Ideas

Time to Rethink Security Aid to Egypt

More than $40 billion over three decades has bought only dubious benefits to U.S. security.

Policy

Exclusive: House Bill Tries To Force Trump To Keep Troops In Africa

The legislation from Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., raises constitutional concerns but might still be a useful messaging tool for lawmakers.

Ideas

The US Should Send More, Not Fewer, Troops to West Africa

America’s interests and unique security partnerships in this burgeoning region argue for more help, not less.

Threats

Graham Denies Threatening To Make Esper’s Life ‘Hell’ If He Cuts AFRICOM Troops

“No, I never said that,” Graham said in a brief phone call with Defense One. “It was a good conversation.”

Ideas

The Corrosion of World Order in the Age of Donald Trump

Can the world still work together to address today’s most pressing global challenges?

Ideas

How to Get the National Defense Strategy Out of Its Mideast Rut

We need less talk about why we need to leave, and more about why we need to compete elsewhere.

Ideas

Trump's Ban on Nigerian Immigrants Will Hurt His Defense Strategy

Expanding immigration bans while seeking closer economic ties with Africa to counter Russian and Chinese influence indicates policy incoherence.

Threats

Kenya Base ‘Surprisingly’ Undefended During Attack, US Officials Say

The Jan. 5. attack by al-Shabaab killed three Americans came as the Pentagon considers a further drawdown of its African presence.

Ideas

Ep. 62: Wagner and Russian private military contractors

How much do we understand about what these groups are up to? And how much should the U.S. and its allies be concerned?

Ideas

Can Anything Stop the Flow of Advanced Weapons into Libya?

If the country becomes a nexus for expertise and arms, increasingly deadly regional armed groups could destabilize the region.

Policy

Trump Officials Meet With Libyan Politician Aligned With Opposition ‘Strongman’ In Potential Policy Shift

US support for the UN-recognized Libyan government is in question after a series of quiet meetings with an enterprising presidential hopeful.

Ideas

The Hidden Damage of Trump’s Secret War in Somalia

Terrorist activity is not discernably declining, even as U.S. military activity and alleged civilian deaths rise.

Ideas

Africa, Great Power Competition, and the US Navy

Russia and China want to leverage Africa's people and resources. U.S. Naval Forces Africa aspires to work with African partners to bring about a secure and prosperous continent.

Ideas

Executing the US Africa Strategy, At Sea

By helping African nations improve maritime security ops, we are helping create the conditions that lead to a prosperous, self-reliant future.

Ideas

A Warlord Rises in Libya, and Trump Is Praising Him

It's Khalifa Haftar, the Libyan general who is leading his forces against the government the U.S. still officially backs.

Ideas

Protesters in Sudan and Algeria Have Learned From the Arab Spring

The demonstrations have their own local characteristics, but there are several parallels.

Ideas

Ep. 42: Escalating in Somalia

We look into why the U.S. military is escalating its air campaign against al-Shabaab, and what sort of challenges stand in the way of building up a Somali army that can fight Shabaab on its own.

Threats

What Will Climate Change Mean for Security in Africa?

The Pentagon faces different challenges in a continent where it has only one permanent base — but lots of troops.