Policy
Why US Officials Say Trump is Flexing on Foreign Policy
“Trump has been Trump in foreign policy—but the safety nets are gone,” said one senior national security official, of the president’s Syria decision.
Ideas
Retired Senior Military Officers Unload on Trump
The commander in chief is impulsive, disdains expertise, and gets his intelligence briefings from Fox News. What does this mean for those on the front lines?
Ideas
The Syrian Democratic Forces Chief Just Called Me. Here’s What He Said.
“This is going to jeopardize all the achievements we've made with the coalition against ISIS,” said Mazlum Abdi.
Ideas
The US Government Keeps Too Many Secrets
American officials classify too much information, from the trivial to the politically inconvenient. The overreliance on secrecy invites abuse.
Policy
Pentagon’s Top Lawyer to Review All Ukraine-Aid Documents
But a DoD spokesman still won’t say when the department was told about the aid freeze at the heart of the impeachment inquiry.
Ideas
The Hidden Damage of Trump’s Secret War in Somalia
Terrorist activity is not discernably declining, even as U.S. military activity and alleged civilian deaths rise.
Science & Tech
It's Official: The Pentagon Now Runs the Security Clearance Process
The newly renamed Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency now handles 95% of the government’s background investigations.
Ideas
The Strangely Quiet Visit of Germany’s New Defense Minister
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer’s do-little trip to Washington shows the uncertain state of U.S.-German relations.
Ideas
Why the Whistle Was Blown
The National Security Council’s procedures are a practical manifestation of values—and Trump’s disregard for NSC rules reflects his rejection of those values.
Ideas
How ‘National Security’ Took Over America
When the two-word phrase became a national obsession, it turned everything from trade rules to dating apps into a potential threat to the United States.
Policy
Trump’s New Joint Chiefs Chair Is A Savvy Political Operator
The question is: how will Gen. Mark Milley work with the U.S. president?
Ideas
Acting DNI Shows Why Generals and Admirals Should Not Become Top Civilians
Joseph Maguire, a retired three-star, was all too desperate to find a higher civilian authority whose orders to obey.
Threats
Pentagon Caught In The Middle Of Trump's Ukraine Scandal
Some presidential allies want to hang the security-aid freeze on the Defense Department. There’s no evidence for that.
Science & Tech
Pentagon Wants AI to Interpret ‘Strategic Activity’ Around the Globe
The Defense Innovation Unit is seeking commercial tools to glean insights from global news outlets, social media platforms, and other publicly available resources.
Threats
Pentagon, Pompeo Diverge on Saudi-Oil Attacks
Defense officials say they won’t get ahead of Saudi Arabian investigators. The Secretary of State blames Iran.
Policy
Trump Names Robert O’Brien His 4th National Security Advisor
A lawyer by trade, former Bush delegate at the UN, and campaign advisor to Mitt Romney and Scott Walker, O’Brien has been serving as special envoy for hostage affairs.
Ideas
The US Military is Not, and Can Never Be, Afghanistan’s Police
If we were 'almost a police force' in Afghanistan, we already would have won.
Policy
Mike Pompeo Is Bigger Than the Pentagon — For Now
“I think that Pompeo is now running foreign policy in the Trump administration in the way that Cheney ran it in the Bush administration,” said one analyst.
Business
70 Percent of Americans Say Arms Sales Make US Less Safe
A recent Chicago Council survey shows the Trump administration out of step with public opinion.
Ideas