CIAO DATE: 07/2010

Surprise is Inevitable; Vulnerability is Not: Improving the Defense Department's Readiness to Address Key Areas of Potential Surprise

June 2010

Center for Strategic and International Studies

Abstract

The Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) mission to protect the nation necessitates its leaders’ concern about the military’s readiness for a vast and expanding range of missions. These concerns are heightened in the midst of two ongoing campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan and within the context of a world that is increasingly complex. To their credit, DoD leaders continue to seek insight from both inside and outside the department about areas of potential vulnerability; this study is one such effort.

Resource link: Surprise is Inevitable; Vulnerability is Not: Improving the Defense Department's Readiness to Address Key Areas of Potential Surprise [PDF] - 1001K