Ideas

How an Elaborate Plan to Topple Venezuela’s President Went Wrong

The United States thought all the pieces were in place for Maduro to leave. Then everything came crashing down.

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Ep. 43: Nuclear weapons awareness in the 20th and 21st centuries

We explore the public’s changing awareness of nuclear weapons, and efforts to get young people to engage.

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The Pentagon Is Flubbing Its Pitch to Silicon Valley

Appeals to patriotism won’t move America’s tech industry. Other approaches might work better.

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You Can Now Bid on DOD's 2nd-Largest-Ever Cloud-Services Contract

The up-to-$8 billion DEOS is only the first phase of the Defense Department's plan to buy common communication, collaboration and productivity capabilities.

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Five Things I Learned From the Mueller Report

A careful reading of the dense document delivers some urgent insights — including a surprising revelation on the counterintelligence front.

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China’s Risky Middle East Bet

Beijing believes it can focus on economic development and avoid any role in political affairs—but that assumption will likely prove naive.

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Trump's Withdrawal from Arms Trade Treaty Could Reduce US Exports

The Arms Trade Treaty has helped keep U.S. companies competitive in the global market by requiring other countries to adopt standards similar to America's.

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ISIS Relaunches as a Global Platform

The Sri Lanka bombings were a preview of the Islamic State’s future.

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Congress Is Trying Harder at Its National-Security Job

But the legislature has a long way to go. Here are some areas of bipartisan agreement where progress should be possible.

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Counterterrorism in the Era of Great-Power Competition

A former Trump administration counterterrorism leader explains what’s changed since Obama, and what ought to come next.

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Watch: Future Security Forum

Defense One partners with New America to bring you the Future Security Forum in Washington, D.C.

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What Insurgency Will Look Like in 2030

The author of “Ghost Fleet” has some guesses — and some questions that U.S. defenders will have to answer.

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Trump's Approach to National Security: Whatever Benefits Me

This president stands apart from his government, but from Russia to DHS, his selective silence on security matters has policy effects.

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Was That a Small Nuclear Test…or Just a Football Game?

A Los Alamos mathematician explains why we need to keep improving our seismic detectors.

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Biden Enters Campaign Talking Charlottesville, But Saying Much More

The former vice president declares “a battle for the soul of this nation,” with global leadership easter eggs hidden within.

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Did Russia Just Concede a Need to Regulate Military AI?

After years of Kremlin efforts to derail international guidelines on militarized artificial intelligence, a national-security leader appeared to signal a new course.

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A Warlord Rises in Libya, and Trump Is Praising Him

It's Khalifa Haftar, the Libyan general who is leading his forces against the government the U.S. still officially backs.

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All This ‘Innovation’ Won’t Save the Pentagon

The Defense Department, a hierarchy fixated on technology, is unequipped to confront a world of disruptive challenges.

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Deter? Detente? NATO Has Lessons for the North Korean Conundrum

The U.S.-ROK alliance needs a strategy that supports best-case outcomes — and hedges against worst-case scenarios.

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DARPA Seeks Space Robots to Repair Satellites

The robots would service military, government, and commercial spacecraft more than 22,000 miles above the Earth.