Policy

Milley, McKenzie detail mistakes that led to Afghan evacuation chaos

The retired generals blamed the State Department for the debacle at Hamid Karzai airport. But it’s not that simple.

Threats

Foreign abusers of commercial spyware hit with new visa restrictions

The Biden administration is hoping to deter the use of advanced surveillance tools.

Business

2023 sees new record for US government-to-government arms exports, boosted by Ukraine aid

The year’s $80.9 billion total for Foreign Military Sales is up more than half from the previous year.

Threats

US approving arms for Israel ‘case-by-case,’ State official says

Stan Brown says Ukraine, Israel aren’t generally competing for similar weapons aid.

Threats

U.S. government shutdown could slow weapons transfers to Ukraine, Taiwan

Contracting and arms transfer vetting departments may not be able to process new requests.

Ideas

The Pentagon is the wrong agency to lead the new US deterrence strategy

If integrated deterrence is to succeed, the hammer must not be the tool of first resort.

Defense Systems

State Department Worries About Cyber Vulnerabilities Amid Debt Debate

The department wants to spend nearly $1 billion on cybersecurity in 2024 to improve networks and communications devices.