Threats

The Desperate Push To Get Ukrainian POWs Home by Christmas

Kiev wants to send hundreds of captured war prisoners home to Russian-controlled areas. But not everyone wants to go back.

Policy

New National Security Strategy Sees Rising Russia, Retreat on 'Democratic Peace'

Donald Trump’s first strategy talks about threats and nation-state competition but also signals a reluctance to compete philosophically or morally.

Policy

Trump Just Signed a Dire Warning about Climate Change

The 2018 NDAA acknowledges and anticipates climate change as an urgent threat, in sharp contrast to his administration’s past denials.

Policy

Five Ways the 2018 Defense Bill Will Change Pentagon IT

From a half-billion dollars for modernization to a closer look at bid protests, the NDAA may have a quick impact on defense IT.

Policy

Allies Are Key, Says Trump’s National Security Strategy

The document, to be unveiled next week, will be the latest administration policy position that looks beyond “America first.”

Policy

One Chart Showing Every Military and Civilian Pay Raise Since 1984

Since 2000, military pay raises have been either higher than or equal to civilian ones.

Policy

Pentagon Unleashes 1,200 Auditors for Unprecedented Financial Review

After decades of false starts, the Defense Department aims to issue its first audit report in November 2018.

Policy

US Averts Government Shutdown, For Now. But the Potential Harm and Waste Is Growing.

Over the Pentagon’s loud objections, lawmakers pass a 2-week temporary spending measure instead of a budget.

Policy

Senators Press State Dept. to Drop Hiring Freeze and Shine Light on Reorg Plan

Reforms could hurt 'America's Foreign Service and Civil Service professionals' and put diplomacy at risk, one letter says.

Ideas

The Cost of Trump’s Attacks on National-Security Agencies

The president’s efforts to delegitimize the FBI are frustrating and demoralizing the staff of the nation’s lead agency for domestic counterintelligence.

Policy

Islamophobia No Longer Needs Terrorism as a Justification

Conservatives are finding new justifications for anti-Muslim sentiments—and embedding them more deeply in America’s political terrain.

Policy

Top Enlisted Leaders Push Back: There Is No Readiness ‘Crisis’

Recent deadly accidents are concerning, but part of the risk of military operations around the globe, they said.

Policy

Congress Is Concerned About Who Gets to Launch Nuclear Bombs

Here are three questions to consider during and after lawmakers hear testimony on nuclear authority.

Policy

Many Top Cybersecurity Posts Remain Empty — And Not On Purpose

Filling various CIO and CISO jobs is taking a temporary backseat to more senior appointments, the White House cybersecurity coordinator says.

Policy

Paying Off Post-9/11 War Debt Could Cost $8 Trillion: Report

Analysts say a reckoning is coming — even as Republicans seek tax cuts that will add at least $1.5 trillion to the national debt.

Threats

Turkey Tells US To Withdraw Weapons, Support for Syrian Rebels

In Washington, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim rejected the U.S. desire to keep supporting Syrian Kurdish rebel forces even after ISIS is finished.

Policy

‘Indo-Pacific’ Is the Trump Administration’s New Name for Asia

Why it matters: Chinese media and leaders pay a lot of attention to fine details like this.

Policy

Saudi Arabia’s New Strongman Wants the Kingdom to Become a Middle East Arms Powerhouse

The crown prince’s surprise arrests of rivals puts him in position to execute a sweeping diversification of the country’s economy.

Policy

15 Things We Learned from the Internet Giants

The key takeaways from three days of testimony about Russia’s electoral mischief during the 2016 election.