Ideas
How Ukraine’s defense industry innovates at the speed of modern war
The reasons are far more organizational than technological.
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Don't bottleneck defense-personnel vetting with a small-business set-aside
Screening a million federal employees a year has never been a small job, and it's getting bigger.
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The National Security Council is missing in action
The Trump administration's lack of a consistent rationale for the war on Iran underscores the importance of a functioning NSC.
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Iran war shows the strategic limits of tactical strikes
A complex web of economic and geopolitical consequences are keeping victory out of reach.
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This missile just proved itself in Iran. The US needs more, ASAP
Despite its advantages, the Precision Strike Missile has so far been procured in relatively small quantities.
Ideas
Take the win. Stop the war.
Killing leaders is the easy part. The post-9/11 wars show that it’s what follows that turns into a disaster.
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The Pentagon moves into the era of affordable mass
Even as cheap drones deplete expensive air defenses near Iran, the U.S. military is working to turn the tables.
Ideas
Why the US went to war without a plan to evacuate DOD civilians, contractors, and others
A diplomatic veteran cites operational secrecy—and describes how things might have gone better.
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The US built up its missile defenses—and will need to do it again
The war against Iran has depleted stocks of vital interceptors.
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Why the US attack on Iran is unlikely to produce regime change in Tehran
A conversation with veteran diplomat Donald Heflin, a leader at Tufts University's Fletcher School.
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Expect Iranian regime to respond to US‑Israeli strikes as existential threats
The response to last year's strikes on nuclear sites was muted. Don't expect this one to be the same.
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'Mission ahead, heavens above'
Welcome to Fictional Intelligence, the first of a monthly series that explores the future through short stories.
Ideas
Pakistan’s burgeoning arms industry is a strategic opportunity for the US
A defense-industrial partnership could benefit the Pentagon while mitigating Chinese influence.
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Space-based interceptors make even less sense now
The Pentagon and its Golden Dome contractors are proposing to replace one showstopping problem with another.
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Our allies passed your test, Mr. President. Would we?
A former U.S. infantryman responds to Trump’s amnesiac take on Afghanistan.
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Bombing Iran would shore up its regime
External attacks stir up nationalism and redirect public anger outward, a “rally-around-the-flag” effect long documented by political scientists.
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Trump’s Greenland threat has already hurt US security—but far worse may come
A hostile takeover would shatter America’s key alliance, limit its military’s global reach, and invite economic reprisal.
Ideas