Ideas
The Defense Budget Process Is Broken
What the U.S. needs isn’t more money for the Pentagon, but an honest and tough debate about strategy.
Ideas
Italy’s Carabinieri Were the Perfect Force for the Kabul Evacuation
The soldier-policemen of this hybrid outfit went outside the wire to bring thousands to safety.
Ideas
The Forever War is Dead. Long Live the Forever War
The fight against terrorism will continue, yet our body politic is weakened by double-speak.
Ideas
What Went Wrong in Afghanistan?
The next decade will produce many studies to answer that question, but here is a preliminary answer from a long-term Afghanistan watcher.
Ideas
Calculating the Costs of the Afghanistan War
The war in Afghanistan, like many other wars before it, began with optimistic assessments of a quick victory and the promise to rebuild at war’s end.
Ideas
The Taliban Reportedly Have Control of US Biometric Devices
Up to 32 million Afghans are tagged in a system that DOD and the Afghan government used for criminal prosecutions, background checks, and voter registration.
Ideas
Defense One Radio, Ep. 86: Afghanistan’s new, uncertain chapter
A former Afghan interpreter and diplomat explain what might lie ahead for Afghanistan after nearly two decades of war.
Ideas
Who Is ISIS-K?
Two terrorism experts on the group behind the deadly Kabul airport attack and its rivalry with the Taliban.
Ideas
The Curious Omission in Russia’s New Security Strategy
It doesn’t mention “cyber”—and that tells us a few things.
Ideas
What Comes Next? A Lesson from Saigon
Rather than marking the eclipse of American power, withdrawal from Vietnam coincided with its spectacular increase.
Ideas
The Pentagon Must Prep Now for the Next Pandemic
We must take stock of the myriad ways the U.S. military has helped fight COVID-19—and learn to do even better.
Ideas
These Afghans Were Our Allies. Now We Must All Help Them Become Our Neighbors
Americans have a new chance to serve the interpreters and others who helped our troops in battle.
Ideas
Lessons from a Failed Stealth Jet Can Guide Naval Aviation’s Future
The Navy’s next jet must avoid the errors that doomed the Avenger II.
Ideas
Taiwan Wants Paladins. Congress Should Say No
Taipei’s only hope for an effective defense is not armor but asymmetry.
Ideas
The Next Big Refugee Crisis Just Started
The U.S. and its partners should respond to the needs of displaced Afghans, for national security reasons and long-term opportunities.
Ideas
The Pentagon Needs a Strategy That Does Not Hinge on Fragile Networks
A failed wargame should make us think twice about “connect-everything” plans.
Ideas
We Never Did What Was Necessary in Afghanistan
We lost. It’s painful and infuriating, but a few more troops and a little more time would change nothing.
Ideas
John Allen: Biden Must Reverse His Decision to Quit Afghanistan
The administration must act now. Here’s what they must do.
Ideas
China’s New Missile Fields Are Just Part of the PLA Rocket Force’s Growth
Since 2017, the PLARF has grown by one-third and worked to streamline and improve various support functions that are key to combat efficiency.
Almost There!
Help us tailor content specifically for you: