The US needs more than troops at a Syrian airbase to constrain ISIS, Iran

Continued support for the SDF, plus more burden-sharing, is necessary to protect U.S. interests.

• Thomas Bergeson and Jonah Brody
• December 2, 2025

The D Brief: Shutdown nears end; Allies limit intel-sharing over boat strikes; Price tag for US occupations; Marines want multiple prototypes; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• November 12, 2025

The D Brief: Acquisition reforms, debated; Boat-strike briefing; US troops to Damascus; China’s mini drone carrier; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• November 6, 2025

The D Brief: Another boat strike; Russian jets over Estonia; F-47’s new flight date; Shutdown watch; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• September 22, 2025

The D Brief: Russia’s new tactics; Ukraine hits St. Petersburg; Boeing strike looms; M-10 aftermath; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson, Bradley Peniston and Audrey Decker
• July 28, 2025

The D Brief: DOD civilians, on the move; Ukraine-strike details; Trump’s nuke offer to Iran; Syria’s jihadis, in uniform?; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• June 3, 2025

The D Brief: ‘Full-blown meltdown’; Syrian drawdown; Russia’s Easter attacks; NDU resignation-in-protest; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• April 21, 2025

The D Brief: Allies mull nukes; Syrian breakthrough?; Base-refineries proposal; Judge demands DOGE records; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• March 11, 2025

The D Brief: DOD firings on hold, for now; Acquisition-policy shift; More US-Russia talks; Air Force One, accelerating?; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• February 21, 2025

The D Brief: Congress, DOGE seek DOD cuts; US, Russia warm ties in talks; US drones over Mexico; Nuke-stockpile workers fired, rehired; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson, Bradley Peniston and Meghann Myers
• February 18, 2025

The D Brief: Anti-ISIS ops continue; How sanctioned oil flows; DOD red-teams AI; Protecting undersea cables; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• January 7, 2025

The D Brief: Navy jet downed by US cruiser; Tech titans push tieup; Trump’s latest DOD picks; More Taiwan aid; And a bit more.

• Bradley Peniston, Audrey Decker and Ben Watson
• December 23, 2024

Assad’s fall lays the ground for wider peace—if the US can seize the moment

A key will be reshaping the role of the Kurdish militants in Syria.

• James Jeffrey
• December 20, 2024

The D Brief: Troops’ pay in jeopardy; CENTCOM’s Syria surge; Army to cut 5% of generals; USAF may trim F-35 buy; And a bit more.

• Bradley Peniston and Ben Watson
• December 20, 2024

US force in Syria is larger than previously known, Pentagon says

Military operations against ISIS are increasing, along with diplomatic outreach to the new government.

• Patrick Tucker
• December 19, 2024

The D Brief: Russian general slain in Moscow; Ukraine engages N. Korean troops; China’s wartime lessons; First Okinawa Marines move to Guam; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• December 17, 2024

The D Brief: Israel pounds Syrian military sites; Taiwan gets tanks; Will AI firms eat the Pentagon?; One dead on Fort Eisenhower; and just a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• December 16, 2024