Ideas
Does the Pentagon’s Checkbook Diplomacy Actually Work?
We know more about waste and corruption than about whether DoD's preferential procurement produces the desired results.
Ideas
Congress Has Less Than a Month to Ward Off Needless Harm to the US Military
The ranking member of the House’s Defense Appropriations panel lays out how it would hurt to start fiscal 2021 with a continuing resolution.
Ideas
Ending Accompanied Tours to the Gulf Is a Message Delivered at a Cost
The Pentagon wants Iran — and U.S. allies — to pay close attention to its decision to keep troops' families out of the region.
Threats
Navy to Punish Fired Captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt
In a reversal, the service’s top officer says further investigation revealed lapses in Capt. Brett Crozier’s judgment and actions aboard his COVID-stricken ship.
Science & Tech
Bipartisan Senate Bill Seeks to Boost Pentagon AI Talent
Step one: teach the Defense Department's HR staff to find and hire experts in artificial intelligence.
Ideas
COVID-19 Is Forcing Hard Cybersecurity Choices
Pandemic relief spending will likely prevent the implementation of most of the Cybersecurity Solarium Commission’s recommendations. Here’s how to prioritize them.
Ideas
What Big Tech Wants Out of the Pandemic
The firms are all too eager to help the government manage the coronavirus crisis.
Ideas
Milley Is Trump's Latest Reluctant Enabler
Maintaining the balance between serving the president and protecting the Constitution is impossible over time.
Ideas
Why Soldiers Might Disobey the President’s Orders to Occupy US Cities
Because it might be their duty to do so. Two ethicists at Navy schools explain.
Business
Pentagon Starts Bailing Out Companies That have Lost Business Due to Coronavirus
The Defense Department is sending millions of dollars to keep companies afloat, and more deals are expected.
Ideas
Milley's Chance to Right His ‘Mistake’
The Joint Chiefs chairman now says he was wrong to walk with the president. Will he survive to push back a second time?
Business
The Pentagon Can’t Afford All of the Weapons It Wants, New Report Says
Based on projected funding levels, the military will be forced to choose winners and losers among its priority projects.
Ideas
This is Not a Civil-Military Crisis
Recent statements by uniformed leaders are anodyne expressions about U.S. law. Those by retired four-stars are more problematic.
Policy
The Generals Are Speaking Up. Is That a Good Thing?
Scholars are warning about what others are celebrating as a necessary corrective to a commander in chief gone wrong.
Business
CEOs of Major Defense Companies Speak Out About Racism, Call for Unity
In many cases, their internal messages and social media posts went out days before military leaders issued their own calls for reflection.
Threats
Service Chiefs Acknowledge Racism in the Ranks, Pledge Dialogue, Change
After days of civil unrest and several Esper missteps, each one of the service branch chiefs has begun to speak out.
Ideas
James Mattis Denounces Trump as a Threat to the Constitution
In an extraordinary condemnation, the former defense secretary backs protesters and says the president is trying to turn Americans against one another.
Policy
Esper Opposes Insurrection Act Use
Trump has threatened to invoke the act in order to use active duty troops to police protests.
Ideas