Author Archive

Mackenzie Eaglen

Resident fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Mackenzie Eaglen
Mackenzie Eaglen is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where she works on defense strategy, defense budgets, and military readiness. She has also served as a staff member on the 2018 National Defense Strategy Commission, the 2014 National Defense Panel, and the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review Independent Panel. Prior to joining AEI she worked on defense issues in the House of Representatives, in the US Senate, and at the Pentagon in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and on the Joint Staff.
Ideas

Biden shouldn’t stick to a defense-budget deal the House will not honor

Instead, the president should take a page from his former boss’ playbook—and seek the money the military needs.

  • Todd Harrison and Mackenzie Eaglen
Ideas

The Pentagon Gets the Better Part of a Trillion Dollars a Year. Why Isn’t That Enough?

The budgeting process has calcified, with huge sums going to the priorities of yesteryear.

  • Mackenzie Eaglen
Ideas

Inflation Is the New Sequestration

Congress must shore up the Pentagon’s eroded buying power.

  • Dustin Walker and Mackenzie Eaglen
Ideas

Esper’s Reforms: An Interim Report Card

What progress has the defense secretary made on his ambitious goals to reorient the Defense Department?

  • Mackenzie Eaglen
Ideas

What If the Pentagon Skipped 5G?

The answer to the headaches and security risks of next-generation mobile communications just might be a technological leap past them.

  • Mackenzie Eaglen
Ideas

Top 5 Things to Watch in Congress' 2021 Defense Budget Hearings

On Wednesday, military and civilian leaders of the Defense Department will testify before Congress on their $705 billion budget request for 2021.

  • Mackenzie Eaglen
Ideas

Esper Is Attempting the Biggest Defense Reform in a Generation

In two recent memos, the SecDef reveals his intention to change how the Pentagon uses its money, people, and time.

  • Mackenzie Eaglen
Ideas

The Two Things Every Senior Pentagon Leader Is Worried About

Their top concerns don’t include the Mexican border, Iran, or even Syria.

  • Mackenzie Eaglen
Ideas

Keep It Secret: Congress Should Back Off the B-21 Program

Lawmakers' calls for more transparency and fixed-price contracts will only hurt an Air Force acquisition effort that is doing well so far.

  • Mackenzie Eaglen
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