Ideas

Keep Politics Out of National-Security Advisory Boards

Trump’s appointment of loyalists to a DOD board sets a dangerous precedent.

Ideas

We Need a Goldwater-Nichols Act for Emerging Technology

The 1986 law made joint experience a prerequisite for high rank. We must do the same for technological facility.

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Will COVID Finally Force Us to Think Differently About National Security?

The “softer” approaches of irregular war offer outsized benefits during competition and armed conflict alike.

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Watch: What's Next for National-Security Conservatives?

Defense One's Outlook 2021 continue with a conversation with CNAS' Fontaine and AEI's Schake.

Ideas

How to Turn General Austin Into Secretary Austin

Some advice from the author of “The Nearly Impossible Job of Secretary of Defense.”

Ideas

How to Build Trust in the Vaccines

To succeed in immunizing the population against COVID-19, the United States must draw on the resources it already has.

Ideas

US Embassies Were Hit with High-Power Microwaves. Here’s How That Works

A National Academies report sheds some light on the mysterious ailments that have afflicted U.S. personnel in several countries for several years.

Ideas

Train Troops to Use Social Media More Effectively

It’s a tool, like any other. We may as well know how to use it.

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ICBM Advocates Say US Missile Subs Are Vulnerable. It Isn’t True

Recent technological advances still favor the sea-based leg of America’s nuclear triad.

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Confirm Austin, But Retire Milley

We’ve seen the harm that comes when the Pentagon’s civilian and military chiefs are too closely aligned.

Ideas

Biden’s First Move on Nuclear Weapons

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

Ideas

This Is No Job for a General

President-elect Joe Biden should choose a civilian to lead his Department of Defense.

Ideas

The Problem With the SecDef Purity Test

You don’t want a general, a man, a war veteran — and everyone in the defense industry is evil?

Ideas

Congress Should Vote ‘No’ on Austin. It Likely Won’t.

It's hard to vote against a popular general. That's one reason why lawmakers barred the appointment of recently retired officers as defense secretary.

Ideas

Why We Need a New ICBM

The arguments for keeping a nuclear triad.

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Watch: Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., Commander, US Central Command

This interview was part of Defense One Outlook 2021, this year's virtual edition of our annual national-security summit.

Ideas

The Hidden Dangers in Biden’s Foreign Policy

The president-elect’s stated agenda will antagonize China and lead to conflict.