Ideas
‘Open Letter’ to Obama on Afghanistan Omits Key Questions
Staying the course won’t work if we don’t know where we’re going.
Ideas
Gray Zone: Why We’re Losing the New Era of National Security
If the U.S.-led status quo is not be to further eroded, the White House and Pentagon must jumpstart efforts to recognize and counter hybrid techniques.
Ideas
Afghanistan Needs a Settlement, Not Another Troop-Withdrawal Deadline
The U.S. objective in Afghanistan is not to leave; it is to end the war on terms Americans and Afghans can live with.
Science & Tech
‘Give Surprising New Capabilities to Old Platforms,’ Carter Tells Engineers
At a Navy R&D lab, the defense secretary reveals a deeply layered concept of 'innovation' — and a geek's love for tech.
Ideas
Naval Cooperation is More Crucial Than Ever. Here’s What It Costs.
To build key relationships, the US must be willing to trade readiness for presence and exquisite ships for numbers.
Ideas
CNO: US Navy Needs Foreign Help Against Russia, China, ISIS, Iran
The Chief of Naval Operations explains why he's working to expand and strengthen the fleet's network of partners.
Ideas
Beijing Is Setting the Stage for War in the South China Sea
China is setting itself up to be repeatedly provoked in the disputed waters—it might even be counting on it.
Ideas
To Beat ISIS, We Must Think Smaller
People become radicalized when they lack hope, jobs, and purpose. Local investments can break the cycle.
Ideas
What’s Wrong with Obama’s National Security Council?
An insider sorts the solid critiques from the amnesiac complaints.
Ideas
How Should the World Respond to Terrorism?
We invert the classic Q&A to explore the complexities influencing global responses to terrorism today.
Ideas
Let’s Not Give Suicide Bombers So Much Credit—Sometimes They Have No Strategy
The Brussels attackers may have been responding to territorial losses in Iraq and Syria, but that's not the only possible scenario.
Ideas
The Changing Logic Behind Suicide Bombings
What was once purely a strategic action has become a tactical move meant to help hold territory.
Ideas
When the Enemy Is Everywhere: The Rise and Fall of the 'Kill Box' in US Military Strategy
Once a hallmark of state-on-state conflict, simply finding oneself inside of an American kill box in today's counterterrorism wars is enough to be retroactively defined as guilty.
Ideas
Securing Syria Region-by-Region from the Bottom Up
We’re too focused on fighting ISIS and Assad and not enough on finding and uniting the Syrians who will govern after the war.
Threats
Sudan Now Spending Up to 70% of Its Budget on War
New estimate finds the northeast African nation is throwing $4 million per day at its wars in Darfur, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile.
Ideas
Three Reasons the 2017 Defense Budget Won’t Be Enough (And How to Fix It)
The responsible path is not the easy path, but there is bipartisan support for a stronger defense budget and ways to make it happen.
Threats
Carpet-Bombing Is Not How You Defeat ISIS, Pentagon Says
Top ISIS war commander dismisses Ted Cruz’s idea, says there’s nothing to gain from an indiscriminate, scorched-earth method of fighting the Islamic State.
Ideas
How ISIS Appeals to Converts — and Ex-Criminals
Understanding both sides is key to figuring out how to slow recruitment.
Threats
For the First Time, US Makes Russia's List of Top Security Threats
The document, an update of Moscow's 2009 national security strategy, also alleged an 'anti-constitutional coup d’etat' in Ukraine while leaving out any hint of the conflict in Syria.
Ideas