Ideas

The West Can’t Even Agree on Itself, Much Less China

At the Munich Security Conference, allies argued with each other as much as their adversaries, rejecting Trump administration views on issue after issue.

Threats

DISA Data Breach Affected 200,000 People, Officials Confirm

Defense officials provided few details but said the affected systems have since been secured.

Ideas

The US Should Get Ready for Syria’s Return from War

Trump seems determined not to play much of a role in shaping how Syria’s myriad conflicts are resolved. That’s a mistake.

Science & Tech

Border Patrol Seeks Automated Sensors to Cover Watery Blindspots

Homeland Security is looking for tech that can help border agents spot illegal watercraft — and decide what to do about them.

Ideas

State of Defense 2020: Special Report

Our annual service-by-service look at the big questions facing the U.S. military.

Policy

Nothing’s ‘Irreversible,’ But the Pentagon’s New Bureaucracies Aim to Come Close

As budget hearing season gets underway, expect to hear a lot about "irreversible implementation" of changes toward great power competition.

Policy

Defense Policy Chief Ousted By White House

A Pentagon spokesman said he had “no information” that John Rood was fired for his role in Trump’s Ukraine scandal.

Policy

DHS to Waive Contracting Rules to Build Border Wall Faster

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf is using a 2005 law to override certain requirements.

Ideas

Trump Is Ill-Suited to Respond to the Coronavirus Outbreak

A crisis that is heading into its third month could draw out every personal and managerial failing that the president has shown to this point.

Defense Systems

Augmented reality headset stands out in Army 2021 budget request

The Army's is touting the deployment of new augmented reality goggles to combat troops as an example of the practical outcome of a relentless focus on modernization and zero-based budgeting.

Defense Systems

Esper: 'No pressure' from White House over JEDI

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he "never felt pressure from the White House" on the Pentagon's $10 billion Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure contract.

Defense Systems

JEDI delay impacts classified cloud provisioning

When a federal court hit the brakes on the Defense Department's Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud program, it also slowed the testing and rollout of a new system that automates user authentication and security auditing for classified provisioning.

Exclusive Science & Tech

Pentagon to Adopt Detailed Principles for Using AI

Sources say the list will closely follow an October report from a defense advisory board.

Policy

Will Trump’s Afghanistan Peace Deal Win Him Votes?

"I would not say that Afghanistan looms over American politics now the way that Iraq did,” said one analyst.

Threats

Graham Denies Threatening To Make Esper’s Life ‘Hell’ If He Cuts AFRICOM Troops

“No, I never said that,” Graham said in a brief phone call with Defense One. “It was a good conversation.”

Ideas

America Is Alone in Its Cold War With China

If the Trump administration is truly going all-in on competition with Beijing, it’s not clear that Trump himself is fully on board. Nor, it’s now clear, are several of America’s closest friends.