the Space Force -- with the goal of asserting "American dominance in space."
Date: August 16, 2018
Creator: Hildreth, Steven A.; Elsea, Jennifer K.; Kapp, Lawrence & McInnis, Kathleen J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense Primer: Geography, Strategy, and U.S. Force Design

Description: 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.
Date: August 6, 2018
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The War in Yemen: A Compilation of Legislation in the 115th Congress

Description: 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.
Date: August 13, 2018
Creator: Sharp, Jeremy M. & Blanchard, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense Primer: Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering

Description: 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.
Date: July 27, 2018
Creator: Gallo, Marcy E. & Schwartz, Moshe
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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North Korea's Nuclear and Ballistic Missile Programs

Description: 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 strat… more
Date: August 2, 2018
Creator: Hildreth, Steven A. & Nikitin, Mary Beth D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Military Child Development Program: Background and Issues

Description: 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 Congre… more
Date: August 10, 2018
Creator: Kamarck, Kristy N.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI)

Description: 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).
Date: August 9, 2018
Creator: Nikitin, Mary Beth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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China's Actions in South and East China Seas: Implications for U.S. Interests--Background and Issues for Congress

Description: 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.
Date: August 1, 2018
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities--Background and Issues for Congress

Description: 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.
Date: August 1, 2018
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies

Description: 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.
Date: July 18, 2018
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Defense Primer: RDT&E

Description: 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.
Date: June 27, 2018
Creator: Sargent, John F., Jr.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: 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.
Date: July 31, 2018
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Coast Guard Cutter Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: 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.
Date: July 6, 2018
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities--Background and Issues for Congress

Description: 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.
Date: July 19, 2018
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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United States Special Operations Command Acquisition Authorities

Description: 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.
Date: July 9, 2018
Creator: Schwartz, Moshe & Purdy, Jason A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Withdrawal from International Agreements: Legal Framework, the Paris Agreement, and the Iran Nuclear Agreement

Description: 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.
Date: May 4, 2018
Creator: Mulligan, Stephen P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress

Description: 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.
Date: April 20, 2018
Creator: Feickert, Andrew
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons

Description: 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 dep… more
Date: February 13, 2018
Creator: Woolf, Amy F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The War in Yemen: A Compilation of Legislation in the 115th Congress

Description: 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 legis… more
Date: December 20, 2017
Creator: Sharp, Jeremy M. & Blanchard, Christopher M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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