Ideas

About that Counter-Iran Coalition...

The Trump administration called for help, but Washington's friends have shrugged and calculated it is safer to stay away from "maximum pressure." There is a better way.

Threats

New Defense Secretary Immediately Faced With Challenges In Iran, UK

Esper takes the reins at the Pentagon just days after Iran seized a British-flagged tanker—and amid an ongoing rift with the U.S.’s closest ally.

Threats

‘Looking to Break Status Quo,’ Iran Seizes UK Tanker

Pentagon intel chief says Tehran wants to escape U.S. pressure, but not by going to war.

Ideas

Europe Has No Attractive Options in the Post-INF World

Soon to be back in the nuclear line of fire, Europeans wonder how to get arms control back on the international agenda.

Ideas

Brexit’s National-Security Impact: It’s More Than the Economy, Stupid

The Trump Administration must broaden its trade-focused perspective, lest it find itself even more isolated from Washington’s closest allies and partners.

Policy

Britain’s Options for Its Ambassador: Defend or Dismiss

The U.K. is left with two seemingly impossible choices after President Trump’s assertion that “we will no longer deal with” Sir Kim Darroch.

Threats

Why Won't Europe Take Back ISIS Fighters from Syria for Trial?

Italy took one. Hundreds more languish while governments slowly decide what to do next.

Policy

UK Defense Secretary: We Need a Stronger NATO Now More Than Ever

Penny Mordaunt recaps June’s NATO ministerial and looks ahead to the December NATO Summit in London.

Threats

The Making of a Russian Spy

An ethnic Russian serving in Estonia’s military had something to hide. Now he’s in prison as a convicted traitor.

Ideas

Melians’ Revenge: How Emerging Tech Can Fortify NATO’s Eastern Flank

AI, 3D printing, commercial drones, and more can give the alliance’s easternmost nations a surprisingly potent defensive punch.

Threats

Brussels Forum, Live

Watch the livestream from the German Marshall Fund's annual Brussels Forum.

Policy

Mission No. 1: Esper Will Attend NATO Meeting Next Week

Avoiding international embarrassment, soon-to-be Acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper will attend a regularly scheduled defense ministers meeting.

Business

Great Power Competition Ushers in a New Generation of European Weapons

Rising tensions on display at the Paris Air Show as NATO and Russia unveil new and proposed arms.

Ideas

Europe's Elections Suggest US Shouldn’t Be Complacent in 2020

The lesson is not that elections are secure, but that Russian and other subversives are choosy about when and how they engage.

Threats

EXCLUSIVE: US Intelligence Officials and Satellite Photos Detail Russian Military Buildup on Crimea

Five S-400 anti-aircraft missile batteries, plus additional troops and fighters, let Moscow better defend the Black Sea and threaten Europe and the Middle East.

Policy

NATO’s New Military Commander: 'I Suspect' Turkish-Alliance Mil-to-Mil Ties Will Endure

In his first sitdown interview as SHAPE, Gen. Todd Wolters said Ankara cannot have both the F-35 and S-400.

Ideas

US-China Tech Cold War Puts Europe in the Middle

But President Trump and other U.S. officials should seize the opportunity to strengthen transatlantic ties.

Ideas

The Eastern Mediterranean Needs More US Warships

Regional tensions and distracted allies underscore the need for more naval presence.

Business

US: We’ll Pay Countries to Ditch Russian, Chinese Arms

The State Department wants to go global with a program originally aimed at ex-Warsaw Pact members.