Ideas

What Can the Pentagon Realistically Get from Its Advisory Boards?

A former chair says the boards provide a lot, could do better — and help weed out impractical or oversold ideas.

Policy

Only a Tiny Fraction of Sexual Assaults Against DoD Civilians Are Being Documented, GAO Says

Over a recent half-decade, DoD recorded 357 cases of sexual assaults that involved civilian employees. But a survey of employees indicated that thousands may have occurred.

Ideas

Pentagon Advisory Boards Need to Offer 10X Ideas, Not 10% Ones

DoD's 40-plus boards must be restructured to help the department think far bigger.

Exclusive Policy

Here’s Who Will Be Running the Pentagon When Biden Takes Office

Dozens named in the most comprehensive roster published to date of who will be running DOD when the president-elect is sworn in.

Business

Former Air Force Chief Goldfein Joins Blackstone

The retired general picked the investment firm over opportunities at defense companies.

Ideas

Keep Politics Out of National-Security Advisory Boards

Trump’s appointment of loyalists to a DOD board sets a dangerous precedent.

Ideas

How to Turn General Austin Into Secretary Austin

Some advice from the author of “The Nearly Impossible Job of Secretary of Defense.”

Ideas

How to Build Trust in the Vaccines

To succeed in immunizing the population against COVID-19, the United States must draw on the resources it already has.

Ideas

Put Societal Resilience at the Center of Defense Planning

It’s already foolish to focus too narrowly on military attack and response. Soon it will be fatuous.

Threats

Coronavirus Cases Are Spiking at Federal Agencies

More than 100,000 federal personnel have now tested positive for COVID-19, with some agencies experiencing acute upticks.

Policy

Rolling Back Trump's Workforce Policies Won't Be Simple

President-elect Biden has vowed to rescind on his first day a series of Trump-era directives aimed at weakening federal labor unions and politicizing the civil service, but repairing the damage could take much longer.

Threats

Most States Aren’t Ready to Distribute the Leading COVID-19 Vaccine

State officials don’t know how they’ll deal with difficult storage and transport requirements, especially in rural areas seeing a spike in infections.

Ideas

A Simple Veterans Day Proposal for the Incoming Administration

Send every political appointee to visit Arlington National Cemetery — with someone who served.

Policy

Trump Fires Esper, Taps NCTC Director to be Acting SecDef

Christopher Miller becomes Trump's fourth acting defense secretary just 72 days before Inauguration Day.

Threats

Misinformation 2020: What the Data Tells Us About Election-Related Falsehoods

Here are urgent lessons from the year’s most-spread false themes — and the ones going viral right now.

Ideas

Whatever Happens in the Election, Get Ready for a Rocky Transition

Trump says if he loses, he won’t help hand over power, and if he wins, he'll root out government employees he deems disloyal to him.

Threats

Robocalls Told at Least 800,000 Swing State Residents to 'Stay Home' on Election Day. The FBI Is Investigating.

A firm that tracks robocalls said more than 3 million calls were made on Nov. 3, which contained a cryptic message instructing people to “stay safe and stay home.” The tactics join other efforts to confuse voters this election cycle.