Ideas
Women are Critical to Ending Wars—and the Trump Administration Agrees
A new law should kickstart long-overdue efforts to include more women in peace and security leadership roles.
Science & Tech
Telegram: Hackers in China Disrupted Service During Hong Kong Protests
Bogus signals inundated an encrypted-messaging service that helped demonstrators coordinate, the company says.
Ideas
There’s Too Little Outcry When a Government Blocks the Internet
For its own citizens’ safety, and for grand strategy’s sake, the U.S. government needs to up the pressure.
Science & Tech
US Seeks Technology to Help Allies Avoid Bombing Civilians
Pentagon officials are looking for tools and methods that can be declassified and shared with international partners.
Ideas
Trump Signs Executive Order to Boost Federal Cyber Workforce
Initiatives include cyber aptitude assessments for agency insiders and a President’s Cup cybersecurity competition.
Ideas
Protecting Civilians Still Matters in Great-Power Conflict
It’s easy to see why counterinsurgency campaigns tread carefully around local bystanders. It’s no less important in larger-scale war.
Ideas
Bring a Measure of Justice to the End of the Afghanistan War
An Iraq War veteran reminds us of the debt owed to Afghans who helped American troops.
Ideas
Four Steps to Fix the Security Clearance Backlog
Clearance delays are hurting the aerospace industry — and national security.
Science & Tech
Police-Grade Surveillance Technology Comes to the Playground
After Parkland, schools are installing gunshot-detection systems typically used in cities like Oakland and Chicago. But are they worth the expense?
Ideas
Let’s Talk about Food — and What Happens In a Crisis
Sweden is telling its citizens to be ready to feed themselves for a week. Other nations should follow suit.
Ideas
What Austria Can Teach the US About Civil-Military Relations
I was raised in a culture in which soldiering is seen as just another dangerous profession.
Ideas
Bridging America's Civil-Military Gap — At Sea
As a former senior defense official, I wanted to help my undergraduate students learn about the military. Fortunately, so did several of my veteran shipmates.
Science & Tech
Anti-Terrorist Technology Has a New Target: Immigrants
In a trend begun under Obama, the use of gear designed for foreign battlefields is increasingly coming home.
Policy
Trump Budget Includes 1.9 Percent Pay Raise for Civilians, Retirement Cuts
Military personnel would see a 2.1 percent pay increase in 2018 under the proposal.
Science & Tech
Here's a Look at New Exosuits for the Civilian World
After years of tinkering and military adventures, the first exoskeleton suits are finally walking out of the lab and into the market.
Ideas
The 'Civilian Control of the Military' Fallacy
Retired officers like James Mattis who are nominated for civilian posts should be judged on their merits—not disqualified on the basis of their past service.
Ideas
Carter Proposes 'Huge' Pentagon Personnel System Overhaul
The defense secretary unveiled major proposals that would reform the military's 'up or out' promotion system and allow civilian recruiters to bypass the traditional federal hiring process.
Ideas
Why Is the US Military Short-Staffing Its Sickest Children?
The military health-care system serves 2 million children with just a handful of full-time pediatric social workers. In the civilian world, this kind of staffing is 'unimaginable.'
Business
The Pentagon's New Grading System for Civilians May Take Even Longer to Get Started
Six years after Congress mandated it, the U.S. military says it's ready to test a new way to assess its civilian workers. But a federal union claims the test-run will be deeply flawed.
Ideas