Travis Sharp
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR AND MILITARY POLICY ANALYST
202-546-0795 ext. 2105
tsharp AT armscontrolcenter DOT org
Travis Sharp is the Communications Director and Military Policy Analyst at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation where he directs print, TV, internet, and radio communications strategy and performs policy work on national security spending and military policy. He originally came to the Center in 2006 as a Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellow.
Prior to joining the Center, Sharp worked on a congressional campaign in California and at the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office.
Sharp has published articles on defense policy in scholarly journals, internet magazines, and local newspapers. He has appeared on or been quoted in the New York Times, Boston Globe, Agence France-Presse, McClatchy, Defense News, Defense Daily, Global Security Newswire, Reason Magazine, CNN International, Al Jazeera, and the Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.
Sharp holds a B.A. in History and Politics, with minors in African Studies and Humanities, from the University of San Francisco.
SHARP IN THE NEWS
Travis Sharp Quoted on Missile Defense in Defense News
On June 29, Travis Sharp, a military policy analyst at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, said "The House and Senate both supported Secretary Gates and the administration's efforts to reform missile defense and pare back programs that were considered the most experimental" and least likely to be effective in the near-term.
Travis Sharp Quoted on START in CQ Weekly
On June 28, Travis Sharp, a military policy analyst at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation who closely follows the issue, says that at the moment, Obama can be confident of nothing beyond unified support for START ratification from his side of the aisle -- meaning the 57 Democrats, the pair of independents who caucus with them and, perhaps sometime this summer, the arrival of another Democratic vote if Minnesota's contested Senate election formally ends in favor of Al Franken.
Travis Sharp Quoted on Defense Spending on ForeignPolicy.com Blog
On June 8, Travis Sharp noted for FP that "governments around the world are throwing billions into the one sector of their economies that will probably do the least good for the world: their military-industrial complexes." Today's announcement from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) confirms the trend.
RECENT WEB ARTICLES BY SHARP
Jun 24, 2009 House Armed Services Committee Action on the FY 2010 Defense Authorization Bill (H.R. 2647)
The House Armed Services Committee completed its markup of the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Authorization bill (HR 2647) on June 17, 2009. The marked-up bill recommends an overall FY 2010 authorization level of $680.5 billion, which includes $130 billion for ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and $550.5 billion for the Pentagon and nuclear weapons activities.
Jun 23, 2009 U.S. Foreign Policy toward Iran in the Obama Era
Though burdened with political constraints on its freedom of action, the Obama administration already has made overtures to Iran that may appear merely symbolic but have historically proven successful at breaking the ice in preparation for larger diplomatic initiatives. In this new policy brief, Travis Sharp argues that there are reasons to be guardedly optimistic about the future of U.S.-Iranian bilateral relations.
May 15, 2009 President Obama’s First Budget Shortchanges Nunn-Lugar
With critical security upgrades still incomplete and the Russian nuclear infrastructure becoming more dilapidated, now is not the time to reduce funding for the Nunn-Lugar nonproliferation program. Yet that is exactly what President Obama proposed in his fiscal year 2010 budget.
Apr 30, 2009 Analysis of S. 454: The Levin-McCain Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act
The Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009 (S. 454), introduced by Senators Carl Levin (D-MI) and John McCain (R-AZ), has quickly become the legislative vehicle of choice for repairing the Pentagon’s weapons-buying process. For all of its merits – and there are many – the Levin-McCain bill is still riddled with loopholes and waivers. Lawmakers should work to strengthen the bill as it winds it way through Capitol Hill this year.
Apr 13, 2009 Foreign Policy Association Interviews Travis Sharp on U.S. Defense Spending
On April 10, Travis Sharp was interviewed about U.S. defense spending by the Foreign Policy Association's Rising Powers blog. Read the interview here.
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