Three, two, one.

The world has turned dangerous.

Is the United States prepared to meet the new challenges it might face?

In this special series from the President's inbox,

we're bringing you conversations with Washington insiders

to assess whether the United States is ready for a new, more dangerous world.

How long could the United States fight if a major power war began tomorrow? Can the United States replenish its weapons stocks quickly, unreliably?

Can it supply its allies and partners in time of need?

During World War II, the United States was the arsenal of democracy, arming itself and

its allies to defeat Nazi Germany in Imperial Japan.

But since the Cold War ended, America's defense industrial base has atrophied while procurement

costs have ballooned.

The production of new weapons regularly runs behind schedule and over budget, even as the war

in Ukraine has shown

that sustained warfare can quickly deplete weapon stocks. Can America's defense industrial base be rebuilt,

or will doubts about Washington's ability to sustain its military force invite aggression?

From the Council on Foreign Relations, welcome to the president's inbox. I'm Jim Lindsay.

Joining me today is Kathleen Hicks, former Deputy Secretary of Defense, and a senior fellow

at Harvard Kennedy School's Belford Center and at John Hopkins University's Kissinger Center

for Global Affairs. Kath, thanks for joining me.

Yeah, Jim, it's a pleasure to be here. And I do want to just give the Chicago Council on

Global Affairs a shout out since I'm also a distinguished fellow there. Okay, sorry to have missed it.

...