Policy
Trump’s national defense strategy is unlike anything that’s come before it
It touts an end to interventionism and regime change, despite adventurism in Venezuela and Greenland.
Ideas
Defense One Radio, Ep. 202: The known perils of regime change
A scholar of civil wars warns against repeating the past mistakes from U.S. military interventions abroad.
Threats
Russian hybrid warfare has become indistinguishable from politics
The war of realities in 2026 will determine the reality of war in 2027.
Ideas
Trump’s Greenland ambitions could wreck alliances that underpin the modern world order
A former diplomat looks at the president's latest ally-shaking outburst.
Ideas
Military force can topple a dictator, but it cannot create political authority or legitimacy
Trump is the latest to reach for a military solution of the kind that rarely produces durable peace.
Policy
2025 in review: policy
A turbulent first year of the second Trump administration brought precedent-breaking security strategy and hasty cuts to the DOD workforce.
Threats
Defense One Radio, Ep. 201: Conflicts to watch in 2026
CFR's Paul Stares unpacks the latest annual survey of foreign policy experts bracing for what might lie ahead.
Ideas
On Europe, the Trump administration is out of step with Congress, Americans
Most recognize Russia as an antagonist that must be opposed—with force, if necessary.
Science & Tech