Ideas
The Brain of the Pentagon
Andrew Marshall leaves behind an American tradition of strategic thinking that will live well beyond him.
Science & Tech
Engineers Pitch Clean-Energy Plants Along Border
A proposal imagines how building solar panels and wind turbines along the U.S.-Mexico border could unite calls for a Green New Deal and a border wall.
Science & Tech
Pentagon ‘Matchmakers’ Aim to Keep US Tech Firms from Taking Chinese Money
Defense officials hope to protect cutting-edge technologies by getting innovative firms funded by U.S.-friendly investors.
Ideas
Some Cautionary Notes on the New ‘Knife Missile’
Will the blade-wielding Hellfire variant actually reduce civilian casualties? Maybe.
Defense Systems
DOD considers releasing list of blocked software vendors
The Defense Department is working with congressional constraints on information it can share with defense industrial base regarding restricted vendors.
Ideas
Trump’s Bet on Kim Might Not Pay Off
All that’s preventing the collapse of talks is that North Korea’s missiles haven’t flown far enough yet.
Science & Tech
The Push to ‘Predict’ Police Shootings
Tracking officers’ stress exposure and body-camera practices could help keep them from pulling the trigger.
Defense Systems
Air Force moves to speed up operating authorities
The Air Force plans to migrate 100 applications to the cloud this year with as many as possible opting for the fast track authority to operate process.
Policy
Trump Taps Shanahan To Lead DOD, Ending Months of Speculation
The nomination marks the beginning of the end of the tenure of the longest-serving acting defense secretary.
Threats
State-Sponsored Breaches of US Government Networks Rose 168% Last Year: Report
“Cyber-espionage is rampant in the public sector," Verizon analysts wrote in their annual study of data breaches.
Ideas
How Authoritarians Manipulate Elections
From Russia to Venezuela, the strongmen who have destroyed democratic institutions won high office at the ballot box.
Threats
The Flash Point Between America and Iran Could Be Iraq's Militias
U.S. troops and Iran-backed fighters had an alliance of sorts in the anti-ISIS campaign. With Washington and Tehran at odds, could they turn on each other?
Ideas
The Slow Death of the Iran Nuclear Deal
Tehran says it will stop complying with elements of the accord unless the countries that remain live up to their commitments. But those five states are unlikely to stand up to U.S. pressure.
Policy
CBO: Space Force Could Cost $3B Up Front, $1.3B Annually
The new independent analysis comes as lawmakers weigh the creation of a new branch of the military.
Threats
The FBI Has 850 Open Domestic Terrorism Investigations
Homegrown extremism is rising, one year after the Trump administration cut funding to programs that counter hate groups.
Threats
Senior Military and Trump Officials in Washington Escalate Iran Warnings
General says sending aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers is not a pretext for war.
Defense Systems