Threats
Defense Secretary Orders US Airlines to Help With Evacuation
It's only the third time in history that the U.S. airlines have been mobilized by the military.
Policy
US Helicopters Rescued 169 Americans Outside Airport; More Ops Could Follow
Biden “will mobilize every resource necessary” to save more, but U.S. has yet to test Taliban checkpoints. Meanwhile, fuel-strained air operations resume.
Ideas
What Comes Next? A Lesson from Saigon
Rather than marking the eclipse of American power, withdrawal from Vietnam coincided with its spectacular increase.
Policy
It Really Was 800+ Afghans on That Plane. They Forgot to Count the Kids.
The iconic photo of Reach 871, the packed U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane, touched people around the world—and highlighted the dire situation now facing Afghans.
Ideas
The Pentagon Must Prep Now for the Next Pandemic
We must take stock of the myriad ways the U.S. military has helped fight COVID-19—and learn to do even better.
Defense Systems
How COVID-19 is driving the military’s move to mobile RFID
The need to securely track assets of a mobile workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic has made a clear case for the military to adopt mobile RFID.
Threats
At Kabul Airport, 2,000 Marines Provide Security and Process Evacuees
Meanwhile, the airfield perimeter is mostly held by soldiers of the 82nd Airborne.
Ideas
These Afghans Were Our Allies. Now We Must All Help Them Become Our Neighbors
Americans have a new chance to serve the interpreters and others who helped our troops in battle.
Policy
More Seats Than Passengers: Paperwork, Taliban Slow Afghanistan Evacuation
But the pace is picking up. Some 6,000 "will soon board planes," a State Department spokesman said.
Defense Systems
Was DOD ready for telework in 2020?
Slow networks, a lack of management buy-in and the need for more government equipment all affected how DOD feds transitioned to telework at the start of the pandemic, new reports from DOD's IG found.
Defense Systems
Data and DOD's pivot from 'fight tonight'
The Pentagon is developing a tool that could help trace the impact of senior leaders' decisions down to the unit and years into the future.
Defense Systems
Contractor oversight was lacking in Afghanistan, IG says
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction's newest report calls out the government's failure to oversee contractors as a source of waste, fraud and abuse.
Ideas
Lessons from a Failed Stealth Jet Can Guide Naval Aviation’s Future
The Navy’s next jet must avoid the errors that doomed the Avenger II.
Exclusive
Policy
Trump’s Pledge to Exit Afghanistan Was a Ruse, His Final SecDef Says
Chris Miller now says talk of a full withdrawal was a “play” to convince a Taliban-led government to keep U.S. counterterrorism forces.
Business