Ideas
The US built up its missile defenses—and will need to do it again
The war against Iran has depleted stocks of vital interceptors.
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
Trump’s Greenland ambitions could wreck alliances that underpin the modern world order
A former diplomat looks at the president's latest ally-shaking outburst.
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.
Ideas
Military force can topple a dictator, but it cannot create political authority or legitimacy
Trump is the latest to reach for a military solution of the kind that rarely produces durable peace.
Ideas
Trump’s new ‘battleship’ should not carry nukes
Producing a new nuclear missile for the Navy would leave us less safe.
Ideas