Ideas
A $13 Billion Contract for ICBMs: What’s the Rush?
The deal needs closer scrutiny — as does the purported need for new long-range ballistic missiles at all.
Ideas
To Deter China, Extend New START
A new arms race with Russia will drain funds from the forces that influence and deter Beijing.
Ideas
The US Navy Has Drifted Badly Off Course
Three main failures are imperiling the sea service, writes the service’s former chief learning officer.
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The Pentagon Is Funding the Destruction of Cultural Heritage
Construction of Trump’s border wall is undermining not just sacred sites but the rule of law itself.
Ideas
Esper's Convenient Lie
The defense secretary's claim that the two decades of countering violent extremism left the U.S. under-prepared for a near-peer fight doesn’t hold water.
Ideas
The Air Force Needs a New Non-Stealthy Bomber
There are important things the B-1 and B-52 do that the B-21 won’t.
Ideas
Nobody Wants America to Rule the World
Foreign confidence in the U.S. is sinking even faster than the share of Americans who see the benefits of engagement beyond our borders.
Ideas
Combat Leaders Go Through Hell to Learn About Risk. The Acquisition Corps Should Do the Same
One reason the “culture of innovation” hasn’t taken proper hold at the Pentagon is that its buyers aren’t trained over and over to weigh uncertainties.
Ideas
Stumbling Out of the Middle East is No Better Than Stumbling In
It is tempting for the United States to just throw in the towel, pull troops, and abandon allies. More important is understanding what the U.S. strategy toward the Middle East should be.
Ideas
Alexander Vindman: Trump Is Putin’s ‘Useful Idiot’
In his first interview, a key witness in the impeachment trial says Trump goes out of his way to try to please the Russian president.
Ideas
Selling F-35s to the Middle East was Never Going to be Easy
To do it, and preserve Israel’s advantage, Trump must reinvigorate the consultative arms sales process with Congress.
Ideas
The Fog of the Pandemic Is Returning
Millions of coronavirus tests may be happening without their results being made public.
Ideas
How Putin Got Into America’s Mind
He learned the art of destabilizing his opponents from the Stasi, East Germany’s secret police.
Ideas
Donald Is No Dove
The president’s criticism of military contractors is belied by his commitment to fattening their pockets.
Ideas
What Abe Leaves Behind
The security issues facing Japan remain unchanged. Abe's likely successor, Yoshihide Suga, may be forced to confront them on his very first day.
Ideas
America Is Trapped in a Pandemic Spiral
As the U.S. heads toward the winter, the country is going round in circles, making the same conceptual errors that have plagued it since spring.
Ideas
19 Years After 9/11, Politicians Need to Stop Overhyping Threats
From China to disinformation, our fear of fear itself is tearing us apart and making us less safe.
Ideas
Could Trump Deploy US Cyber Command Against Protestors?
It’s time to set better limits on the U.S. military’s ability to operate against Americans.
Ideas
Assessing Trump’s National Security Record
How has he done against four main threats our nation faces?
Ideas