The Pentagon on Tuesday announced the appointment of 39 new members to the Defense Science Board, the top scientific advisory panel to the Defense Secretary and his senior leadership. The list includes Whitten Peters, former Air Force Secretary; John Deutch former deputy defense secretary; and retired Adm. William Fallon, former boss of US Central Command and US Pacific Command. They will join retired Air Force Gen. Lester Lyles and former Pentagon acquisition executive Paul Kaminski, who were named DSB vice chairmen and chairman, respectively, back in July. They will also join the 12 DSB senior fellows who include retired Gen Larry Welch, former Air Force Chief of Staff. (New DSB roster)
While U.S. defense officials have spent much of the past decade warning that China is the nation’s pacing threat and its People’s Liberation Army represents an urgent threat in the Indo-Pacific, several defense researchers are skeptical that the PLA has the human capital, the structural ability, or the political appetite…