Policy

Top Marine General: ‘I’ve Never Told a Marine They Could or Couldn’t Speak’ to the Press

While one service cracks down on media engagement, the Corps’ top officer strikes a different tone.

Policy

Trump's 'Very Soon' Withdrawal From Syria Is Exactly What Many Troops Feared

What the president said is exactly what some special operations forces worried would happen — under President Hillary Clinton.

Threats

The Shadowy Operative at the Center of the Russia Scandal

Court documents call him Person A, but descriptions match the officer to Russian intelligence and to Paul Manafort and Rick Gates.

Defense Systems

Special forces shape plans for new cyber career path

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert B. Neller said long-term stability is key: "Once you’re, in you’re in."

Threats

What Does 'Denuclearization' Mean to Kim Jong Un?

A close reading of what the Korean leader reportedly told Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Defense Systems

Advocacy group warns Trump about JEDI contract with tabloid ad

As many in the federal contracting industry look to push back on a planned single-vendor cloud procurement by the Pentagon, one advocacy group is looking to leverage President Trump's reported animus to Amazon to help quash the deal.

Ideas

The White House Doctor and the Dual-Officeholding Ban

Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson’s appointment reinvigorates the debate over the proper relationship between the military and the government.

Ideas

New Transgender Policy Is Grounded in Common Sense

It allows qualified individuals to serve, and excludes only those for whom the stresses of military life present unacceptable risk.

Science & Tech

Russian Military Chief Lays Out the Kremlin’s High-Tech War Plans

Robotics, artificial intelligence, and a willingness to strike the enemy’s non-military targets will figure in the country’s future strategies.

Ideas

A Deal with North Korea Won't Happen Without China

How Kim Jong-Un's surprise visit to Beijing underscores China’s influence.

Threats

Is Peace on the Horizon for Afghanistan?

An offer of talks by the Ghani government was met with silence from the Taliban. That, in itself, could be a good sign.

Ideas

China Is Filling the Africa-Sized Gap in US Strategy

While U.S. troops fight terror groups, Beijing is locking up supplies of raw materials key to the future of defense.

Threats

Trump's 'Good Relationship' With Russia Is Slipping Away

By shuttering a consulate and expelling 60 diplomats in response to the spy poisoning in Britain, he’s taken a remarkably hard line against Putin.

Business

Mattis to Military: You Have Your Money. Spend It Wisely

The defense secretary warns “results and accountability matter in every expenditure.”

Policy

Where’s the New Transgender Troops Ban Headed? Look at the Travel Ban Fight

Like Trump’s effort to bar visitors from several Mideast countries, a long legal battle awaits the newest limits on who can serve in uniform.

Threats

In the Era of Fake News, VOA Is Fact-Checking Russia’s Messages

The agency’s Polygraph.info is desk expanding its “disinformation news” coverage.

Ideas

Putin Finally Went Too Far

The unified international response to the Skripal poisoning shows that the West will only suffer so much provocation.