Threats

ISIS Says Secret Weapons Await Coalition Forces In Battle for Raqqa

The terror group makes some big claims about its homegrown arsenal in the latest issue of its online magazine.

Science & Tech

Here’s How the US Military Wants to Counter ISIS Drones and Roadside Bombs

Predictive algorithms, deep machine learning, directed energy, and more are all on the Pentagon’s shopping list.

Threats

Flow of Foreign Fighters to ISIS Stopped, Trump Tactics Working, McGurk Says

In four key areas, the Trump administration is taking the fight to ISIS in a way that Obama did not, to great effect according to the policy head who worked under both.

Ideas

The Myth of ISIS's Strategic Brilliance

The group has adapted to battlefield setbacks. But that doesn't mean it factored territorial losses into its master plan.

Ideas

The Next Battle: State Department, US Military Divided Over Kurdish Fighters In Syria (And Russia)

Frustrated sources on the ground say the State Department is struggling to get behind the Syrian Kurds and the U.S. military would struggle to proceed without them. As for Russia, well...

Ideas

Voices from the Battle for Mosul: Podcast

We spoke with current and former US military officials about how Iraq and its allies broke ISIS’s nearly 3-year grip on Iraq's second city — and what comes next.

Ideas

Mosul: What the Decade's Largest Battle Says About the Future of War

Here’s how Western-backed Iraqi soldiers helped break the Islamic State’s grip on a city of more than 1 million people — and what we can learn from it.

Ideas

How ISIS Will Go On Without Mosul

Long after the city is back in the hands of the Iraqi government, it will continue to be a prop for the Islamic State—although an altogether different one.

Threats

The Islamic State’s Caliphate Is Finished in Iraq, Abadi Says

In a symbolic victory, Iraqi security forces finally took back the ancient mosque where ISIS declared its caliphate back in 2014. Other operations throughout the country are still ongoing.

Threats

Is ISIS More Violent During Ramadan?

The group has called for increased attacks during the Islamic holy month.

Threats

The United States and Russia Are Increasingly at Odds in Syria

Amid disagreements about what might come after ISIS, Moscow says its missiles will track some US aircraft as targets.

Threats

An Attack From the ISIS Playbook

The London attack seems to fit with a pattern of growing attacks on Muslims—both in Europe and in the United States.

Ideas

After Raqqa, How the US Must Adapt to ISIS

What to do when ISIS goes underground, and other things to worry about after the caliphate falls.

Threats

The US Joins the Philippines in a Battle Against ISIS

The news of the cooperation is significant, because the country’s president had previously threatened to kick out U.S. troops.

Business

Course Change: The US Air Force Now Wants to Keep the A-10, U-2, and F-15C

In a reversal, the service will not retire three Cold War-era planes still making an impact on the battlefield.

Ideas

And So It Begins: Trump, Syria, and The Lessons of Iraq

With recent 'warning shot' at Assad, the US is trying to avoid escalation in Syria, not stoke it, sources say.

Threats

New Tactics, Quicker Decisions Are Helping to ‘Annihilate’ ISIS, Pentagon Says

The military’s top leaders credit Trump for delegating authority and directing efforts to surround ISIS fighters.

Threats

US Forces Aren’t Working With Russians Against ISIS, SOCOM Chief Says

But information-sharing with coalition partners has never been better, says the general in charge of special operations troops.

Science & Tech

The Pentagon’s New Algorithmic Warfare Cell Gets Its First Mission: Hunt ISIS

Turning hours of drone video into actionable intelligence is just the start for the fast-moving machine-learning team.