Threats
Just the Beginning: Afghanistan Troop Deal Prelude to Another Half Decade of War
This is not the end. After the security agreement, U.S. involvement in Afghanistan’s conflict is far from over. By Anthony H. Cordesman
Ideas
Five Takeaways from a Decade of War
After Secretary Hagel’s CSIS speech, Generals Cartwright, Chiarelli and Fogleman reveal key lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan the Pentagon should heed for the future. By James Kitfield
Ideas
Hagel’s Plan for the Military in the Post-War Era
As the nation comes off a 'perpetual war footing,' Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel warns against relying too heavily on military might. By Kevin Baron
Ideas
In Defense of the Nuclear Triad
CATO is wrong. Here’s why the U.S. needs submarines, bombers and ICBMs to fulfill its mission: nuclear deterrence. By Peter Huessy
Ideas
Submarines Alone Are Not Enough Nuclear Deterrent
No one leg of the nuclear triad, alone, can be considered an effective deterrence to nuclear war. By Robert Spalding
Threats
Obama Was Wrong When He Said the U.S. Doesn't Do Pinpricks
Ever since Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. has mainly only intervened militarily in small, strategic ways. By Lionel Beehner
Policy
We Negotiate With Terrorists, Why Not With Congress?
Perhaps the Obama administration should adopt the same policy it applies to real terrorists: Don't negotiate at all in public, but meanwhile search for every back channel you can. By Michael Hirsh
Ideas
Are IEDs Ever an Ethical Weapon on the Battlefield?
The world’s focus has been on chemical weapons use in Syria – but what about the homemade bombs that kill thousands of civilians across the globe? By David Small
Ideas
‘War’ By Any Other Name Is the Plan
A war by any other name doesn’t matter. A strike on Syria is exactly what U.S. military is built to do and the Pentagon expects to do more of it. By Stephanie Gaskell
Business
How Can Today’s Navy ‘Learn on the Run’?
Unrelenting U.S. Navy deployments and maintenance cycles shouldn’t get in the way of planning for the future. By Thomas Hone and Robert Holzer
Ideas
Hagel Begins Asian Pivot as the Middle East Burns
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will spend the week setting up what the U.S. hopes to achieve over the next century: driving security in Asia while leading from behind in the Middle East. By Kevin Baron
Ideas
Just 75 Al Qaeda, Room for the Taliban and Organized Crime. Is This How It Ends in Afghanistan?
The enemy in Afghanistan is “a complex mosaic” and "may continue this fight for many, many years.” By Stephanie Gaskell
Ideas
This is How Benjamin Franklin Made America a Superpower
Founding father's grand strategy was predicated on economic growth driven by population expansion and immigration. By Miles Kimball
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