Threats
ISIS Is Not Defeated. Pulling US Troops From Syria Would Jeopardize Everything
I just returned from my fifth trip to Northeast Syria in 18 months. If the US quits now, there are four winners: ISIS, Assad, Russia, and Iran.
Policy
Trump’s Space Force Request Is Coming — But Final Form Remains Hazy
Will his proposed space organization more resemble the Air Force or the Marines? Pence didn’t say.
Policy
The Biggest Difference Between Inhofe and Smith? How Much Danger They Think the US Faces
The incoming SASC chair says “we live in the most dangerous world of my lifetime.” His HASC counterpart calls that “simple paranoia.”
Ideas
Pentagon Needs Better System to Track Fraudulent Spending
The incoming Congress should tie defense budgets to accounting improvements.
Ideas
The Divide Between Silicon Valley and Washington Is a National-Security Threat
Closing the gap between technology leaders and policy makers will require a radically different approach from the defense establishment.
Science & Tech
Project Maven Overseer Will Lead Pentagon’s New AI Center
DOD rewards three-star with the lead on its new AI-development center.
Ideas
Academic Paywalls Harm National Security
Embracing the open-access movement would help defense leaders make America safer and strengthen their ties with the tech industry.
Policy
New Armed Services Chair Says He Will Fund Military, Not Drive Foreign Policy ‘Like McCain Did’
'My job is to make sure we have the resources...I try not to get into debates,’ Inhofe says in an exclusive interview.
Ideas
Pentagon to Take Over All Security Clearances in Nine Months, Officials Say
The move will mean absorbing the National Background Investigations Bureau and its 2,000 employees.
Policy
From Small Wars to Great Power, Trump’s Africa Reset Could Change US Military’s Role
The U.S. is cutting 10 percent of its counterterrorism troops in Africa. Will China and Russia fill the gap?
Policy
Who Is Paying for the War in Yemen?
The Pentagon says that “errors in accounting” mean Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have not been properly charged for refueling.
Ideas
Would a $700 Billion Budget Really Sink the Pentagon?
Resistance is already forming to a proposed decrease in 2020 spending. It’s important to understand just what that decrease means.
Policy
Lawmakers Probe Role of Special Operations in Great Power Competition
The two four-stars up to lead CENTCOM and SOCOM faced questions about how their commands will change under the National Defense Strategy.
Business
Mattis ‘Optimistic’ Pentagon Will Get Needed Budget from White House, Democrats
Mattis tells nervous defense industry execs and conservatives at Reagan National Defense Forum he doesn’t expect sharp budget cuts from House Democrats and President Trump.
Policy
Space Force Actually May Be Bargain, New Cost Estimate Says
“At this point it may be a coin toss whether or not this makes it through,” says Todd Harrison.
Policy
Pentagon, DHS Spell Out How They’ll Cooperate on Cyber Defense
The memorandum of understanding comes after the Defense Department prepared to help the Homeland Security Department repel Election Day cyberattacks.
Policy
Senior Defense Officials Offer Dueling Pricetags for Space Force
Hours after the Pentagon’s No. 2 floated a sub-$5 billion figure, the Air Force secretary stood by her $13-billion estimate.
Policy
Pentagon Began Clampdown on Senior Leaders’ Public Speaking Months Ago, Memos Reveal
DOD says it’s to save money and time. Critics say it’s to avoid conflict with the president.
Science & Tech
Pentagon Researchers Test 'Worst-Case Scenario' Attack on US Power Grid
Over 100 people gathered off the tip of Long Island this month to roleplay a cyberattack that takes out the U.S. electric grid for weeks on end.
Science & Tech