Threats
State of Defense 2021
Our annual service-by-service look at where the U.S. military is, and where it's going.
Ideas
Why the US Military Is Leading the Charge on 5G
It’s not unlike the way that the armed forces invested in radar technology during World War II.
Ideas
Countering China’s Military Challenge, Today
Denying the PLA its objectives in the 2020s requires diversification, distribution, and resiliency across posture and mission.
Policy
Trump-era Efforts to Boost Military Readiness Produced Mixed Results, GAO Finds
New report adds fuel to debate over how to conceive of and measure readiness.
Policy
‘It’s Time to End the Forever War’: Biden Announces Withdrawal from Afghanistan
As for the idea that U.S. troops on the ground would produce a solution: “We gave that argument a decade.”
Policy
US, NATO Troops to Withdraw from Afghanistan by 9/11, US Official Says
Decision for a September pullout follows “rigorous policy review.”
Ideas
US Army’s Plan Needlessly Duplicates Air Force Strike Capabilities
The service would do better to follow the Marines’ path toward specialization.
Ideas
Let’s Get Real About US Military ‘Dominance’
American strategists need to drop the assumption that the U.S. military will be the superior force in any given situation.
Science & Tech
A Marine Logistics Base May Be the Warehouse of the Future
Virginia Tech researchers aim to use 5G networks to track items as they come and go.
Policy
Americans’ Trust in Military Is Declining, Survey Finds
Yet people still trust the military more than six other U.S. institutions.
Defense Systems
GAO: Vague contract language hampers weapons systems' cybersecurity
The Government Accountability Office found that missing or vague cybersecurity requirements in acquisitions contracts for weapons systems often led to DOD getting a system that didn't meet its security needs.
Ideas
Four Ways US Naval Forces Should Be More Assertive
Non-aggressive assertiveness can achieve long-term advantages and have strategic effects.
Science & Tech
DOD’s Smart Warehouse-Enabling 5G Network Underway
An initial demonstration should occur this summer, an official said.
Ideas