The Center for Defense Information (CDI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in Washington, D.C. It specialized in analyzing and advising on military matters.[2]
| Abbreviation | CDI |
|---|---|
| Merged into | Project on Government Oversight |
| Formation | 1971; 53 years ago (1971) |
| Founder | Adm. Gene La Rocque, Adm. Eugene Carroll |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Director | Mandy Smithberger[1] |
| Website | www |
The Center for Defense Information was founded in 1971 by an independent group of retired military officers including Adm. Gene La Rocque and Adm. Eugene Carroll.[3]
In 2005, the Center for Defense Information expanded by creating the Straus Military Reform Project [3] for the purpose of promoting military reform in the Pentagon and Congress. Winslow T. Wheeler, a former Capitol Hill staffer and General Accounting Office assistant director, directs the Straus Military Reform Project at CDI. The Project was launched by a matching grant from Philip A. Straus Jr. Straus and his family have long supported activities at CDI and continue to be major supporters of the Project's endeavors.[4] In May 2012, CDI joined the Project on Government Oversight.[5]
After the 2008 United States elections, CDI released America’s Defense Meltdown: Pentagon Reform for President Obama and the New Congress, a collection of briefing papers by a dozen defense intellectuals and retired military officers. In 2010, CDI released a second anthology, The Pentagon Labyrinth: 10 Short Essays to Help You through It.[6] Since the mid-2000s, CDI has focused on the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II as what it says is the embodiment of the Pentagon's acquisition problems—being both unaffordable and a huge disappointment in performance.[citation needed]
Formerly, CDI operated under the umbrella of the World Security Institute. In 2012, the World Security Institute closed,[7] and CDI merged with the Project On Government Oversight (POGO).[8] In addition, POGO continued the publication of The Defense Monitor.[9]