Ideas

The quantum curtain

What if citizens get unbreakable encryption? Welcome to the latest edition of Fictional Intelligence.

Ideas

The Pentagon moves into the era of affordable mass

Even as cheap drones deplete expensive air defenses near Iran, the U.S. military is working to turn the tables.

Ideas

Why the US went to war without a plan to evacuate DOD civilians, contractors, and others

A diplomatic veteran cites operational secrecy—and describes how things might have gone better.

Ideas

Why the US attack on Iran is unlikely to produce regime change in Tehran

A conversation with veteran diplomat Donald Heflin, a leader at Tufts University's Fletcher School.

Ideas

Expect Iranian regime to respond to US‑Israeli strikes as existential threats

The response to last year's strikes on nuclear sites was muted. Don't expect this one to be the same.

Ideas

Defense One Radio, Ep. 204: “Until the Last Gun Is Silent” by Matthew Delmont

A historian explores patriotism, U.S. foreign policy, and the anti-war movement during the Vietnam era.

Ideas

Defense One Radio, Ep. 203: Fictional intelligence

The authors of a new series discuss how they're exploring the future of conflict through short stories.

Ideas

'Mission ahead, heavens above'

Welcome to Fictional Intelligence, the first of a monthly series that explores the future through short stories.

Ideas

Pakistan’s burgeoning arms industry is a strategic opportunity for the US

A defense-industrial partnership could benefit the Pentagon while mitigating Chinese influence.

Ideas

Space-based interceptors make even less sense now

The Pentagon and its Golden Dome contractors are proposing to replace one showstopping problem with another.

Ideas

Our allies passed your test, Mr. President. Would we?

A former U.S. infantryman responds to Trump’s amnesiac take on Afghanistan.

Ideas

Defense One Radio, Ep. 202: The known perils of regime change

A scholar of civil wars warns against repeating the past mistakes from U.S. military interventions abroad.

Ideas

Bombing Iran would shore up its regime

External attacks stir up nationalism and redirect public anger outward, a “rally-around-the-flag” effect long documented by political scientists.

Ideas

Trump’s Greenland threat has already hurt US security—but far worse may come

A hostile takeover would shatter America’s key alliance, limit its military’s global reach, and invite economic reprisal.

Ideas

Ukraine’s future may turn on upcoming votes in Congress

As lawmakers sprint to fund the U.S. government, America’s support for Kyiv hangs in the balance—and could determine how the conflict ends.