Ideas
Ukraine’s daring drone raid exposes American vulnerabilities
Will U.S. leaders learn from the new playbook, or ignore it at our peril?
Russia aims to ride the BRICS to AI victory
The United States must firm up its own coalition of AI collaborators.
Ukraine and the future of deception in war
If the U.S. military and its partners cannot master today’s emerging tools, they may fall behind in a critical field.
The US Army is too light to win
Too much of its force is under-armored and under-gunned.
What’s missing from Trump’s nuclear diplomacy
A consistent message and a credible threat.
Don’t limit defense innovation by capping small-biz awards
A proposed change to the Small Business Innovation Research program would deprive the military of some of its best problem-solvers.
The nation needs a ‘security clearance ready reserve'
A list of cleared, vetted people would serve as a strategic hedge against attrition, espionage and workforce volatility.
Norms have changed in South Asia, making future de-escalation much harder
The India-Pakistan ceasefire shouldn’t disguise the fact that philosophy, proliferation, and U.S. inattention are working against it.
State defense forces can fill a homeland gap
With just a few changes, these volunteer military units can do much more to help with Army and Guard missions.
In Yemen, Trump risks falling into an ‘airpower trap’
Bombing campaigns are cheaper than ground incursions—but history shows that the former can lead to the latter.
Forging a new national security alliance
The commander of U.S. Special Operations Command wants to knit traditional and non-traditional government, industry, and academic partners.
A lesson from 1958 could help deter China from taking Taiwan
After China began shelling a nearby island, a four-pronged U.S. response led to decades of cross-strait peace.
America’s response to measles is eroding its ability to deter biological attacks
The rising death toll for a preventable disease reveals just how ill-prepared the country is to handle a malicious bioweapon.
Ideological purges reduce deterrence, readiness, and effectiveness. Just ask Stalin
Banning transgender servicemembers will have effects far beyond the careers of a few thousand troops.
The AI arms race will be won on mathematical proof
It’s the only way to be sure automated and autonomous systems will work as expected.
Indonesia needs a two-track approach to its foreign-fighter problem
The members of an al-Qaeda affiliate who went abroad must not be allowed to revive the group at home.
Europe is realigning—but can leaders keep citizens on board?
Raising defenses will come at many costs.
Featured eBooks
I went to the Naval Academy to defend freedom, not to dismantle it
Stripping the library of books undermines our Navy—and mimics regimes we spent decades confronting.
It’s China’s turn to face transnational terrorism threats
Beijing may be more motivated than ever to cooperate with the United States on counterterrorism.
Why I resigned in protest from National Defense University
Policy is not set in stone. It will be easier to push for necessary political changes at DOD from outside the university’s esteemed walls.
