This latest study in the Brookings series on U.S. defense strategy and the defense budget reviews current American military capabilities and offers suggestions for the new administration and Congress. Michael OHanlon makes sense of the hot political topic of military readiness questions the continued relevance of the current twowar framework for structuring most conventional combat forces and challenges the wisdom of current plans for the procurement of advanced jet fighters helicopters and submarines. The book also focuses on missile defense other means of homeland defense the socalled revolution in military affairs and possible conflicts between Taiwan and China that could involve U.S. forces. Throughout the author looks for ways to close the gap between the cost of projected U.S. defense forces and the budget actually available to the Pentagon.