Policy

Republicans Seek to Punish China for Coronavirus as Trump Waffles

“Having the relationship I have with China is a good thing,” Trump says. But Republicans say China needs to “pay a price.”

Ideas

Ep. 66: The 1918 flu and the U.S. military

How the U.S. military was battered by, and slowly learned from, the influenza pandemic of 1918.

Ideas

Where is NATO? And Where is Trump?

The virus is destroying economies and paralyzing societies in ways Russian military planners could only dream.

Science & Tech

Pentagon Supercomputers Puzzle Out How to Safely Airlift Coronavirus Patients

And that's just one of the various pandemic-related problems that Defense Department supercomputers are chewing on.

Ideas

Trump Doesn't Know How to Safely Reopen the Country. Here Are 3 Ways to Do It

The president isn't talking about America's need to vastly expand testing and tracking — and the tradeoffs that might require.

Policy

Congress Hears Options—And Concerns—for Using Smartphone Data to Fight Coronavirus

Other countries have been using various forms of location- and proximity-tracing to slow the spread of the disease, with widely varying levels of privacy protections.

Ideas

How Much of the Coronavirus Damage Is Trump’s Fault?

The United States is on trajectory to suffer more sickness, more dying, and more economic harm from this virus than any other comparably developed country.

Science & Tech

The Air Force and Navy Are Testing This App to Stay Fit Amid Social Distancing

A biometric data app is helping the services monitor the health of sailors and airmen stuck at home.

Threats

Wear Homemade Masks If You Can't Get Real Ones, Pentagon Tells Its People

N95 respirators and surgical masks will be reserved for health care workers and patients, the Defense Department said in a series of memos this week.

Ideas

NATO Should Always Work From Home

Alliance leaders are using virtual meetings to make quicker decisions. That’s exactly what Russia should fear.

Business

US Intelligence Agencies Are Told to Be Flexible with Contractors During Coronavirus

New guidance recommends immediate contract modifications to allow some contractors to remain at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Science & Tech

Weird Hours, Contractor Concerns: How the Intelligence Community Is Grappling with Coronavirus

Intelligence agencies are trying to adapt to social distancing guidelines, but that’s leaving many employees and contractors in limbo.

Ideas

Don’t Confirm John Ratcliffe as Director of National Intelligence

The U.S. needs a Dr. Fauci, not a Trump cheerleader, to lead America’s intelligence community.

Policy

Pentagon Delays Budget Deadline to Help Staff Work from Home

Service officials had complained that a June 1 deadline was preventing them from implementing coronavirus-related social-distancing guidelines.

Defense Systems

White House pulls oversight officials in DOD, intel agencies

The White House removed an official designated to provide oversight to the $2 trillion rescue and relief fund and nominated a raft of new appointees to handle oversight chores at multiple agencies.