Ideas
Combat Leaders Go Through Hell to Learn About Risk. The Acquisition Corps Should Do the Same
One reason the “culture of innovation” hasn’t taken proper hold at the Pentagon is that its buyers aren’t trained over and over to weigh uncertainties.
Policy
Pentagon to Employees: How Can We Boost Diversity?
The request is part of Defense Secretary Mark Esper’s overhaul of personnel practices.
Ideas
Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’
The president has repeatedly disparaged the intelligence of service members, and asked that wounded veterans be kept out of military parades, multiple sources tell The Atlantic.
Ideas
Fear of a Black General?
The case of one superstar colonel doesn’t prove anything about the Marines. But the larger pattern is worrisome.
Threats
The Pandemic is Pushing the Pentagon Toward Classified Telework
The risk-averse agency has cracked small-scale remote handling of secret and top-secret information. The challenge is doing it at scale.
Policy
Top Two Homeland Security Officials Are Serving Illegally, GAO Rules
Both acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf and second in command Ken Cuccinelli were unlawfully appointed to their posts, watchdog says.
Ideas
What Do You Tell Young Americans Doubting the Military’s Moral Compass?
After scandals, pardons, and protests, military and civilian leaders have some work to do rebuilding public trust.
Policy
Defense Personnel to Get Crash Course in OpSec
But various problems have observers wondering whether it's a waste of time.
Ideas
The Real Problem With 'Politicizing the Military'
The Constitution says nothing of civilian control of the military or its expected political neutrality. How we protect those traditions needs more attention than ever.
Threats
More Than 39,000 Federal Employees Have Tested Positive for COVID-19
Nearly 1% of all federal personnel have contracted the novel coronavirus, with cases spiking in recent weeks at many agencies.
Science & Tech
Coronavirus ‘Shattered the Myth’ that Defense Civilians Can’t Telework, Official Says
The workforce's response to the pandemic is reshaping ideas about the "new normal" work setup, two Defense Department officials said.
Ideas
13 Lessons from the Crozier Controversy
A retired Navy commodore dissects how the captain mishandled the COVID-19 outbreak aboard the carrier Theodore Roosevelt.
Ideas
Trump Admin Lacks Solid Plan to Reopen Federal Offices, GAO Says
Republicans say feds should swiftly go back to work: "It’s time to take our chances," one argues.
Policy
The Pentagon's Research Chief and His Deputy Are Resigning
Michael Griffin, defense undersecretary for research and engineering, and his deputy announced their July 10 departure in an email to staff.
Threats
DHS Expands Insider-Threat Program to Cover Everyone Who Accesses Its Info
The Homeland Security Department will begin tracking all personnel—federal employees and contractors, with or without a security clearance—in the hunt for insider threats.
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
NSA Has New Guidance for Teleworking Feds
Products, and the way the NSA regards them, are changing quickly
Ideas
Milley Is Trump's Latest Reluctant Enabler
Maintaining the balance between serving the president and protecting the Constitution is impossible over time.
Ideas