
Policy
Army Retention on Track, Even as Recruiting Struggles
Even the busiest of units are seeing high retention as Army programs seek to smooth out the stress of service life.
Ideas
China’s New Conscription Rules Reveal Concerns
New sections on wartime drafts, punishment, and physical fitness offer a glimpse into PLA leaders’ minds.
Defense Systems
A Decade-Old Cyber Policy Desperately Needs an Update, Group Says
The bipartisan Cyberspace Solarium Commission has recommendations for a new critical-infrastructure playbook.
Sponsor Content
Integrated PPBE Planning Is Necessary to Make JADC2 a Success
The PPBE planning process is foundational to JADC2, but there are significant roadblocks to making the joint mission a reality.
Threats
Navy Should Be ‘In the Way,’ But ‘Non-Provocative,’ CNO Says
Speaking less than a week after an “unsafe maritime interaction” with China in the Taiwan Strait, Adm. Mike Gilday said the U.S. wants “things to remain stable and predictable.”
Threats
To Escape Bullies, Military ‘Forced to Move’ Families with LGBTQ+ Kids
Harassment of children is "detracting from our readiness," says top Air Force manpower official, "because their school will do nothing when their LGBT kid is being bullied."
Sponsor Content
North America Executive Summary 2023 Ransomware Trends Report: Lessons Learned from 350 Cyber Attacks
Download the 2023 North America Executive Summary to learn from their experiences so you can make sure you are prepared.

Ideas
Who Should Be NATO’s Next Secretary General?
With profound challenges on the horizon, NATO needs a highly skilled leader to be its voice. Only candidates with international credibility and a track record of delivering for Ukraine need apply.
Business
GE Joins Lockheed in Lobbying for New Tanker Competition
Coalition turns up heat three months after USAF said they’d probably just buy Boeing.
Voices
Defense Systems
Army Follows Other Branches in Reorganizing IT Efforts
Expect a one-stop cyber shop as network-related programs move to new homes.
Defense Systems
Overheating F-35s May Get Service-Specific Cooling Upgrades, Likely Hiking Cost
The jets’ engines are running twice as hot as designed, boosting maintenance and capping performance.
Policy
Marines Will Restructure Infantry Battalions by September
The changes are informed by the service’s Infantry Battalion Experiment, part of Force Design 2030.
Ideas
We Argued About Admitting Ukraine to NATO in 2008. Now We Agree on It.
The authors—longtime senior U.S. and German national-security figures—describe how they concluded that alliance membership is a necessary step.
Threats
Army Seeks Bomb-Carrying Drones Like Ukraine’s
Average U.S. soldiers could pilot lethal quadcopters—if they are ever fielded.
Ideas
Defense One Radio, Ep. 126: Why Ukraine’s drone war is more complex than you think
We review the evolution of drone tactics in the second year of Russia’s Ukraine invasion.
Threats
USAF Calls Killer-AI Report ‘Anecdotal’
Chief of AI test and operations says he “misspoke” about a “thought experiment” in which a drone killed its operator.
Business
L3Harris Won't Attend the Paris Air Show
CEO says the company will choose to focus attention on the company’s operations.
Policy
Pentagon Buying Musk’s Starlink for Ukraine
SpaceX had donated 20,000 satellite terminals to Ukraine, but later said the service was “never intended to be weaponized.”
Policy