U.S. Defense and the 2012 Presidential Election

The full video of this event can be viewed online at C-SPAN.org.

Following the Republican and Democratic national conventions, the fall electoral season kicks into high gear. Among the many issues being debated are those focused on U.S. defense: How would the presidential candidates shape America’s future armed forces? Where do they agree and where do they disagree? Which broader realities, both within their control and beyond it, will affect their decisions on these matters?

On September 10, the 21st Century Defense Initiative at Brookings hosted a discussion examining the defense plans of Governor Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama and, more generally, the prospects for the American military and the U.S. defense budget in 2013 and beyond. Panelists included Senior Fellow Michael O’Hanlon, director of research for Foreign Policy at Brookings; Brookings Guest Scholar Marvin Kalb; and Todd Harrison, senior fellow at the Center on Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. Senior Fellow Peter W. Singer, director of the 21st Century Defense Initiative, moderated the discussion.