Threats

Could North Korea Shoot Down US Warplanes?

Some of Pyongyang's surface-to-air missiles are old, but its newer ones could threaten American aircraft.

Threats

Dunford: Six Months From Now, ISIS Will Have ‘Less Credibility’

But they — and four other major threats to the U.S. — aren’t going anywhere, the Joint Chiefs chairman says.

Ideas

The Trump Administration Must Stop Being Unserious about North Korea

Off-the-cuff and over-the-top threats have accelerated Kim's nuclear efforts. It's time to think, plan, coordinate — and open talks with Pyongyang.

Ideas

A Presidential Misunderstanding of Deterrence

But Trump’s bellicosity undermines his ability to deter the Kim regime’s nuclear weapons and missiles programs.

Ideas

No, We Cannot Shoot Down North Korea’s Missiles

It's time national leaders speak realistically about missile defense.

Ideas

How Black-Market Tobacco Funds the World’s Bad Actors

It’s time to focus the world’s attention on a smuggling enterprise that helps underwrite North Korea’s nukes and Taliban terror.

Threats

‘Is There Something Going On?’: On Scene at STRATCOM As North Korea Launches Missile

The head of U.S. Strategic Command is whisked to his operations center as a missile flies over Japan.

Ideas

Can North Korea Drag the US and China Into War?

History offers clues about the likely course of a dangerous dynamic in east Asia.

Ideas

What the Iran Deal Can Teach America About North Korea

If credibility depends in part on a country’s willingness to follow through on military threats, surely it also depends on whether it abides by diplomatic commitments.

Ideas

On North Korea, More Missile Defense Is Not the Answer

Buying more unreliable interceptors would be a wasteful invitation to disaster.

Ideas

South Korea Is Right

Trump has characterized its policy as “appeasement.” But Seoul’s approach is far more sensible than Washington’s.

Ideas

Building an H-Bomb in Plain Sight

Usually countries build nuclear weapons in secret—but not North Korea.

Threats

Here’s What the US Could Sell South Korea and Japan to Counter North Korea

Trump doubles the allowable size of Seoul’s warheads and promises to transfer more sophisticated weapons to Asian allies.

Ideas

The Clear Logic of the Latest North Korean Test

Kim Jong Un has a predictable purpose and a plan.

Ideas

The Quite Rational Basis for North Korea's Japan Overfly

With each new missile test, Pyongyang shakes Tokyo’s confidence in Washington, while accruing valuable data on its own capabilities.

Policy

Trump Directly Counters Mattis, Military, In Tweet on North Korea

‘Talking is not the answer!’ says president, after threatening ‘all options’ following North Korean missile-launch over Japan.

Ideas

Trump Doesn't Have the Authority to Attack North Korea Without Congress

The decision to engage in armed conflict rests with the legislative branch, a requirement that is neither a formality nor outdated.

Science & Tech

Why Didn’t the US Shoot Down That North Korean Missile?

The military’s record of hitting intermediate-range missiles is less than perfect. That makes the decision to attempt an intercept much harder.

Ideas

The North Korean Threat Beyond ICBMs

Even without them, the Kim regime can menace its immediate neighborhood—or sell nuclear material to rogue states.