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2024 in review: Commentary
Defense One contributors gathered lessons from around the globe and looked ahead to the new administration.
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2024 in review: Space Force
The year saw challenges in orbit and on the ground as the young service continued to expand.
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2024 in review: Marine Corps
A new kind of regiment, more drones, and new techniques—and other stories about the Corps.
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2024 in review: Navy
Bracing for the future, grappling with shipbuilding woes, watching China—and more stories about the sea service.
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2024 in Review: Army
Lessons from the Ukraine war—and what might come next—dominated the news.
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2024 in review: Business
The rise of the software contractors, wobbles among the old guard—and more defense-industry news of the year.
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In defense of the military’s unfunded priority lists
The service branches’ “wish lists” are a key part of Congress’ oversight process.
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Assad’s fall lays the ground for wider peace—if the US can seize the moment
A key will be reshaping the role of the Kurdish militants in Syria.
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Defense One Radio, Ep. 170: Year in review
We listen back on more than a dozen guests from conversations across 2024.
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How China is adopting battlefield lessons from Ukraine
A drone-assisted ambush of a Ukrainian tank drew particular notice by PLA analysts.
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Defense One Radio, Ep. 169: The Reagan National Defense Forum
A recap of this year's conference in Simi Valley, Calif.
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The Army is too top-heavy
Surplus generals, swollen staffs, and excess headquarters drain headcount and resources from warfighting units.
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Will Assad’s defeat be Putin’s Waterloo?
The narrative of Russia's ascendancy in 2024 is beginning to look like more fiction than fact.
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Can Syria's triumphant rebel coalition unite the country?
And what should the U.S. do about this potentially "catastrophic success"?
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Want ‘government efficiency'? Help change agencies from within
DOGE leaders talk a lot about slashing headcount. They should foster better decision-making instead.
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How a director of national intelligence helps a president stay on top of threats from around the world
A former chairman of the National Intelligence Council offers an explainer.
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What game theory says about a MAGA military
A thought experiment based on Trump’s desire for officers who obey without question.
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How did Hayat Tahrir al-Sham come to prominence in Syria’s civil war?
The Islamist group, which spearheaded of the surprise rebel advance into Aleppo, is an offshoot of al-Qaida in Syria.
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