Defense One

Policy

Meet Joe Heck, the GOP One-Star General Who Could Take Reid's Senate Seat

Military experience? Check. Small business owner? Check. Physician? Check. Congressional leadership? Check. Winning record in swing district? Check. National security election? Double check.

Molly O'Toole
May 31, 2015

Policy

NatSec Hawk Lindsey Graham Announces that He'll Announce His 2016 Run

The South Carolina Republican joins a very crowded GOP field — but could distinguish himself with his foreign policy experience.

Matt Berman, National Journal
May 18, 2015

Policy

The ‘Rubio Doctrine’ Is a Rerun

For all his attempts to position himself as a fresh-faced foreign policy leader, Marco Rubio stands on the same national security stool the GOP recycles roughly every four years.

Molly O'Toole
May 13, 2015

Policy

Jeb Bush Bets Voters Care More About Obama’s Iraq Than His Brother’s

With the U.S. public again finding its appetite for intervention, the real question facing Jeb Bush for 2016 is: What would you do about Iraq now?

Molly O'Toole
May 11, 2015

Policy

Bernie Sanders Enters 2016 Race as an Alternative to Hawkish Rivals—Including Clinton

The anti-war Vermont senator calls for accountable defense spending and better veterans care, setting him apart from other 2016 candidates on national security.

Molly O'Toole
April 30, 2015

Threats

The High Stakes Test for the Iran Deal — and the 2016 Contenders

The trio of Senate Republicans running for the presidency are unsheathing procedural weapons in a fight to burnish their national security credentials.

Fawn Johnson, National Journal
April 27, 2015

Policy

The Proof of the Clintons' Wrongdoing

Her campaign and the media are misreading the scandals.

Ron Fournier, National Journal
April 27, 2015

Policy

Rand Paul’s Drone Reversal

The Kentucky senator defends the White House drone policy he once lambasted in a 13-hour filibuster, dulling any edge he may have had on a GOP pack running on the same national security platform.

Molly O'Toole
April 27, 2015

Policy

The Paradox of Rand Paul’s National Security Moment

The young, alternative Kentucky senator who blasts Republicans and Democrats as trigger-happy hawks makes his pitch for commander-in-chief with an old backdrop and mainstream message.

Molly O'Toole
April 9, 2015

Policy

Where Are the Anti-War Democrats on Iran?

Can liberal doves find the right candidates to bring Congress's national security policies in line with the desires of the American people?

Peter Beinart, The Atlantic
April 9, 2015

Policy

GOP's National Security Outsider Rand Paul Launches 2016 Bid

The latest Republican presidential candidate might be trying to rebrand himself on foreign policy, but he's not a defense hawk.

Lauren Fox, National Journal
April 7, 2015

Policy

The Future of NSA Reform, GOP 2016 Edition

Rand Paul and Ted Cruz are likely going to hit their opponents—and each other—early and often for backing mass surveillance.

Dustin Volz, National Journal
April 6, 2015

Policy

'Imagine' Ted Cruz As Commander In Chief

The self-declared outsider launches his presidential bid with national security stances that don’t stray far from the ‘mushy middle’ he denounces.

Molly O'Toole
March 23, 2015

Policy

GOP 2016 Hopefuls Line Up To Endorse Letter to Iran

Despite criticism the Senate GOP stumbled in writing Tehran's leaders, the party's 2016 hopefuls are racing to take a stand on what's seen as a lasting issue.

Adam Wollner and Kimberly Railey, National Journal
March 11, 2015

Policy

Rand Paul Wins CPAC Straw Poll for 2016, But No National Security Frontrunner Emerges

When libertarian-leaning conservative Republican voters beat the drums of more mainstream hawkishness, what’s a potential GOP candidate for 2016 to do?

Molly O'Toole
February 28, 2015

Policy

Scott Walker Walks Back Protesters and ISIS Stumble

The Wisconsin governor tries to limit the fallout for 2016 from comparing a fight with Wisconsin protesters to combatting the Islamic State.

Molly O'Toole
February 27, 2015

Policy

2016 Hopeful Gov. Scott Walker Equates Wisconsin Protesters With ISIS

The governor said as commander in chief, he’d handle militant terrorists as he faced protesters back in Wisconsin.

Molly O'Toole
February 26, 2015

Policy

How Hillary's Hawkishness Could Cost Her the Presidency

Clinton's support for the Iraq War backfired in 2008. Her support for the intervention in Libya could do the same in 2016.

Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic
February 19, 2015

Policy

Jeb Bush Is His Own Man -- And Most of His Competition -- on Foreign Policy

The U.S. “no longer inspires fear in our enemies” says Jeb Bush, painting Obama as indecisive, but saying little about what he’d do differently.

Molly O'Toole
February 18, 2015

Policy

The Debate About ISIS War Powers Means Trouble for Rand Paul

The Republican senator is national security outlier in his party, and that could come back to haunt him in 2016.

Lauren Fox, National Journal
February 12, 2015

Military experience? Check. Small business owner? Check. Physician? Check. Congressional leadership? Check. Winning record in swing district? Check. National security election? Double check.

The South Carolina Republican joins a very crowded GOP field — but could distinguish himself with his foreign policy experience.

For all his attempts to position himself as a fresh-faced foreign policy leader, Marco Rubio stands on the same national security stool the GOP recycles roughly every four years.

With the U.S. public again finding its appetite for intervention, the real question facing Jeb Bush for 2016 is: What would you do about Iraq now?

The anti-war Vermont senator calls for accountable defense spending and better veterans care, setting him apart from other 2016 candidates on national security.

The trio of Senate Republicans running for the presidency are unsheathing procedural weapons in a fight to burnish their national security credentials.

Her campaign and the media are misreading the scandals.

The Kentucky senator defends the White House drone policy he once lambasted in a 13-hour filibuster, dulling any edge he may have had on a GOP pack running on the same national security platform.

The young, alternative Kentucky senator who blasts Republicans and Democrats as trigger-happy hawks makes his pitch for commander-in-chief with an old backdrop and mainstream message.

Can liberal doves find the right candidates to bring Congress's national security policies in line with the desires of the American people?

The latest Republican presidential candidate might be trying to rebrand himself on foreign policy, but he's not a defense hawk.

Rand Paul and Ted Cruz are likely going to hit their opponents—and each other—early and often for backing mass surveillance.

The self-declared outsider launches his presidential bid with national security stances that don’t stray far from the ‘mushy middle’ he denounces.

Despite criticism the Senate GOP stumbled in writing Tehran's leaders, the party's 2016 hopefuls are racing to take a stand on what's seen as a lasting issue.

When libertarian-leaning conservative Republican voters beat the drums of more mainstream hawkishness, what’s a potential GOP candidate for 2016 to do?

The Wisconsin governor tries to limit the fallout for 2016 from comparing a fight with Wisconsin protesters to combatting the Islamic State.

The governor said as commander in chief, he’d handle militant terrorists as he faced protesters back in Wisconsin.

Clinton's support for the Iraq War backfired in 2008. Her support for the intervention in Libya could do the same in 2016.

The U.S. “no longer inspires fear in our enemies” says Jeb Bush, painting Obama as indecisive, but saying little about what he’d do differently.

The Republican senator is national security outlier in his party, and that could come back to haunt him in 2016.​

The Republican senator is national security outlier in his party, and that could come back to haunt him in 2016.