Ideas

Lawmakers Should Listen to the Budget Hawks, Not the Defense Hawks

There are plenty of ways the Pentagon could spend its money more efficiently.

Ideas

How America’s Drones Can Defeat ISIS

Critics of airstrikes over Iraq and Syria should give credit where it’s due: US sustained drone strikes are doing the job.

Ideas

Why the West Will Ignore Samantha Powers’ Call for UN Peacekeepers

The West may have abandoned peacekeeping operations, but UN blue helmets are going strong amid a quiet global power shift.

Ideas

Ten Years After ODNI, Why Intelligence Needs More People, Money and Trust

Ten years after ODNI, the intelligence community needs more money and people -- and a better public explanation of what we do.

Ideas

Obama’s New Drone Export Rules Won't Sell More Drones

President Obama’s new drone export rules are little more than a mix of existing rules reflecting an outdated perspective on these important weapons.

Ideas

Over There, and Overlooked

The centennial of the First World War is slipping past unnoticed in the United States, despite its persistent legacy.

Ideas

The Air Force's Argument for Retiring the A-10 Makes No Sense

Service leaders claim the decision is based on cost and effectiveness. A close analysis of the data says otherwise.

Ideas

Why the FBI Needs To Protect Its Intelligence Whistleblowers

The FBI director says that whistleblowers are 'critical' to democracy, but the Justice Department doesn’t protect intelligence whistleblowers.

Ideas

Don’t Blow Up an Effective Iran Deal

If members of Congress think blocking this deal will lead to a better one, they are dangerously mistaken.

Ideas

The Weapons of Tomorrow Must Come Cheaper, Faster and Simpler Than Before

Instead of trying to build silver bullets for the future, policymakers and industry must become better at responding to the unpredictable.

Ideas

Ukraine’s Military Needs More Than Just Arms

Let’s not overstate how lethal arms can save Ukraine. Here’s how the US and Europe really can help develop a professional and capable force.

Ideas

The World Needs New Rules for Armed Drones

New data shows how armed drones are proliferating around the world and why international standards to govern them are overdue.

Ideas

What Is the Future of War?

Facing a new inflection point, 'Future of War' project members sound off with their take on where conflict is headed in the 21st century.

Ideas

Hold Your Fire: The Intelligence Community’s Problem With Privacy Officers

They are routinely called terrorists, but they are the Intelligence Community’s own privacy watchdogs and they deserve respect.

Ideas

Why America's Obsession With Iran’s Centrifuges Could Give Tehran the Bomb

The fixation with Iran’s machines diverts us from the real threat.

Ideas

How Shinzo Abe Is Modernizing Japan's Military

Tokyo's counterterrorism ambitions following ISIS's beheadings of two Japanese hostages is part of a broader realignment of Japan's armed forces, says AEI's Michael Auslin.

Ideas

America Needs To Engage With Its Enemies, Not Isolate

Raw strength and power is necessary for deterrence, but off-ramps from conflict can be created by building relationships.

Ideas

Why Size Doesn’t Matter When Judging the Intelligence Community

Instead of criticizing how big the Intelligence Community has grown, let’s get the US to do a better job explaining why.

Ideas

Reform Pentagon Acquisition By Slowing Down the F-35

John McCain and Ash Carter want real acquisition reform? Great, they can start by slowing – or stopping – the F-35.

Science & Tech

The Marines Are Building Robotic War Balls

The future of amphibious assault looks kind of like an explosive inner tube. It’s really a drone.