Policy

Ordered to Ban Transgender Troops, Pentagon Plans A New Look at Three Factors

The courts will take their own look, thanks to a trio of lawsuits filed in the wake of Trump’s Friday-night memo.

Policy

Trump Cybersecurity Advisers Resign In 'Moral' Protest

Board members also condemned the president’s response to racist violence in Charlottesville, Va.

Policy

Tell Me What an Afghanistan 'Win' Looks Like

Campaign-trail rhetoric aside, his inability to define victory was the most troubling part of his speech.

Policy

Full Transcript: Donald Trump Announces His Afghanistan Policy

“No place is beyond the reach of American might and American arms.”

Threats

Will Anyone Care About Trump's Barely-Different Afghanistan War Plan?

Pull out. Stay in. Double down. It’s the military’s war until elected officials make it America’s war. And Americans won’t care by Wednesday, anyway.

Policy

Defense Contractors Begin Early Shutdown Preparations

Private firms are already ahead of the government in their planning, experts say.

Policy

Are Mercenaries Really a Cheaper Way of War?

The founder of Blackwater says privatizing the 16-year war could save taxpayer money. History, both recent and farther back, suggests a different outcome.

Policy

After the Marines United Scandal, ‘All Options’ Are on the Table

The Corps is considering integrating female recruits into West Coast training camps to help address subconscious biases, the assistant commandant said.

Policy

Does the US Military Need a Space Corps?

A proposal in Congress would create the first new uniformed service in 70 years, but it faces opposition from the Pentagon.

Policy

The US Balance-of-Power Strategy in the Gulf is Collapsing. But It Never Had a Chance Anyway

The Qatar dispute deals a death blow to Trump Administration dreams of an Arab NATO arrayed against Iran.

Policy

Why Leaking Transcripts of Trump's Calls Is So Dangerous

When the president’s opponents violate norms to undermine him, they do lasting damage to American security.

Policy

Border State Lawmakers Propose a 'Smart' Wall

The group wants radar technology, drones and cameras to make up big chunks of Trump’s proposed border wall.

Policy

Pentagon Tightens Rules After Fake Cops Buy $1.2M in Weapons

A sting operation run by the Government Accountability Office revealed a number of loopholes that bad actors could use to buy excess military arms and equipment through the 1033 program.

Policy

Trump’s Transgender Troop Ban Sparks An Instant Opposition of Unusual Allies

The commander in chief tweet-declares a stunning change for military personnel, but it’s far from clear he can make it stick.

Policy

Annual Defense Bill Aims to Rein in Pentagon Outsourcing

Supporters say measure would protect federal employees from seeing their jobs contracted out.

Policy

The Dangerous Politicization of the US Military

By asking active duty personnel to lobby Congress in their own self-interest, President Trump crossed an important line.

Policy

Why John McCain Matters More than the GOP Realizes

Without McCain, Republicans have no clear leader on defense issues. Not that they ever listen to him, anyway.

Policy

Cuts Proposed for Key Cybersecurity Agency

House Appropriations Committee reduces but retains White House cuts to the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Policy

Mattis on 2018 Budget: ‘We Have Got to Get a Bill Passed’

Congress is working up budgets that bust spending caps, with little evidence of a deal to avoid automatic cuts.