Ideas
The President Is Winning His War on American Institutions
How Trump is destroying the civil service and bending the government to his will.
Threats
US' Afghanistan Drawdown Will Continue Amid Taliban Violence, Pentagon Says
“I would caution everybody to think that there’s going to be an absolute cessation of violence in Afghanistan — that is probably not going to happen,” Milley said.
Science & Tech
Pentagon Taps Leader to Implement New AI Ethics
It's Alka Patel, a lawyer who has been working for the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center.
Ideas
Top 5 Things to Watch in Congress' 2021 Defense Budget Hearings
On Wednesday, military and civilian leaders of the Defense Department will testify before Congress on their $705 billion budget request for 2021.
Ideas
The US Intelligence Community Is Caught in a Collector’s Trap
The information haystack in which we search for useful needles is growing faster than we could ever catch up. Gathering more hay isn't the answer.
Ideas
It’s Time to Talk About Taiwan
Washington’s longstanding policy of strategic ambiguity is increasingly likely to inflame the kind of crisis it was meant to deter.
Policy
Pentagon Defends Handling Of Traumatic Brain Injuries In Iranian Attack
TBI symptoms are often “nonspecific,” the Joint Staff surgeon said.
Ideas
The American Public Wants a Sustainable Middle East Policy
Despite the mainstream narrative presenting a deep lack of appetite for another war in the Middle East, the United States will never be able to ignore the region completely.
Policy
Esper Plays Nuclear War: Russia Nukes Europe, US Fires Back
The defense secretary took part in a classified drill at U.S. Strategic Command this week.
Policy
Nothing’s ‘Irreversible,’ But the Pentagon’s New Bureaucracies Aim to Come Close
As budget hearing season gets underway, expect to hear a lot about "irreversible implementation" of changes toward great power competition.
Policy
Defense Policy Chief Ousted By White House
A Pentagon spokesman said he had “no information” that John Rood was fired for his role in Trump’s Ukraine scandal.
Policy
DHS to Waive Contracting Rules to Build Border Wall Faster
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf is using a 2005 law to override certain requirements.
Policy
Will Trump’s Afghanistan Peace Deal Win Him Votes?
"I would not say that Afghanistan looms over American politics now the way that Iraq did,” said one analyst.
Ideas
America Is Alone in Its Cold War With China
If the Trump administration is truly going all-in on competition with Beijing, it’s not clear that Trump himself is fully on board. Nor, it’s now clear, are several of America’s closest friends.
Science & Tech
Expect 75 Recommendations to Improve Security, Plus Proposed Laws, from Congress' Cyber Commission
Rep. Jim Langevin says he and his fellow commissioners will propose streamlining Congressional oversight, incident reporting by industry, and more.
Policy
Esper Says White House 'Never' Pressured Him on JEDI
Denying claims that Trump meddled, Defense Secretary Mark Esper says he alone chose to review the $10 billion cloud contract.
Threats
US Agrees to Reduce Forces in Afghanistan ‘If Taliban Live up To Their Commitments’
The tests will begin with a seven-day ceasefire to start “very soon,” a senior U.S. administration official told reporters.
Ideas
Trump's Former Chief of Staff, John Kelly, Finally Lets Loose
The retired Marine general explained, in the clearest terms yet, his misgivings about Trump’s behavior regarding North Korea, immigration, and Ukraine.
Policy