Science & Tech
Pentagon Wants to Spark an American Small-Drone Industry
Acquisition chief Ellen Lord wants domestic options for small UAVs— and for defensive systems that can bring them down.
Ideas
What We Talk About When We Talk About Russia
American conservatives who find themselves identifying with Putin’s regime refuse to see the country for what it actually is.
Ideas
The Trump Administration’s ‘Denuclearization’ Is A Road to Nowhere
U.S. policy will remain stuck as long as the administration continues to convince itself that the North’s nuclear dismantlement can be achieved on Washington’s timeline.
Threats
Ep. 61: Influence operations in 2020
In 2016, Moscow sowed division with fake news. Today, Russian agents simply reflect the things Americans say about each other.
Ideas
Under Trump, the US Has Become a Leading Source of Global Instability
The country is now a known unknown, increasing the risk of crises from the Middle East to East Asia to Central America, a new survey suggests.
Science & Tech
China Has Increasing Sway in US Science, JASON Report Says
Beijing is using better jobs at home, aggressive intelligence agencies, and a greater financial reach to influence American institutions.
Ideas
Add Economic Policy to Deterrence Planning
As crisis brews overseas, U.S. leaders often turn first to sanctions and the like. But the Pentagon acts as if economic coercion doesn’t matter.
Ideas
The FBI Needs to Be Reformed
The inspector general’s report identified real weaknesses, particularly with the policies and procedures that govern investigations of political campaigns.
Ideas
US Forces Can’t Hide from Ubiquitous Satellites. They Need to Fool Them.
A new generation of deception-and-denial ideas is needed to counter global monitoring from space.
Ideas
The Foreign-Policy Parallels Between Trump and the Ayatollahs Are Uncanny
Neither the U.S. president nor Iran's leaders are as willing to go toe-to-toe as they might seem.
Ideas
Nixon’s Leniency After My Lai Hurt Veterans. Trump’s May, Too.
A president’s actions in 1971 helped turn public opinion against those who fought the Vietnam War.
Science & Tech
US Army’s High-Powered Skull Study May Yield Better Helmets
Protecting soldiers' brains is the ultimate aim of a joint effort by the Army Research Laboratory, Argonne National Lab, and Northwestern University.
Policy
Ukraine Would Get New Anti-Ship Missiles Under House Bill
Russia would also get new sanctions under the House version of the defense authorization bill.
Business
Boeing Declines to Bid for ICBM, Leaving Northrop the Sole Contestant
As bidding deadline passes, Air Force must decide whether to accept a sole-source situation.
Ideas
Can Anything Stop the Flow of Advanced Weapons into Libya?
If the country becomes a nexus for expertise and arms, increasingly deadly regional armed groups could destabilize the region.
Science & Tech