Threats
The US Is Helping the Taliban Fight ISIS, CENTCOM's Top General Says
Gen. McKenzie turned heads with testimony about “very limited support” for an enemy who is also an enemy of an enemy.
Ideas
We Can Still Avoid the Worst-Case Coronavirus Scenario
The spread of COVID-19 may be inevitable, but the choices we make now will determine how bad the outbreak will get.
Policy
As Taliban Attack, Esper and Milley Downplay 'Mixed' Results of Peace Deal
Joint Chiefs chairman argued before Congress that the Taliban’s “small low-level” attacks on Afghan forces don't violate their four-day-old agreement with the United States.
Policy
Exclusive: House Bill Tries To Force Trump To Keep Troops In Africa
The legislation from Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., raises constitutional concerns but might still be a useful messaging tool for lawmakers.
Policy
The Biggest Change In a Sanders Administration Might Be a New Definition For ‘Hostilities’
If Sanders sticks with his own precedent in the Senate, he could reshape American military engagement.
Ideas
The President Is Winning His War on American Institutions
How Trump is destroying the civil service and bending the government to his will.
Policy
A New Nuclear Warhead? STRATCOM Chief Can’t Answer Yes or No
The W93 has been the focus of questions since it appeared in the 2021 budget proposal.
Policy
Lawmakers Fire Back at Trump’s Plan to Divert Military Funds to Border Wall
But the bipartisan team of Smith and Thornberry have attracted few other GOPers to the effort.
Ideas
Top 5 Things to Watch in Congress' 2021 Defense Budget Hearings
On Wednesday, military and civilian leaders of the Defense Department will testify before Congress on their $705 billion budget request for 2021.
Threats
NATO Has ‘Growing Realization’ About Risks of Using Huawei Gear, Top General Says
But USAF’s Wolters offered no evidence that U.S. officials are persuading allies to shun Chinese 5G networking products.
Policy
Nothing’s ‘Irreversible,’ But the Pentagon’s New Bureaucracies Aim to Come Close
As budget hearing season gets underway, expect to hear a lot about "irreversible implementation" of changes toward great power competition.
Policy
Defense Policy Chief Ousted By White House
A Pentagon spokesman said he had “no information” that John Rood was fired for his role in Trump’s Ukraine scandal.
Threats
Graham Denies Threatening To Make Esper’s Life ‘Hell’ If He Cuts AFRICOM Troops
“No, I never said that,” Graham said in a brief phone call with Defense One. “It was a good conversation.”
Science & Tech
Expect 75 Recommendations to Improve Security, Plus Proposed Laws, from Congress' Cyber Commission
Rep. Jim Langevin says he and his fellow commissioners will propose streamlining Congressional oversight, incident reporting by industry, and more.
Ideas
The Corrosion of World Order in the Age of Donald Trump
Can the world still work together to address today’s most pressing global challenges?
Policy
Trump Targets Major Weapons Projects To Fund Wall
The funds will be drawn mainly from procurement for major programs like the F-35 fighter jet. $1.3 billion will come from the National Guard alone.
Policy
DOD's 2021 Budget Would Trim Arsenal, Shift Funds To Arms Development
Some experts say the budget proposal assumes a worrying amount of near-term risk.
Ideas
Trump's Attacks on Public Servants Are Hurting America
Self-dealing and disdain for public service reinforce the autocratic conceit that democratic systems are no better than dictatorial ones, and undermine our biggest advantage.
Ideas
Overspending on the Pentagon Won’t Make Us Safer
We spend far more on the military than the countries we most fear, while shorting the things that would actually help us compete.
Policy