Ideas

Let’s Call Trump’s Parade What it Is: Another Dangerous Attempt to Divide Us

I know a thing or two about good military ceremonies, and Trump’s parade is a bad idea.

Ideas

Nuclear Nuts: Trump's New Policy Hypes The Threat and Brings Us Closer to War

The Pentagon's Nuclear Posture Review only bends reality to fit Trump’s warped views.

Threats

America Quietly Starts Nation-Building in Parts of Syria

The U.S. has escalated its presence in the country, and has signaled no timetable for when it will end.

Policy

Mattis: Pentagon Shifting Focus to Great Power Competition — ‘Not Terrorism’

The first national defense strategy in 10 years puts on paper what Mattis, McMaster have signaled for months: the U.S. is refocused on China and Russia.

Ideas

Where We're Headed in 2018

You can bet there will be new crises, weapons, leaders, and technologies to come. And, oh yes, there will be tweets.

Ideas

What Does a Government Shutdown Mean for the Department of Defense?

Four years ago, this staffer for the defense policy undersecretary helped the Pentagon figure out the impacts of a shutdown. Hint: it wasn’t pretty.

Threats

Kaspersky Strikes Back After US Government Ban

The Russian anti-virus company wasn’t given a meaningful opportunity to defend itself, the CEO says in legal suit.

Policy

Trump Just Signed a Dire Warning about Climate Change

The 2018 NDAA acknowledges and anticipates climate change as an urgent threat, in sharp contrast to his administration’s past denials.

Policy

Five Ways the 2018 Defense Bill Will Change Pentagon IT

From a half-billion dollars for modernization to a closer look at bid protests, the NDAA may have a quick impact on defense IT.

Ideas

The Pentagon’s Next Terrorism Threat (and Solution): Kids

As ISIS-type extremism spreads, counterterrorism commanders are right to be concerned with the youth population bulge. Here’s how to turn a threat into a resource.

Policy

One Chart Showing Every Military and Civilian Pay Raise Since 1984

Since 2000, military pay raises have been either higher than or equal to civilian ones.

Ideas

Paris Pullout Shows How The US Is Shrugging Off Its Global Leadership

If America so easily tosses aside a hard-won diplomatic victory, what else is it willing to jettison?

Ideas

It Took Comfort 39 Days to Get Pierside in Puerto Rico. That's a National-Security Problem.

The hospital ship's poor utilization suggests that the US military's biomedical support doctrine needs shoring up.

Ideas

Should the US 'Send In the Marines' After Hurricanes?

The military can make a big difference right away but humanitarian deployments should generally be rare and brief.

Threats

How to Tell If North Korea and America Are Actually Headed to War

Watch what Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un do, not just what they say.

Policy

Here’s How Much of Your Taxes Have Gone To Wars

Previously unreported Pentagon data shows how much the average U.S. taxpayer has paid for combat operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and now Syria.

Ideas

How Solar Power Can Protect the US Military From Threats to the Electric Grid

Military bases usually get their electricity from the civilian grid, which is vulnerable to attack and to disaster. Solar-powered microgrids could protect national security, and would save money.