Melanie, Chris, and Zack debate the National Defense Strategy — at least the unclassified details that are currently available. Does the professed strategy align with the budget? What, if anything, appears to be new and different in the Biden team’s approach? And what does it say that strategy documents are being rewritten but budget decisions have already been made? Chris laments student loan forgiveness. Melanie thanks some departed leaders. And Zack congratulates academics heading into government service.

Episode Reading:

• Fact Sheet: 2022 National Defense Strategy.
• “Defense Budget Overview,” Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer, March 2022.
• “FY 2023 President’s Budget Highlights,” U.S. Army, April 2022.
• “Department of the Navy FY 2023 President’s Budget,” U.S. Navy.
• “Report to Congress on the Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels for Fiscal Year 2023,” Office of the Secretary of the Navy, April 2022.
• “Department of the Air Force FY 2023 Budget Overview,” U.S. Air Force and Space Force.
• “Joint Concept for Integrated Campaigning,” Joint Staff, March 16, 2018
• Giulia Heyward, “Texas National Guard Releases Name of Mission Soldier,” New York Times, April 24, 2022.
• Katrin Bennhold, “The Former Chancellor Who Became Putin’s Man in Germany,” New York Times, April 23, 2022.
• Mara Karlin and Christopher Skaluba, “Strategic Guidance for Countering the Proliferation of Strategic Guidance,” War on the Rocks, July 20, 2017.
• Warren urges Biden to cancel student loan debt ahead of midterms (msn.com)

Image: Air Force Staff Sgt. Brittany Chase, Defense Dept.