Policy

Everything You Want To Know About Iran Sanctions

As the P5+1 continues negotiating a deal, here's how Tehran came to face a dizzying array of punitive measures.

Ideas

Iran’s Nuclear Past Should Not Scuttle A Deal for Its Future

It’s more important to know Tehran will have no nuclear weapons for the next 20 years than to obsess over what it did 20 years ago.

Policy

Democrats Retreat In the Battle Over Defense Budget 'Gimmick'

An 'overstuffed' war fund is ok with Democrats in a defense policy bill but not in a spending bill, adding further uncertainty to a key measure already facing a veto threat.

Business

One Does Not Simply Embed US Troops In Iraq

Calls to allow U.S. specialists to accompany Iraqi military units on offensive missions generally ignore the support requirements.

Business

What The Pentagon Has To Do To Recruit Silicon Valley's Nerds

Defense Department and national security political leaders are eager to attract tech minds. But are they willing to change enough?

Policy

Putin Bad, GOP Candidates Agree

Less clear is what they’d do, as America's next president, about a more assertive Russia.

Defense Systems

DISA's 5-year plan focuses on joint environment, cyberspace operations

The strategy for 2015-2020 also calls for streamlining networks and supporting anytime/anywhere access for warfighters.

Defense Systems

Coast Guard sees natural gas exports as potential cyber issue

Adm. Paul F. Zukunft says the Coast Guard’s cyber defense capabilities must protect against nation states that might feel threatened by a growing U.S. natural resource export market.

Defense Systems

Navy awards a second $478.6M contract for joint tactical radios

The award to Data Links Solutions, identical to the recent deal to ViaSat, brings the total committed to MIDS JTRS terminals to nearly a billion dollars.

Policy

Senate Passes Amendment Banning Torture

The bill has little chance of becoming law if the White House vetoes the NDAA, but it is nonetheless a symbolic measure.

Policy

Senate Attempts To Arm Kurds Directly, Reform Military Justice Fall Short

The Senate voted to move forward with the annual defense authorization bill earlier than in recent years, but it's as peppered with controversy as ever.

Threats

Is ‘Whack-A-Mole’ Working Against al Qaeda?

The terror group’s No. 2 was killed in Yemen, reportedly by a U.S. strike. But are such killings bringing the U.S. any closer to “degrading and ultimately defeating” terrorism?

Threats

Al Qaeda's Middle Management Problem

Recent strikes against the group’s top officials in Libya and Yemen illustrate its organizational weaknesses.

Ideas

A New Look at the CIA’s Pre-9/11 Mindset Reveals Uncomfortable Truths About Intel

An inspector general report shows what’s gotten better in the past decade — and what’s still a problem.

Ideas

The Pentagon's War Budget Won't Be Easy To Roll Back

Congress has too many reasons to keep overseas contingency operations funding as it is.

Defense Systems

Army tests giving ground forces control of Gray Eagle payload

The tests of the One System Remote Video Terminal are part of a long-range plan to improve UAS interoperability.

Defense Systems

Air Force awards $145.4M to keep BACN flying

Northrop Grumman will continue to support the system that lets Global Hawks act as all-purpose, around-the-clock communications nodes.

Policy

Jeb Bush Enters 2016 Race, Keeping National Security at a Distance

Bush announced his candidacy with a promise to be the optimistic candidate of ‘Today and Tomorrow’ — and no word on his father’s and brother’s wars in the Middle East.