Threats

Dunford: Six Months From Now, ISIS Will Have ‘Less Credibility’

But they — and four other major threats to the U.S. — aren’t going anywhere, the Joint Chiefs chairman says.

Science & Tech

The Russians Just Test-Fired an ICBM

Both Washington and Moscow are modernizing their nuclear arsenals, but military leaders worry that Russia is ahead.

Business

At US Nuclear Weapons Base, Mattis Signals Support for Triad

But the U.S. defense secretary stopped short of endorsing all types of new nuclear weapons in development.

Threats

Trump Administration Orders US Government To Delete All Kaspersky Software

The move follows months of warnings about the Moscow-based cybersecurity firm and speculation about its possible connections to the Kremlin.

Ideas

Russia’s Zapad-17 Has Already Succeeded

Moscow’s message of larger-than-life military power has been eagerly amplified by Western politicians and media outlets.

Science & Tech

'Every Country Should Have a Cyber War': What Estonia Learned from Russian Hacking

Estonia’s steps have certainly been radical, and other countries can learn lessons from them about how to defend themselves.

Threats

Russia's Back-to-the-80s Foreign Policy

Moscow has reprised Cold War tactics against the United States. It’s worth remembering that they didn’t work out well for the Soviet Union last time.

Ideas

How the US Can Help Ukraine Help — and Defend — Itself

When Secretary Mattis arrives for his upcoming visit, he should bring promises of arms for the military and support for anti-corruption forces and the country’s defense industry.

Business

Here Are the Jets That May Become Air Force One

The USAF has a deal in the works to turn a pair of Boeing 747 jetliners abandoned by a bankrupt Russian airline into the next presidential transport. Here’s what they look like.

Business

Trump Wanted a Cheaper Air Force One. So the USAF Is Buying a Bankrupt Russian Firm’s Undelivered 747s

The service is reportedly getting a good deal on the jets, which list for around $390 million and are now sitting in the Mojave Desert.

Threats

Counties Are on the Front Lines of Cyber War

John Allen, Marine general-turned-think-tanker, outlines how officials can protect voting machines and other vulnerable systems.

Ideas

Trump’s Ceasefire May Hand Russia the Keys to Southwestern Syria

The US must quickly send monitors to the ‘safe zones’ — or cede yet more regional influence to Moscow and Tehran.

Ideas

Ukraine Is Losing Fewer Weapons to Theft, but High-Level Corruption Persists

A member of the Independent Defence Anti-Corruption Committee says the international community must leverage its security aid to force reforms.

Ideas

Is Russia Really with Assad in Syria?

Moscow appears to be preventing a total Assad victory in a bid to boost its international standing.

Ideas

Don’t Enshrine A Russian Advantage In Surveillance Flights Over the US

Provisions in the House version of the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act would prevent the Pentagon from matching Russia’s advances in aerial photography.

Science & Tech

Russian Weapons Maker To Build AI-Directed Guns

Kalashnikov’s upcoming product shows how the US and Russia are on wildly different paths to autonomy.

Ideas

The Next Battle: State Department, US Military Divided Over Kurdish Fighters In Syria (And Russia)

Frustrated sources on the ground say the State Department is struggling to get behind the Syrian Kurds and the U.S. military would struggle to proceed without them. As for Russia, well...

Policy

As Trump and Putin Met, US and UK Defense Chiefs Discussed Ways to Deter Russia

While one part of Trump’s executive branch looks to improve relations with Moscow, another prepares for the worst.

Ideas

At Trump-Putin Meeting, Start with New START

If the treaty is allowed to disappear, so will the Pentagon’s best tools for divining facts about the Russian nuclear arsenal.