Ideas
The St. Petersburg Bombing Brings Russia Face-to-Face with Transnational Terror
An immigrant from Central Asia kills 14, and forces Moscow to rethink its counterterrorism strategies.
Ideas
Attacks on Russia Will Only Increase
Its entanglements across the Middle East will come with a deadly price.
Ideas
The Idea of ISIS Will Outlive the Caliphate
Despite claiming responsibility for attacks like the one in London, the group is dying. It will retain the ability to inspire.
Ideas
The US Should Steer Clear of Russian ‘Help’ in Syria
Until Moscow decides that working to reduce radicalization is more important than propping up Assad, the anti-ISIS coalition doesn’t need its help.
Threats
How the Rise of Electronics Has Made Smuggling Bombs Easier
New restrictions on flights from the Middle East reflect how just about anything with power can be turned into an explosive.
Ideas
America Is Facing a Dangerous Enemy. We Just Can’t Agree Who It Is
Our ideological adversary is powerful, authoritarian, and spreading. And it is completely different depending on which government officials you’re talking to.
Policy
'Winning' or Not, Trump Doesn't Seem to Be Listening To His Generals
Based on what he says, Trump already is defying his generals. The real test is what he actually does.
Science & Tech
Counter-Terror Chief: Expect Terrorist Drone Swarms 'Soon'
An upcoming competition will spotlight systems for downing enemy UAVs attacking solo or in groups.
Business
Air Force Buys Mysterious Israeli Weapon to Kill ISIS Drones
What is this secret weapon? Pentagon officials aren’t saying, but here are some clues.
Science & Tech
The Man who led the Syrian Train-and-Equip Effort Wants A Cultural Translation App
The complex, delicate missions of today and tomorrow need a better way to bring fused intelligence to operators.
Ideas
So, American Mass Shooters and Islamic Terrorists Do Have Something in Common
'It’s the same psychological phenomenon, different culture war.'
Ideas
Take Off the Pentagon’s Gloves in the ISIS War? Not So Fast.
Policies intended to reduce civilian harm didn’t arise out of elite Washington think tanks or academia; they arose from the military’s own lessons learned.
Ideas
Beyond Yemen, the Ghost of Anwar al-Awlaki Will Long Haunt US Forces
The enduring propaganda value of a martyr.
Ideas
Trump’s Dangerous 'Dishonest' Message to the Troops
It’s politics when a candidate disparages “the media.” But it’s potentially dangerous when the commander in chief tells U.S. troops not to trust the reporters who cover them.
Threats
Afghanistan Needs ‘Thousands’ More Troops, US General Says
The commander of U.S. forces there lays the first major war decision on Donald Trump’s desk.
Ideas
President Trump Sets a Remarkable Bar for Critiquing His Military Operations
The president took to Twitter to argue that publicly discussing the success or failure of a mission 'only emboldens the enemy.'
Ideas
Why are US Forces in Yemen at All?
'The truth of the matter is that America is killing people — terrorists and others — because its leaders don’t know what else to do.'
Ideas
Why Is New Jersey Grouping American 'Black Separatists' with ISIS?
The state’s new terror-group ranking raises more questions than it answers.
Ideas
The Jihadi Thinker Who Ushered in the Era of ‘Anything Goes’ Warfare
Abu Abdullah al-Muhajir died in a recent airstrike, but his ideas will shape Islamic State and al-Qaeda tactics for years to come.
Ideas