Policy
Still 'Acting' Shanahan Faces Test With China Face-off and USS McCain Scandal
Raising the stakes for the would-be SecDef, the White House has not yet sent formal nomination paperwork to the Senate.
Threats
Top US Officer: Iran’s Threats Look Like a ‘Campaign’
The Joint Chiefs chairman says he saw ‘multiple threat streams that were all, perhaps coming together, in time.”
Policy
Lockheed: We Could Easily Sell Turkey’s F-35s to Other Customers
CEO: We’ll be fine if Ankara buys a Russian air-defense system instead of our jets.
Policy
Trump Bypasses Congress to Sell Arms to Saudis, UAE
The rare decision, a fallout of last year’s Khashoggi killing, comes as tensions rise with Iran.
Policy
US To Send 900 Troops To Middle East To Counter Iran
The Trump administration insists that the deployment is purely defensive.
Policy
Space Force Clears Senate Committee After House Attempt to Stall
The Senate Armed Services Committee’s legislation “greatly increases the odds that we end up with some sort of a Space Force,” one expert says.
Policy
42 Countries Agree to International Principles for AI
The Organisation for Economic Coordination and Development released its global standards, which aim to ensure artificial intelligence is designed to be robust, safe, fair and trustworthy.
Policy
Former Aerospace CEO Tapped as Next Air Force Secretary
She once landed an F/A-18 Hornet on an aircraft carrier.
Science & Tech
House Appropriators Take Aim at Some of the Pentagon’s Most Ambitious Tech Ideas
The new Congress is cold on many of the Pentagon’s most elaborate projects and plans.
Policy
Poll: Americans Want To Stay In Nuclear Arms Control Agreements
But there are lots of devils in the polling details.
Policy
House Panel Rejects Space Force
The Pentagon’s arguments are unconvincing, a House Appropriations Committee subcommittee says.
Ideas
Trump’s Counter-Iran Moves Are Provocative, But They’re Not War
Truly bad messaging is undermining trust among allies and the American public — and increasing the chance of accidental escalation.
Policy
Under Pressure, Pentagon Publishes a Contractor-Fraud Report
Released under FOIA, the 4-page document names firms barred from government work, but lacks the detail of a predecessor report.
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.
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.
Ideas
How Not to Announce a Ship Deployment
A simple press conference could have avoided 36 hours of confusion and fears of war with Iran.
Science & Tech
Maduro’s Media Crackdown Fails as Protests Overwhelm Caracas
The blue armband uprising of Venezuelan soldiers shows that viral messaging remains the future of protest.
Policy
House Lawmakers To Ask Justice Department to Investigate Erik Prince
‘Very strong evidence’ that Blackwater founder committed perjury, says Intel chairman Schiff.
Policy
Guantanamo Is Becoming a Nursing Home for Its Aging Terror Suspects
The Pentagon is required to give Gitmo detainees the same medical care as U.S. troops. How's that going to work?
Ideas