Author Archive
Defense
How James Mattis Tried to Explain Trump to the World
“Just as Mattis sought to reassure nervous allies, back home there were numerous reminders that the populist and intemperate impulses of his boss will not be tamed.”
Management
Please Back Away From the Partisan Brink
The politics of deep division are making it very difficult for government to do its job.
Advice And Comment
Balance of Power
Gen. Martin Dempsey’s take on managing a force drawdown amid myriad crises around the globe.
Management
Behind Eric Shinseki's Downfall
The VA secretary who was looking for a second chance after Iraq was undone by an overwhelmed health system and Washington's hyper-partisan health care politics.
Defense
African Terrorist Threat Not Far From Obama’s Mind
President's trip is focused on increased trade and development, but terrorist and extremist groups see growing opportunities in Africa too.
Management
Analysis: What Is a ‘Red Line’ Worth?
Syria is testing the U.S., and other country's may follow.
Tech
How the Government Searches for the Boston Marathon Bomber
The FBI may have been most transformed by post-9/11 reforms.
Defense
Plenty of Clues, Few Leads on Motive of Bomber
Bombings could be the work of al-Qaida affiliates, domestic right-wing extremists, or lone-wolf terrorists.
Defense
Outsourcing the Fight Against Terrorism
The United States is using local soldiers to fight al-Qaida allies in East Africa.
Defense
Analysis: The military knows it has a morality problem
Sexual abuse. Adultery. Misconduct. Suicide. Has the U.S. military lost its way?
Defense
Analysis: The path to war with Iran
The United States and Iran are on a collision course, and neither side is blinking.
Defense
Defense Department struggles to deal with sexual assaults
Nearly 20,000 service members are raped or sexually assaulted each year by predators who often evade punishment.
Defense
Afghanistan: Eyeing the exits
Neither Obama nor Romney has made clear how fast the remaining force of 68,000 U.S. troops should be pulled out before the deadline.
Defense
Senate minority leader accuses Justice of misleading Congress
Republican lawmakers say Attorney General Eric Holder withheld key evidence about a sting operation that ended in the murder of a Border Patrol agent.
Defense
Iran containment strategy cast in doubt
A country willing to attempt an assassination on U.S. soil defies the “rational actor” presumption that lies at the heart of nuclear deterrence.
Defense
Domestic policy in Washington, Baghdad at play in troop-level decision
Reports that the Pentagon may leave only a token U.S. force in Iraq by year’s end suggest strategic calculations have been trumped by national concerns.
Defense
Deficit debate drags military into political fray
The Pentagon is understandably nervous that the congressional deficit-reduction super committee will fail, automatically triggering as much as $1 trillion in cuts to defense spending.
Defense
General gives upbeat assessment of progress in Afghanistan
Gen. David Petraeus says U.S. and allied forces have arrested the Taliban's momentum in many parts of the country, and reversed it in important areas.
