Ideas

Trump's Withdrawal from Arms Trade Treaty Could Reduce US Exports

The Arms Trade Treaty has helped keep U.S. companies competitive in the global market by requiring other countries to adopt standards similar to America's.

Ideas

ISIS Relaunches as a Global Platform

The Sri Lanka bombings were a preview of the Islamic State’s future.

Ideas

Congress Is Trying Harder at Its National-Security Job

But the legislature has a long way to go. Here are some areas of bipartisan agreement where progress should be possible.

Ideas

Counterterrorism in the Era of Great-Power Competition

A former Trump administration counterterrorism leader explains what’s changed since Obama, and what ought to come next.

Ideas

What Insurgency Will Look Like in 2030

The author of “Ghost Fleet” has some guesses — and some questions that U.S. defenders will have to answer.

Ideas

Trump's Approach to National Security: Whatever Benefits Me

This president stands apart from his government, but from Russia to DHS, his selective silence on security matters has policy effects.

Ideas

Was That a Small Nuclear Test…or Just a Football Game?

A Los Alamos mathematician explains why we need to keep improving our seismic detectors.

Ideas

Biden Enters Campaign Talking Charlottesville, But Saying Much More

The former vice president declares “a battle for the soul of this nation,” with global leadership easter eggs hidden within.

Ideas

A Warlord Rises in Libya, and Trump Is Praising Him

It's Khalifa Haftar, the Libyan general who is leading his forces against the government the U.S. still officially backs.

Ideas

All This ‘Innovation’ Won’t Save the Pentagon

The Defense Department, a hierarchy fixated on technology, is unequipped to confront a world of disruptive challenges.

Ideas

Deter? Detente? NATO Has Lessons for the North Korean Conundrum

The U.S.-ROK alliance needs a strategy that supports best-case outcomes — and hedges against worst-case scenarios.

Ideas

Recycle Your Batteries, Before China Wins That Race, Too

With global demand rising for critical and rare earth materials in new tech, it's not too late for the U.S. to secure its own sources.

Ideas

What ‘Game of Thrones’ Teaches Us About Intelligence

George R.R. Martin’s maesters are close to Kent’s ideal intelligence professional — with illuminating similarities and differences.

Ideas

Trump’s Border Obsession Is Courting Disaster

The president’s single-minded focus on immigration is shortchanging Homeland Security’s other crucial functions, from election security to emergency response.

Ideas

Brexit Heralds a Decline of Anglo-American Power

The UK’s all-but-inevitable departure from the EU may well scuttle NATO. U.S. officials must be prepared.

Ideas

Tyndall and Offutt AFBs Need More Repair Money — and Fast

US Air Force readiness will suffer if Congress doesn’t approve more funds by June.

Ideas

The US Can't Out-China China on 5G. We Need a National Strategy.

A recent report from the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Board should be a wakeup call about today's most important emerging technology.

Ideas

The US Air Force Needs F-35s, Not the F-15EX

Only about 20 percent of USAF fighters are fifth-generation aircraft. Winning tomorrow’s wars depends on growing that share faster, not slower.

Ideas

America, You're Not Listening to Us

Russia’s ambassador: We’re ready for urgently needed security dialogue — when our U.S. counterparts are ready to engage in good faith.

Ideas

Yemen Cannot Afford to Wait

The scars in the country run deep—and the U.S. shares responsibility.