Threats
The Taliban Got Way Deadlier in 2019, Says Pentagon's Afghanistan IG
The group mounted 3,500 deadly or wounding attacks this summer, even as U.S. airstrikes rose.
Ideas
The Pentagon Doesn't Need a ‘Skinny’ Authorization Bill
Sen. Inhofe’s proposal for a place-holder NDAA isn’t necessary, and could be counterproductive.
Business
Price of F-35 Falls, But Not as Much As Pentagon Hoped
Defense officials say the cost of the plane’s engine is not declining as much as the airframe itself. The engine maker says it already dropped by half.
Policy
Pentagon Vows to Guard the Syrian Oil That Trump Wants to Seize
That includes warding off Syrian and Russian forces, SecDef Esper says, with murky justification under domestic and international law.
Business
Microsoft Wins Massive JEDI Cloud Contract
Amazon loses in a $10-billion upset decision after months of legal and Trump-fueled political controversy.
Threats
US Troops, Armor Will ‘Secure’ Oil Fields in Syria, Says SecDef in New Reversal
The U.S. might also maintain “one of our two airfields that are there,” said America’s envoy to Syria to lawmakers.
Business
As Secret Pentagon Spending Rises, Defense Firms Cash in
Classified spending has edged up faster than overall defense budget requests, and accounts for nearly 11 percent of the $716 billion proposed for 2020.
Policy
Esper Recuses Himself from JEDI Cloud-Contract Review
Nearly three months after he put the program on hold, the defense secretary has concluded that his son's job prevents him from overseeing it.
Business
Just One Bidder Is Vying for Two Pentagon Programs Worth $130 Billion
The defense acquisition chief is looking into the Army’s disqualification of a second bidder to replace Bradley armored vehicles.
Threats
US Intel Aircraft to Remain Over Syria As Ground Forces Pull Out
SecDef Esper heads to Mideast, NATO to talk about the future fight against ISIS.
Ideas
10 Hard Realities of America’s Next Syria Policy
The troops are leaving, but the U.S. still has regional and global interests in what happens there.
Ideas
‘Silent Warriors’ Speak Out Against Trump’s Syria Turnaround
America’s elite special operators are breaking their wall of silence like never before, 'betrayed' by Trump’s decision to pull back in Syria and erase years of hard work. But are they too late?
Threats
US Defense Secretary: I Can't Put Forces Between Turks and Kurds
Esper explained why the U.S.-backed rebels will get no air cover or other help. But he couldn't explain why U.S. troops were moved after this particular Turkish threat to invade.
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