Ideas

Naval Task Groups Are Proliferating in the Indo-Pacific

France’s aircraft carrier is back in the region, leading a small flotilla, and it’s not alone.

Ideas

A Stain on the Honor of the Navy

In acceding to a White House request to cover the name of the USS John S. McCain, officers and officials revealed a rot within the service.

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.

Ideas

Mueller: Russia Interfered, Trump Obstructed. Now It’s Up to Congress.

Read our report, says the special counsel: the evidence does not exonerate the president.

Ideas

The Leading Narratives on War-Crimes Pardons Are Wrong

Troops are not merely victims of war, nor do pardons destroy justice. But there’s a deeper threat here.

Ideas

Trump Pushes Army Corps of Engineers to Hire a Favored Firm

The president should not be pressing military leaders to award a contract to a company controlled by a political ally that has failed to meet standards.

Ideas

Doping Soldiers So They Fight Better – Is It Ethical?

The U.S. military is constantly using technology to build better ships, warplanes, guns, and armor. Shouldn’t it also use drugs to build better soldiers?

Ideas

The US Navy Didn’t Take My Reporting Seriously

Emails obtained using a FOIA request reveal how naval officers really feel about critical reporting.

Ideas

Treat Guantanamo Detainees in the United States

There’s no other practical way to fulfill our moral and legal obligations toward our prisoners.

Ideas

How Is Iran Worse Than Saudi Arabia?

A rational foreign policy would view Tehran as a normal regional power jockeying with equally sharp-elbowed foes. 2020 Democrats can lead the way.

Ideas

In the Pacific, US Army Must Be a Running Back Who Blocks

Joint success in the world’s largest theater requires the service to accept supporting roles, an Army War College study finds.

Ideas

Can Congress Use Fines to Pry Loose the Full Trump-Russia Report?

The legal framework governing situations such as this is seldom used and little known.

Ideas

Great Power Rivalry Is Also a War For Talent

China’s military is working harder to find and keep good people. The U.S. must step up its own efforts.

Ideas

Time to Pull US Nuclear Weapons Out of Turkey

Storing nuclear weapons close to trouble is a bad idea, and giving Ankara a shared finger on the nuclear trigger is rapidly losing its charm.

Ideas

Take It From an Iraq War Supporter—War With Iran Would Be a Disaster

It would mean repeating a mistake, only on a much bigger scale: without allies, without justification, and without any plan at all.

Ideas

The US Should Be Strengthening Deterrence. The Opposite Is Happening.

Instead of debating no-first-use policies and other potential advancements, Trump is undermining an alliance system built over decades.

Ideas

Who Wins When US-Iran Tensions Rise? China

The Sino-Iranian relationship advances Chinese interests — and particularly when Washington tries to turn the screws on Tehran.

Ideas

Trump’s Counter-Iran Moves Are Provocative, But They’re Not War

Truly bad messaging is undermining trust among allies and the American public — and increasing the chance of accidental escalation.

Ideas

The Next ‘South China Sea’ Is Covered in Ice

The State Department will soon have a permanent presence in Greenland for the first time since the 1950s.

Ideas

Russia Has Americans’ Weaknesses All Figured Out

Election interference is one front in Moscow’s larger campaign to undermine the U.S. without prompting a military response.