Ideas
As Defense Markets Shift, It’s Time to Stiffen Anti-Corruption Rules for Middlemen
Third-party agents, who are crucial to arms makers’ sales efforts in the global south and east, are also relatively free to misbehave.
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And the War Came: A Call for Unity—Not to Arms—in My Hometown Orlando
A Pentagon reporter raised in Orlando returned to measure the distance from the battlefield to the homefront, and found something unexpected.
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Inside Obama's Syria Choices (A Guide for Dissenting Diplomats)
Here are six ways we in the administration could’ve approached Syria differently – and why we didn’t.
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Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Are Shaping the Future of the Middle East
The Guards, particularly the Quds Brigade, now numbering about 15,000, are in the forefront of projecting Iranian influence.
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Time to Move the 5th Fleet? How US Appeasement Is Undermining Bahrain's Stability
The government crackdowns that followed the Obama administration’s decision to lift an arms ban have only stirred up dissent.
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What the West Can Do about The Biggest Obstacle to Libyan Stability
The more Libya's foreign allies can weaken Gen. Khalifa Hifter, the more fighters will break away from him and join the new government.
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Need a New Security Clearance? Here Are 5 Things You Should Know
If you work for the government, you need to understand the process and the terminology.
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A Transatlantic Plan to Bolster Europe’s Cyber Defenses
The cyber world of the 21st century may soon look dangerously similar to the political world of the 19th.
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The West Must Respond to Russia´s Increasing Cyber Aggression
As Russian hackers take center stage in the pantheon of cyber adversaries, NATO needs to step up.
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‘Open Letter’ to Obama on Afghanistan Omits Key Questions
Staying the course won’t work if we don’t know where we’re going.
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Put the X-47B Back to Work — As a Tanker
Before the US Navy spends another billion dollars on prototype UAVs, it should wring more lessons from its existing fleet.
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Carter Proposes 'Huge' Pentagon Personnel System Overhaul
The defense secretary unveiled major proposals that would reform the military's 'up or out' promotion system and allow civilian recruiters to bypass the traditional federal hiring process.
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Gray Zone: Why We’re Losing the New Era of National Security
If the U.S.-led status quo is not be to further eroded, the White House and Pentagon must jumpstart efforts to recognize and counter hybrid techniques.
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It’s Time to Declare Our Independence from Russian Rockets
Attention, Congress: there are a range of alternatives to the RD-180, none of which run through Moscow.
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Revamp the International Officer Training Program Before Inviting Nations Like Myanmar
For 40 years, the U.S. program has helped strengthen ties with partner nations and their rising military stars. More can be done.
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Afghanistan Needs a Settlement, Not Another Troop-Withdrawal Deadline
The U.S. objective in Afghanistan is not to leave; it is to end the war on terms Americans and Afghans can live with.
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No More Cyber Maginot Lines: We Need to Hunt Down Hackers Before They Strike
This is the next frontier of cybersecurity.
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With UN Decision Looming, China, US Need Real Talks on South China Sea
China is expected to raise tensions this month if a Law of the Seas tribunal rules against their claims in the South China Sea. Time to start talking.
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What’s Missing as NATO Rearms Its Eastern Flank? Diplomacy
An arms buildup alone won’t keep the Baltics safe, but a parallel Cold War-style diplomatic track just might.
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