Threats

Iran Threat Remains ‘Very High,’ US General Says

Amid Trump's maximum pressure policy, Iran still “actively” trying to destabilize the region, says CENTCOM’s Gen. McKenzie.

Business

Pentagon Will Allow Companies to Rebid for JEDI Contract

Defense procurement officials have asked a federal judge for a 120-day remand to “reconsider its evaluation” of the up-to-$10 billion cloud contract.

Policy

Pentagon Suspends Troop Travel in Affected Countries; Trump Limits Travel from Mainland Europe

Defense Secretary orders 60-day ban on troops, civilians, and families traveling “to, from, or through” Germany, South Korea, Italy, France, others.

Threats

The Prognosis: Latest News on Coronavirus & National Security

COVID-19 news is moving quickly. Here's the latest in the military, defense industry, and related spheres.

Business

Defense Firms Limit Travel, Adapt As Coronavirus Spreads

Singapore’s air show was a “ghost town,” but so far, the organizers of big U.S. trade shows are pressing ahead with their events.

Ideas

The US Has Abandoned Its Leadership on Land Mines, and For What?

Defense Secretary Mark Esper says new land mines are needed to “ensure mission success” and “reduce risk to our forces.” What success? What forces?

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.

Policy

Explainer: The US-Taliban Deal in Afghanistan

What's in the recent agreement between the United States and the Taliban? What might still derail it?

Threats

Key Defense Supplier Hit by Ransomware

The hackers also allegedly stole sensitive documents from Visser Precision, which makes parts for Lockheed, Boeing, and SpaceX.

Ideas

The President Is Winning His War on American Institutions

How Trump is destroying the civil service and bending the government to his will.

Threats

US' Afghanistan Drawdown Will Continue Amid Taliban Violence, Pentagon Says

“I would caution everybody to think that there’s going to be an absolute cessation of violence in Afghanistan — that is probably not going to happen,” Milley said.

Science & Tech

Pentagon Taps Leader to Implement New AI Ethics

It's Alka Patel, a lawyer who has been working for the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center.

Ideas

Top 5 Things to Watch in Congress' 2021 Defense Budget Hearings

On Wednesday, military and civilian leaders of the Defense Department will testify before Congress on their $705 billion budget request for 2021.

Ideas

The US Intelligence Community Is Caught in a Collector’s Trap

The information haystack in which we search for useful needles is growing faster than we could ever catch up. Gathering more hay isn't the answer.

Ideas

It’s Time to Talk About Taiwan

Washington’s longstanding policy of strategic ambiguity is increasingly likely to inflame the kind of crisis it was meant to deter.

Ideas

The American Public Wants a Sustainable Middle East Policy

Despite the mainstream narrative presenting a deep lack of appetite for another war in the Middle East, the United States will never be able to ignore the region completely.

Policy

Esper Plays Nuclear War: Russia Nukes Europe, US Fires Back

The defense secretary took part in a classified drill at U.S. Strategic Command this week.

Policy

Nothing’s ‘Irreversible,’ But the Pentagon’s New Bureaucracies Aim to Come Close

As budget hearing season gets underway, expect to hear a lot about "irreversible implementation" of changes toward great power competition.