Ideas

AUKUS Is the Death Knell of Australia's Strategic Ambiguity

At what cost is Australia attempting to strengthen its deterrence of China?

Ideas

Taiwan Wants Paladins. Congress Should Say No

Taipei’s only hope for an effective defense is not armor but asymmetry.

Ideas

Fix the Pacific Deterrence Fund—and the Deeper Problem It Reveals

The military services are organized for efficient force development, not warfighting.

Ideas

Biden’s Defense Budget Will Worry America’s Indo-Pacific Allies

Spending to boost the U.S. military's future edge comes at the expense of addressing today's shortfalls in capacity and warfighting effectiveness.

Ideas

The New Pentagon Slush Fund

Congress should reject the Pacific Deterrence Initiative before it’s too late.

Ideas

When and Why China Might—or Might Not—Attack Taiwan

U.S. policymakers can only guess at what’s driving Beijing, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing they can do about it.

Ideas

Illegal Fishing Is a National Security Problem

The stability of countries and regions are threatened by the declining health of fish stocks, and by the groups and governments that run lawless fishing fleets.

Ideas

The Bloated Pentagon Budget Isn’t Just Wasteful. It’s Racist

In this era of racial reckoning, national security policy and defense budgets cannot be exempt from the scrutiny of their effects on communities of color.

Business

New Small Aircraft Carrier Unlikely, Admiral Says As US Navy Begins New Assessment

Air warfare chief: “I believe the L-class ships operating with the F-35B fit that bill.”

Ideas

Taiwan Wants More Missiles. That’s Not a Bad Thing.

Ground-based, short-range missiles are a realistic and relatively quick way to improve cross-Strait deterrence.

Ideas

How SecDef Austin Can Make the Most of His India Visit

The defense secretary should pave the way for more and deeper defense trade and technology cooperation.

Ideas

A Salami Slice for Taiwan’s Security

The U.S. can put a revisionist tactic to its own use in the Western Pacific.

Ideas

There's No Easy Fix For Australia's Special Forces Culture

A blistering war crimes report is forcing us to take stock of what the Australian Defence Force asks of its soldiers.

Threats

In First, Navy Ship Shoots Down ICBM with SM-3 Interceptor

The test could set the stage for a new framework of missile interceptors in the Pacific.

Ideas

Time to Rethink Arms Sales to Taiwan

Once, they might have tilted the military balance. Now they just destabilize the region.

Ideas

China or Your Soul? Pompeo’s Thunder Falls Flat on Corporate Ears

Companies keep choosing to serve the Chinese market — and that’s likely not good news for the Pentagon.

Ideas

The Future of Chinese Power

The policies and practices of the country’s dynasties offer insights into how modern Chinese leaders may wield their strength.