Ideas
When Civilian Protest Is Labeled 'Urban Warfare'
When state officials say they face "a sophisticated network of urban warfare,” they're looking through the lens of a militarized police force.
Policy
Congress Hears Options—And Concerns—for Using Smartphone Data to Fight Coronavirus
Other countries have been using various forms of location- and proximity-tracing to slow the spread of the disease, with widely varying levels of privacy protections.
Threats
Wear Homemade Masks If You Can't Get Real Ones, Pentagon Tells Its People
N95 respirators and surgical masks will be reserved for health care workers and patients, the Defense Department said in a series of memos this week.
Threats
Thousands of Federal Employees Have The Coronavirus
Many more are quarantined due to possible exposure as employees are on the frontlines fighting COVID-19 and providing essential services.
Science & Tech
Esper to DOD: Expect to Telework for 'Weeks For Sure, Maybe Months'
At a virtual town hall, the defense secretary asked troops and employees to be extra careful of phishing attempts and to disregard dis- and misinformation about COVID-19.
Ideas
The Trump Administration Drove Him Back to China, Where He Invented a Fast Coronavirus Test
A federal crackdown on professors’ undisclosed outside activities is achieving what China has long struggled to do: spur Chinese scientists to return home. In this crisis, it’s costing the U.S. intellectual firepower.
Policy
OMB Says 'Work From Home.' But Some Defense Contracts Say Workers Can't
Industry association pushes for the administration to issue guidance for flexibility and greater use of contractors during the coronavirus pandemic.
Threats
Federal Employees Worry Their Agencies Aren't Keeping Them Safe from Coronavirus
White House's "maximum telework" edict isn't helping those without computers, or the 85% of feds outside the DC area.
Threats
Attacks on DOD Networks Soar as Telework Inflicts ‘Unprecedented’ Loads
As DOD scrambles to find equipment for those who can work from home, Pentagon leaders tell personnel: ‘No hand-shaking, no high-fives,” and clean your workstations.
Threats
Pentagon Halts Domestic Travel by Troops to Slow Coronavirus Spread
The late-Friday edict goes much farther than Wednesday's limits on international travel.
Threats
DOD, Feds Issue Coronavirus Guidelines for Civilian Employees
New memos spell out expanded telework flexibilities, leave policies, alternative work schedules, and more.
Ideas
The US Isn’t Ready for What’s About to Happen
Even with a robust government response to the novel coronavirus, many people will be in peril. And the United States is anything but prepared.
Ideas
The American Public Wants a Sustainable Middle East Policy
Despite the mainstream narrative presenting a deep lack of appetite for another war in the Middle East, the United States will never be able to ignore the region completely.
Ideas
DOD Civilians Would Get 1% Pay Raise Under 2021 Budget Proposal
That's more than the Trump administration's 2020 request, which would have frozen wages, but less than the 3.1% average pay increase enacted by Congress.
Ideas
Can Military Leaders Handle the Truth About Afghanistan?
Our recent poll suggests that public confidence in the military is high, but that it may be on shaky ground.
Ideas
Nixon’s Leniency After My Lai Hurt Veterans. Trump’s May, Too.
A president’s actions in 1971 helped turn public opinion against those who fought the Vietnam War.
Policy
Defense Bill Would Create 'ROTC for Pentagon's Civilian Employees'
The college-based Defense Civilian Training Corps would aim to fill “critical skills gaps” in the department’s workforce.
Ideas
Misguided Immigration Policies Are Endangering America's AI Edge
Green card limits haven’t budged in decades, while new policies make it harder, costlier, and more uncertain for the world’s talent to come to the United States.
Ideas
Hong Kong Police Intensify Tactics Against Journalists
Local journalists bear the brunt of violence and misinformation, but international reporters have not been spared. I know this firsthand.
Threats