Policy
ISIS War Generals to Congress: We Need the State Department
One week after Trump proposed shifting billions from the State Department to the Pentagon, two of the top U.S. generals in the Middle East and Africa say they need diplomatic help.
Policy
Trump’s State Department Anxiously Awaits its Future
Shaken up and set adrift, a foreign-policy bureaucracy confronts the possibility of radical change.
Policy
House Intelligence Leaders Show Shaky Marriage on Russia Hack Investigation
Chairman Devin Nunes says there’s no there there; ranking member Adam Schiff says it’s too early to judge.
Policy
'Winning' or Not, Trump Doesn't Seem to Be Listening To His Generals
Based on what he says, Trump already is defying his generals. The real test is what he actually does.
Policy
Trump’s Defense Topline Faces a Big Hurdle, Just as When Obama Proposed It
The new administration’s proposal to give the Defense Department $603 billion in 2018 exceeds legal limits by about 10 percent.
Policy
The Foreign-Policy Establishment Defends Itself From Trump
'The question confronting us as a nation is as consequential as any we have faced since the late 1940s,' a group of Republican and Democratic experts write.
Science & Tech
How Trump’s Immigrant Dragnet Might Catch Your Personal Data, Too
A DHS rule change aimed at undocumented immigrants could invade the personal privacy of fare more people than the ones they’re targeting.
Policy
3 Urgent Tasks for Trump’s National-Security Team
The administration needs a single line on various policies — but even more urgently, it must fill about 100 top federal jobs, says James Stavridis.
Policy
How McMaster Could Change the Way the US Goes to War
How did Trump’s new National Security Advisor win over the President — and what changes might he make in his new role?
Ideas
US Air Force 'Urgently' Needs Funds By April
Pass a bill, top leaders tell Congress, warning another delay would 'reverse' badly needed expansions, upgrades, and readiness needed to fight the ISIS War.
Policy
Trump: I’m Not Being Tough On Russia Because I Want to Make A Deal
The president, who joked about sinking Moscow’s spy ship off the Atlantic coast, didn’t say what kind of deal he wants.
Policy
What Happens Next Is Up to Republicans
It’s up to them whether a truly independent investigation occurs.
Policy
Trump’s Empty Ultimatum to NATO
Defense Secretary Mattis just called for Europe to increase defense spending or else...what exactly?
Policy
Five Questions Raised by Michael Flynn's Abrupt Departure
Who in the White House knew that the national security adviser had misled Mike Pence, and when? Who will replace him? And what will be the next bombshell?
Policy
Will Trump Repeal Sanctions on Russia? A Conversation with an NSC Planner
We asked Kevin Harrington, deputy assistant to the president for strategic planning, whether he could square the mixed signals coming from the White House.
Policy
Michael Flynn's Disaster
Trump’s national security adviser’s potentially false statements about his pre-inauguration contacts with Russian officials are a major problem.
Ideas
Why Did Trump Pick a Fight with Putin Over the Nuclear Weapons Treaty?
President Trump took a hard line over New START with Russia. It's an odd battle to choose -- and a dangerous one.
Ideas
Trump’s Dangerous 'Dishonest' Message to the Troops
It’s politics when a candidate disparages “the media.” But it’s potentially dangerous when the commander in chief tells U.S. troops not to trust the reporters who cover them.
Ideas
Why are US Forces in Yemen at All?
'The truth of the matter is that America is killing people — terrorists and others — because its leaders don’t know what else to do.'
Policy