Ideas
It’s Long Past Time to Rethink US Military Posture in the Gulf
The rift between Qatar and other Gulf nations should prompt a long-overdue review of what the Pentagon keeps in the region, and where.
Ideas
Improve Hawai’i’s Missile Defenses — Now
The islands need interceptor missiles to fend off possible attack from North Korea.
Ideas
What’s Left to Sanction in North Korea?
It’s already one of the most isolated countries in the world. Can further financial punishment really change its decisions?
Ideas
The Downsides of John Kelly's Ascension
The former Marine general is unlikely to succeed in his new job, even as his appointment contributes to the decay of American civil-military relations.
Ideas
Give Up on Denuclearizing North Korea
The question now is how to convince it not to use its weapons.
Ideas
The US Air Force Needs More Bombers Than It's Asking For
The only problem with the B-21 Raider acquisition strategy is that the minimum purchase should be 164 of the stealthy jets, not 100.
Ideas
US Cyber Diplomacy Has Bigger Problems Than the Closure of its Coordination Office
The Trump administration isn’t making it a foreign policy priority.
Ideas
The US Army’s Next Big 5 Must Be Capabilities, Not New Platforms
The service’s weapons are increasingly unsuited for tomorrow’s battlefields, but there’s too little time and money to start from scratch.
Ideas
Trump’s Ceasefire May Hand Russia the Keys to Southwestern Syria
The US must quickly send monitors to the ‘safe zones’ — or cede yet more regional influence to Moscow and Tehran.
Ideas
'Dunkirk' Should Remind Us What Wars Are Like (And That We’re Still Fighting Them)
After our veterans screened the movie's powerful and familiar portrayals of combat, we think Americans should be talking more about our endless presence in Afghanistan and the multi-front war against ISIS.
Ideas
If Trump Undermines the Iran Deal
A report suggests the president is looking for ways to get out of the accord. It says a lot about how he views the world.
Ideas
The End of American Support for Syrian Rebels Was Inevitable
Where the insurgency is concerned, Trump and Obama have plenty in common.
Ideas
The Myth of ISIS's Strategic Brilliance
The group has adapted to battlefield setbacks. But that doesn't mean it factored territorial losses into its master plan.
Ideas
Let the US Air Force Mature into the Space Force
Well-intentioned Congressional efforts to address problems risk trampling on existing solutions.
Ideas
Ukraine Is Losing Fewer Weapons to Theft, but High-Level Corruption Persists
A member of the Independent Defence Anti-Corruption Committee says the international community must leverage its security aid to force reforms.
Ideas
Is Russia Really with Assad in Syria?
Moscow appears to be preventing a total Assad victory in a bid to boost its international standing.
Ideas
The Summer of Misreading Thucydides
There’s a delicious irony in the Trump team’s affection for the historian—who repeatedly shows how populists lead societies to ruin.
Ideas
Don’t Enshrine A Russian Advantage In Surveillance Flights Over the US
Provisions in the House version of the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act would prevent the Pentagon from matching Russia’s advances in aerial photography.
Ideas
A Mercenary-Led Surge Won’t Solve Afghanistan
Private military contractors have spotted an opportunity as America’s longest war grinds on.
Ideas