Ideas

Why National Cyber Defense Is a ‘Wicked’ Problem

Vulnerable supply chains, sloppy security, and a talent shortage made events like the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack and the SolarWinds hack all but inevitable.

Ideas

When and Why China Might—or Might Not—Attack Taiwan

U.S. policymakers can only guess at what’s driving Beijing, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing they can do about it.

Ideas

America Needs Competitive Intelligence

Agencies ought to be thinking about how to bring U.S. capabilities to bear on adversaries’ vulnerabilities, in competition as well as in conflict.

Policy

‘That’s Why I Wear the Uniform:’ Milley Calls Racial, Religious Equality His ‘North Star’

The chairman’s remarks at an ROTC commissioning come amid Pentagon efforts to address inequality in the ranks.

Business

What's In Biden’s First Budget? And How Late Will It Be?

The White House could submit its defense budget request later than any administration in at least a century.

Threats

Innovation, Software Highlighted as Priorities by Pentagon's No. 2 Civilian

Kathleen Hicks also suggested DOD still needs the cloud capabilities JEDI is supposed to provide.

Policy

US Air Force, Navy Extend 50% Work-From-Home Indefinitely

New memos suggest office space occupancy may never return to 100 percent.

Threats

US Marines May Have Lost Their ‘Amphibious Edge,’ Leaders Say

Top Marines tell Congress that after deadly AAV accident and years in Middle East, the Corps and its vehicles are unprepared for waterborne operations.

Ideas

Ten Years After Bin Laden, We Still Need Better Intelligence Sharing

Leaders should still apply the lessons we learned, when contending with China and Russia.

Policy

New Fort Hood Report May Help Change Sexual Assault Prosecutions

Spc. Vanessa Guillén’s sexual harassment was reported by three soldiers. Command failed to act.

Ideas

Teamwork Led Us to Bin Laden and Can Keep America Safe

As we look back on the Osama bin Laden raid of a decade ago, three lessons stand out.

Threats

State of Defense 2021

Our annual service-by-service look at where the U.S. military is, and where it's going.

Policy

US ‘Won’t Ignore’ Terrorism at Home or Abroad, Biden Tells Congress

The change in the threat environment is part of why American troops should withdraw from Afghanistan, the president said.

Policy

Court to Explore Whether Trump Officials Interfered in JEDI Contract

The Defense Department previously said lengthy litigation could threaten the contract’s future.

Exclusive Policy

US Army to Replace Criminal Investigations Chief In Wake of Guillen’s Death

The service’s Criminal Investigation Command has faced criticism for its lax casework on soldier deaths, assaults and suicides.

Policy

Pentagon Panel Recommends Removing Sexual Assault Cases From Chain of Command

Moving cases to an independent prosecutor is a change long-sought by victims and families failed by the current system.

Ideas

The Bloated Pentagon Budget Isn’t Just Wasteful. It’s Racist

In this era of racial reckoning, national security policy and defense budgets cannot be exempt from the scrutiny of their effects on communities of color.

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

Advocates Hope First Female Army Secretary Brings Change

Nominee Christine Wormuth has led strategy and policy at the highest levels. Can she lead cultural change as well?