Ideas

A Simple Veterans Day Proposal for the Incoming Administration

Send every political appointee to visit Arlington National Cemetery — with someone who served.

Policy

Trump Installs Senate-Rejected Retired General As Pentagon Policy Chief

Anthony Tata moves up one grade level — with some limits attached.

Policy

Trump Fires Esper, Taps NCTC Director to be Acting SecDef

Christopher Miller becomes Trump's fourth acting defense secretary just 72 days before Inauguration Day.

Ideas

Whatever Happens in the Election, Get Ready for a Rocky Transition

Trump says if he loses, he won’t help hand over power, and if he wins, he'll root out government employees he deems disloyal to him.

Policy

Administration Rushes Out Guidelines for Ending Civil Service Protections

Just two days after the executive order, initial instructions are issued on converting career federal policy-making positions to at-will appointments.

Policy

‘Stunning’ Executive Order Enables Politicized Civil Service

President Trump's new directive allows thousands of federal jobs now filled through competition to be turned into at-will positions.

Ideas

The US Navy Has Drifted Badly Off Course

Three main failures are imperiling the sea service, writes the service’s former chief learning officer.

Ideas

Combat Leaders Go Through Hell to Learn About Risk. The Acquisition Corps Should Do the Same

One reason the “culture of innovation” hasn’t taken proper hold at the Pentagon is that its buyers aren’t trained over and over to weigh uncertainties.

Policy

Pentagon to Employees: How Can We Boost Diversity?

The request is part of Defense Secretary Mark Esper’s overhaul of personnel practices.

Ideas

Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’

The president has repeatedly disparaged the intelligence of service members, and asked that wounded veterans be kept out of military parades, multiple sources tell The Atlantic.

Ideas

Fear of a Black General? 

The case of one superstar colonel doesn’t prove anything about the Marines. But the larger pattern is worrisome. 

Threats

The Pandemic is Pushing the Pentagon Toward Classified Telework

The risk-averse agency has cracked small-scale remote handling of secret and top-secret information. The challenge is doing it at scale.

Policy

Top Two Homeland Security Officials Are Serving Illegally, GAO Rules

Both acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf and second in command Ken Cuccinelli were unlawfully appointed to their posts, watchdog says.

Ideas

What Do You Tell Young Americans Doubting the Military’s Moral Compass?

After scandals, pardons, and protests, military and civilian leaders have some work to do rebuilding public trust.

Policy

Defense Personnel to Get Crash Course in OpSec

But various problems have observers wondering whether it's a waste of time.

Ideas

The Real Problem With 'Politicizing the Military'

The Constitution says nothing of civilian control of the military or its expected political neutrality. How we protect those traditions needs more attention than ever.

Threats

More Than 39,000 Federal Employees Have Tested Positive for COVID-19

Nearly 1% of all federal personnel have contracted the novel coronavirus, with cases spiking in recent weeks at many agencies.

Science & Tech

Coronavirus ‘Shattered the Myth’ that Defense Civilians Can’t Telework, Official Says

The workforce's response to the pandemic is reshaping ideas about the "new normal" work setup, two Defense Department officials said.

Ideas

13 Lessons from the Crozier Controversy

A retired Navy commodore dissects how the captain mishandled the COVID-19 outbreak aboard the carrier Theodore Roosevelt.