Ideas
Congress Should Demand Wiser, Not More, War Spending
There’s too much slush in the supplemental, as shown by the fourfold jump in spending per deployed servicemember.
Policy
Overhaul Veterans Care by Working with More Private-Sector Firms, Panel Says
The Commission on Care's final report declines to recommend stripping the Veterans Health Administration of its status as a government agency.
Policy
No, Rubio, ISIS Attacks Are Not About 'Hating Freedom’
If they were, Turkey wouldn’t be a target.
Policy
GOP Criticizes US Military for Slow Response to Benghazi; New Detail In Latest Finding
House Republicans found no evidence of wrongdoing by then-State Secretary Hillary Clinton, only criticizing administration officials for being unprepared to respond more quickly.
Science & Tech
US Homeland Security Could Get Its Own Cyber Defense Agency
A panel of House lawmakers want to turn the existing National Protection and Programs Directorate into the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Agency.
Policy
A Judge Shouldn’t Force Congress to Debate War
Feckless lawmakers are certainly ducking one of their most solemn duties. But a soldier’s lawsuit won't fix things.
Policy
Soldier Takes Obama to Court Over War on ISIS
A U.S. Army officer stationed in Kuwait argues the president has violated the War Powers Resolution in a case that carries major constitutional implications for the White House.
Science & Tech
The Supreme Court Just Expanded the FBI's Hacking Powers
The new changes will go into effect in December unless Congress votes to override them, which doesn't appear likely.
Threats
The NSA Has No Idea How Many Americans It’s Spying On
Lawmakers, who are being asked to approve FBI access to wiretapped data, want some basic answers first.
Ideas
Wishing for a US-Made Heavy Lift Rocket Won’t Make It So
If Congress really wants to ditch Russia’s RD-180 engine, it needs to fund the research — and get ready to wait.
Threats
Lawmakers Want the Pentagon's Red Team Hackers to Be More Like China and Iran
It's all part of a push to make training more realistic and much more frequent, year by year.
Science & Tech
Want More F-22s? Here’s What That Would Take
Congress is inquiring about restarting the Raptor production line, cold for almost five years now.
Ideas
Things Lawmakers Should Do Before They Complain About Military Readiness
A few common-sense Congressional actions would go a long way toward funding troops’ preparedness.
Science & Tech
How the Senate Encryption Bill Resembles Chinese Law (And How it Does Not)
The legislation would bring the U.S. jurisprudence into greater harmony with China.
Ideas
Don’t Let the Pentagon Become the Next Enron
Bad financial assumptions and unwillingness to make hard choices threaten to undermine national security.
Business
Carter Seeks New Powers for Joint Chiefs, Top Commanders in War on Terrorism
Obama’s defense secretary unveils his Goldwater-Nichols reform plan, and the most sweeping changes to the military's top command in a generation.
Ideas
Keep America's Top Military Officer Out of the Chain of Command
I lived through Goldwater-Nichols. Congress should know why it's still a bad idea to give the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who advises the president, that kind of power.
Policy
Why Is The Pentagon’s Personnel-Reform Chief Stepping Down? It’s Complicated
Even before Brad Carson got beat up on Capitol Hill, he was ensnared in a Catch-22.
Ideas
Do ‘Guardian Forces’ Belong in the Military?
More and more national security workers in and out of uniform never get close to combat. It's time to rethink their place in the system.
Business