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
Two Cheers for Esper’s Plan to Reassert Civilian Control of the Pentagon
One might believe that leaving more decisions to uniformed experts would depoliticize policy. The opposite is true.
Ideas
Coming Soon to a Battlefield: Robots That Can Kill
Tomorrow’s wars will be faster, more high-tech, and less human than ever before. Welcome to a new era of machine-driven warfare.
Ideas
The Mattis Two-Step
The forever general’s attempt to "stay out of politics" is bringing him right into it.
Science & Tech
Pentagon, NSA Prepare to Train AI-Powered Cyber Defenses
The giant effort starts by trying to standardize data across the Defense Department's sprawling IT ecosystem.
Threats
US Wargames to Try Out Concepts for Fighting China, Russia
Joint Staff-led exercises will test new communications gear and new ideas for getting past “industrial-age” synchronization of forces.
Ideas
Women Help Prevent Terrorism. Congress Should Encourage the Pentagon to Pay Attention
Here’s a list of related House provisions that should be part of 2020's final authorization bill.
Ideas
The Man Who Couldn’t Take It Anymore
“I had no choice but to leave,” James Mattis says of his decision to resign as President Trump’s secretary of defense.
Ideas