Ideas
Trump's terror-prevention cuts leave Americans exposed
Since February, at least five government offices devoted to countering violent or terrorist groups have been slashed or shuttered.
Ideas
How big will China’s nuclear arsenal get?
No one knows, but we can game out potential endpoints of Beijing’s buildup.
Ideas
Consolidate NORTHCOM and SOUTHCOM
The arbitrary division of the Western Hemisphere creates an exploitable seam we can no longer afford.
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Lessons from this year’s unfunded priority lists
Just 15% of the value would go toward near-term readiness.
Ideas
How to write a defense strategy that sticks
Seek clarity always, specificity sometimes—and produce a yardstick that can be used to measure decisions.
Ideas
‘Fund first, ask questions later’ is a bad way to go
Handing $156 billion to the Pentagon with no clear plan invites not just waste but danger. Here's why.
Ideas
Who should coordinate Europe’s defense buildup?
The best candidate, at least for the near term, has granular understanding of existing forces and informal links to suppliers.
Ideas
‘The Bomb Lady’ shows how immigrants power national defense
Just when the United States should be nurturing this source of strength, we are doing the opposite.
Ideas
To build 'peace through strength,' restore this pillar of US power
Administration cuts are breaking the federal-academic partnership that incubates U.S. technology and talent.
Ideas
The Trump administration’s lie-detector campaign is more likely to hurt than help national security
Pseudo-scientific polygraph tests may discourage internal candor and divert investigative energy while failing to stop leaks.
Ideas
How the National Guard’s domestic missions build deterrence
The Guard’s citizen-soldiers and -airmen boost American resiliency, complicating any adversary’s calculations.
Ideas
Defense reconciliation bill begins rebuild and transformation of our military
The cost of deterring war will always be dwarfed by the cost of fighting one.
Ideas
The Army’s role in the Pacific
Deterrence can’t be achieved with maritime or air systems alone.
Ideas
What the R&D budget proposal says about the future of war
The Pentagon’s research-and-development section heralds several quiet, monumental shifts.
Ideas
The Israel-Iran war may have saved both countries’ embattled leaders
External threats tend to heal internal divisions—and shatter dreams of “regime change.”
Ideas
The White House is looking for savings in the wrong place
The main acquisition challenge isn’t how the military buys weapons, but what it aims to do with them.
Ideas
Why Saturday's strike on Iran was perfectly timed
The president waited until Israel set the conditions for success.
Ideas