August 31, 2023
Again and again, American taxpayers are asked to open their wallets and pay for a national security machine that costs $1 trillion operate. Yet time and time again, the US government gets it wrong on critical issues. So what can be done? Age of Danger looks at the major challenges facing America—from superpowers like Russia and China to emerging threats like pandemics, cybersecurity, climate change, and drones—and reimagines the national security apparatus into something that can truly keep Americans safe. Weaving together expert analysis with exclusive interviews from a new generation of national security leaders, Shanker and Hoehn argue that the United States must create an industrial-grade, life-saving machine out of a system that, for too long, was focused only on deterring adversaries and carrying out global military operations. It is a timely and crucial call to action—a call that if heeded, could save Americans lives, money, and our very future on the global stage.
Andrew Hoehn is senior vice president and director of research at the RAND Corporation. He is the former deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy where he was responsible for developing and implementing US force planning and assessments in addition to long-range policy planning.
Thom Shanker is director of the Project for Media and National Security at George Washington University, a position he took after a nearly quarter-century career with The New York Times, including 13 years as Pentagon correspondent covering the Department of Defense, overseas combat operations and national security policy. He later served as Deputy Washington Editor, overseeing coverage of the military, diplomacy and veterans affairs.