Ideas

Remembering The Ones Memorial Day Honors

Here are stories of five who received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for bravery, for making the ultimate sacrifice.

Ideas

Why We’re Launching a Review of Naval Education

Learning is the key to an agile force that can meet the challenges we see coming — and those we don’t.

Science & Tech

You May Have to Wait 2 Years to Get That Security Clearance

The metrics fail to capture the real-world impact of the backlog, which includes careers put on hold and the loss of top talent, says Raytheon\'s Jane Chappell.

Threats

Pentagon’s Focus on Sexual Assault Has Spurred Reporting, But Also Created ‘Training Fatigue’

Prevention-and-reporting leaders want the U.S. military to be a “bit more strategic” in how it talks to troops about sexual assault.

Ideas

Two Decades of War Have Eroded the Morale of America’s Troops

If the courage of young men and women in battle truly does depend on the nature and quality of our civic society, we should be very worried.

Threats

Special Operators Are Getting a Bit More Much-Needed Rest

At least two SOF components are on a ‘glide path’ to the Pentagon’s desired optempo.

Ideas

Going BRAC-less: What to Do with the US Military’s Excess Property

The Pentagon is offering an alternative to closing bases, and Congress should support it.

Ideas

New Transgender Policy Is Grounded in Common Sense

It allows qualified individuals to serve, and excludes only those for whom the stresses of military life present unacceptable risk.

Policy

Where’s the New Transgender Troops Ban Headed? Look at the Travel Ban Fight

Like Trump’s effort to bar visitors from several Mideast countries, a long legal battle awaits the newest limits on who can serve in uniform.

Ideas

Telling the Truth About CIA Torture

Trump’s nominee to lead the agency should answer a number of tough questions about her role in its now-defunct “enhanced interrogation” program.

Ideas

Why Did Trump Fire Tillerson Now?

The specific timing of the move—following the secretary of state’s split from the president to condemn a Russian attack in the U.K.—raises questions about its motive.

Ideas

Why ‘Different Spanks for Different Ranks’ Are Often Justified

It can be frustrating when generals and admirals appear to skate on misconduct charges, but lawmakers should be wary of trying to “fix it.”

Science & Tech

Coast Guard Needs Fresh IT, People to Keep Networks Secure

The service’s head of Cyber Command outlines his strategy for updating old systems and getting personnel to rethink cybersecurity.

Policy

Microsoft Vet to Lead DHS Cyber and Infrastructure Division

Christopher Krebs has been acting chief of the cyber and infrastructure protection division since August.

Policy

State Department Lost 12% of its Foreign Affairs Specialists in Trump’s First 8 Months

The department also lost 6 percent of its overall workforce in the first year of the new administration.

Policy

UPDATED: See Who Gets Sent Home in a Shutdown

Some agencies would furlough virtually everyone, while others would remain completely open if there is a lapse in appropriations.

Ideas

What Does a Government Shutdown Mean for the Department of Defense?

Four years ago, this staffer for the defense policy undersecretary helped the Pentagon figure out the impacts of a shutdown. Hint: it wasn’t pretty.