Author Archive

James Kitfield

Senior Fellow, Center for the Study of the Presidency

James Kitfield
​​​​​​​James Kitfield is a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress, and a three-time recipient of the Gerald R. Ford Award for Distinguished Reporting on National Defense. He is author of Prodigal Soldiers: How the Generation of Officers Born of Vietnam Revolutionized the American Style of War (Simon & Schuster). 
Ideas

‘MAGA’ Republicans Are Dismantling Ronald Reagan’s Legacy

Efforts to draft the U.S. military into culture wars are undoing its Reagan-era rise from post-Vietnam malaise.

Ideas

The Supreme Court Targets Military Readiness

Former senior leaders are cautioning the Court not to scuttle affirmative action, which remains important to the service academies—and national security.

Ideas

Slouching Towards Armageddon

As Cold War-type dangers return, we should restore the things that once pulled the world back from the brink.

Ideas

The Biden-Putin Summit Could Produce Both a Little And a Lot

Moscow’s hybrid-war efforts limit what Wednesday’s meeting can accomplish, but even small agreements would make a big difference.

Ideas

Biden’s First Move on Nuclear Weapons

When Putin calls to congratulate the new U.S. president, Biden should seize the opportunity.

Ideas

America’s Déjà-Vu Withdrawal from Afghanistan

Like Obama in Iraq, Trump wants to stop fighting before the war is done.

Ideas

How James Mattis Tried to Explain Trump to the World

Just as Mattis sought to reassure nervous allies, back home there were numerous reminders that the populist and intemperate impulses of his boss will not be tamed.

Threats

Why the Obama Administration Thinks It's Beating ISIS

It will be a 'long, steady, slow-burning campaign,' explains the State Department's Brett McGurk.

Threats

Keeping Iraq Unified Will Be Nearly Impossible

When the history of the second Iraq civil war is written, the February death of an influential Sunni may prove to have ended the last, best chance for Iraqi reconciliation.

Policy

Did the SEALs on the Bin Laden Raid Break Their Code of Silence for Fame and Fortune?

An interview with former SEAL Team 6 member Matt Bissonnette. By James Kitfield

Threats

Did Western Hubris Create Vladimir Putin?

Where the West saw the spread of democracy, Putin saw encroachment. Now, with hard power and bold lies, Moscow has drawn a new dividing line in the East. By James Kitfield

Threats

Why America Should Declare War on the Islamic State

Obama's response to the terrorists of the Islamic State has been reactive and piecemeal so far. That must change. By James Kitfield

Threats

This Is Why Many of Iraq's Forces Dropped Their Weapons

Inside the rapid disintegration of a security force the U.S. spent more than $25 billion to build. By James Kitfield

Policy

Behind Eric Shinseki's Downfall

The VA secretary was undone by an overwhelmed health system and Washington's hyper-partisan health care politics. By James Kitfield

Threats

Inside America's Shadow War on Terror—and Why It Will Never End

As the Afghanistan war winds down, the war against extremists is nowhere near finished. By James Kitfield

Ideas

Dempsey Wants to ‘Rebalance the Use of Military Power'

The U.S. military needs to do less foreign fighting and more foreign training, says Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey in an exclusive interview. By James Kitfield

Ideas

Odierno: Ukraine Shows Us ‘You Never Know What’s Around the Corner’

In an exclusive interview with Defense One, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno talks about the future of the Army and the threats posed by an unstable world. By James Kitfield

Threats

Iraq’s Elections Setting Up ‘Worst Case Scenario’

The winner of Iraq’s election will likely be al-Maliki or al-Qaeda. Either way, here’s why the U.S. loses. By James Kitfield

Ideas

How Western Bureaucrats Stirred Putin’s Petulance into a Cold War Crisis

From the beginning, all sides have been guilty of faulty assumptions and strategic miscalculation regarding Ukraine – and Putin. By James Kitfield

Ideas

Can Another ‘Anbar Awakening’ Save Iraq?

Only disgruntled Sunni tribes can halt Iraq’s descent into another sectarian hell. By James Kitfield