Ideas

Congress Must Be Willing to Do More With Less Defense Spending

Those who think America spends too much for national defense are as mistaken as those who think that larger defense budget numbers translate into strong security. By Rep. Duncan Hunter

Ideas

Moving U.S.-German Relations Past the NSA Headlines

Despite recent headlines about Snowden and spying, U.S.-German interests remain in lockstep from Afghanistan to Syria, Iran and now the Ukraine. By Tara Sonenshine

Ideas

The Pentagon Is Picking an Unnecessary Fight With Congress

The Defense Department needs to downsize and streamline, but President Obama’s sassy spending request only will make it harder to achieve some good. By James Joyner

Ideas

America’s Fusion Race With China Is Heating Up, So Why Is Washington Going Cold?

This week, America's efforts to harness emerging atomic energy made big gains, but could be short-lived without government funding. By Patrick Tucker

Ideas

Why the U.S. Should Use British Missiles on Reaper Drones

For compatibility and cost-effectiveness, military cooperation between nations must start from the beginning. By Peter Westmacott

Science & Tech

How Big Data Could Help the U.S. Predict the Next Snowden

DNI James Clapper wants intelligence workers put into a big data cloud the U.S. can surveil, and it just might work. by Patrick Tucker

Ideas

Let NATO Keep the Peace in Palestine

Washington should embrace Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ proposal for American-led NATO peacekeepers. By John Deni

Ideas

Beyond Mobile: Live Webcast with DARPA’s Dan Kaufman

DARPA’s information innovation chief explains why asking what’s next for ‘mobile’ means you’re already behind the curve, live online at 2 p.m. By Kevin Baron

Ideas

Can Another ‘Anbar Awakening’ Save Iraq?

Only disgruntled Sunni tribes can halt Iraq’s descent into another sectarian hell. By James Kitfield

Ideas

U.S. Missile Defense Isn't Ready for Prime Time

The U.S. shouldn’t field additional long-range missile interceptors until the current system is redesigned. By Tom Z. Collina

Ideas

Military Force vs. Diplomacy: Can You Have One Without the Other?

Obama says the U.S. is entering a new era of reliance on diplomacy over military force. By Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

Science & Tech

Need to Know Memo: Cybersecurity

As the Pentagon boosts cyber spending and staffing, it faces a series of hurdles.

Ideas

Joe Biden Was Right About Dividing Iraq

The former senator took a lot of grief for saying Iraq should be partitioned. He might just get the last laugh. By James Kitfield

Threats

Obama’s Vision: No More War but Plenty More Fighting

President Obama’s speech illustrates America’s global security dilemma: stay out of wars, but don’t let up the fight. By Kevin Baron

Ideas

Dempsey’s Message on Women in Combat: Trust Transcends Gender

One year ago this month, the military repealed the combat exclusion for women. Here’s my message. By Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey

Threats

Freezing Out U.S. Security at Sochi Is a Counterterrorism Fail

Putin’s Sochi stiff arm is a dangerous rejection of U.S. security help, right as the jihadist Caucasus Emirate looks to strike the 2014 Winter Olympics. By Aki Peritz

Policy

Budget Cuts Are Sending the Wrong Message to Veterans

President Obama will surely thank the troops during his State of the Union speech, but will Washington stop balancing the budget on the backs of veterans? By Alex Nicholson

Business

Special Report: The State of Defense 2014

As President Obama prepares to give his State of the Union speech, Defense One takes a closer look at the nation's military and the state of defense.

Ideas

Time to Get Ready for War in the Robotic Age

The U.S. must prepare now for a world of widely proliferated military robotics. By Shawn Brimley and Paul Scharre

Ideas

Do U.S. Troops Really Need to Stay in Afghanistan?

A top U.S. commander says Afghan security forces can take on the Taliban. Does the U.S. need to stay for Afghanistan to succeed? By Stephanie Gaskell