Ideas
US Cyber Diplomacy Has Bigger Problems Than the Closure of its Coordination Office
The Trump administration isn’t making it a foreign policy priority.
Ideas
The US Army’s Next Big 5 Must Be Capabilities, Not New Platforms
The service’s weapons are increasingly unsuited for tomorrow’s battlefields, but there’s too little time and money to start from scratch.
Ideas
Trump’s Ceasefire May Hand Russia the Keys to Southwestern Syria
The US must quickly send monitors to the ‘safe zones’ — or cede yet more regional influence to Moscow and Tehran.
Ideas
'Dunkirk' Should Remind Us What Wars Are Like (And That We’re Still Fighting Them)
After our veterans screened the movie's powerful and familiar portrayals of combat, we think Americans should be talking more about our endless presence in Afghanistan and the multi-front war against ISIS.
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.
Ideas
If Trump Undermines the Iran Deal
A report suggests the president is looking for ways to get out of the accord. It says a lot about how he views the world.
Ideas
The End of American Support for Syrian Rebels Was Inevitable
Where the insurgency is concerned, Trump and Obama have plenty in common.
Ideas
The Myth of ISIS's Strategic Brilliance
The group has adapted to battlefield setbacks. But that doesn't mean it factored territorial losses into its master plan.
Ideas
Let the US Air Force Mature into the Space Force
Well-intentioned Congressional efforts to address problems risk trampling on existing solutions.
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.
Ideas
Ukraine Is Losing Fewer Weapons to Theft, but High-Level Corruption Persists
A member of the Independent Defence Anti-Corruption Committee says the international community must leverage its security aid to force reforms.
Ideas
Is Russia Really with Assad in Syria?
Moscow appears to be preventing a total Assad victory in a bid to boost its international standing.
Ideas
The Summer of Misreading Thucydides
There’s a delicious irony in the Trump team’s affection for the historian—who repeatedly shows how populists lead societies to ruin.
Ideas
Don’t Enshrine A Russian Advantage In Surveillance Flights Over the US
Provisions in the House version of the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act would prevent the Pentagon from matching Russia’s advances in aerial photography.
Ideas
A Mercenary-Led Surge Won’t Solve Afghanistan
Private military contractors have spotted an opportunity as America’s longest war grinds on.
Ideas
Two Years on, the Iran Deal is Working
It is true that Tehran’s behavior in the region has not improved, but the agreement has kept the regime from going nuclear.
Ideas
Trump's Syria Ceasefire Is Doomed
It may bring Russia on board, but it hardly acknowledges Iran's role in the war.
Ideas
Make It Easier for Americans to Support Military Missions Abroad
Our nonprofit organization helped US commanders provide IED detectors to Iraqis confronting ISIS. Now Congress can make it a model for agile public-private partnerships.
Ideas
We Need to Focus on Space; We Don’t Need a 'Space Corps'
The US military’s top space commander wants deeper integration and more resources, not a separate Space Corps.
Ideas