U.S. critical infrastructure is under threat, yet for most policymakers it is not the urgent focus that it should be.
If the nuclear triad is to remain viable into the 21st century, then all three of its elements ought to endure the same level of programmatic scrutiny. The Air Force’s troubled Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile is one such program that demands greater scrutiny.
President Biden’s proposed defense budget for fiscal year 2025 eliminates further funding to bridge the shortfall in electronic components needed for semiconductors to function.
China has been in pursuit of a carrier aviation capability for nearly 40 years, using every imaginable method to acquire carriers via deception, amusement park attraction and finally domestic carrier production.
Education provides the foundation for pluralism. Without it, you can’t have a democracy, with a populace prepared for the challenges and the critical thinking required to make the right decisions.
Our national defense and economic security are at risk because we rely so heavily on adversaries and geopolitical competitors for the technologies that power our military systems and critical infrastructure.
Among Poland’s weapons purchases, nothing is more likely to prevent Russia from invading NATO Europe than the M1 tank – arguably the West’s apex ground combat predator.
Recent elections in Iran starkly underscore the systemic and deep-seated issues plaguing the Islamic Republic’s political system, highlighting the undeniable truth that elections in Iran are fundamentally neither free nor fair.
The capability of the Chinese cyber actors has grown, and the last couple of years have taught us that countries with adversarial interests are willing to change their strategy and deploy aggressive actions.
The lowering of educational standards for Navy recruits adds fuel to a national effort that would provide state-level educators with Defense Department data that could help address the recruiting crisis.
Congress and key agencies in the executive branch and not doing enough to support defense innovation. More can and should be done – or else our efforts to deter conflict will ring hollow, and we will risk failure in the battlespace.
Recent advances in artificial intelligence technologies are prompting a growing number of experts to raise the alarm about the capabilities of so-called generative AI to lock us inside blinding illusions that erode democracy.
The Navy has struggled over the past quarter century to implement changes in a challenging budget environment. The evidence of struggle is clear.
It is imperative to keep the F-35 one step ahead of any potential threats. This includes performing necessary updates, such as engine upgrades.
Disorienting weapons that operate at the speed of light or speed of sound – such as laser dazzlers or long-range acoustic hailers—can be valuable complements to more lethal systems that are less responsive. Moreover, intense, unexpected stimuli can unnerve military personnel in ways that cause them to flee the battlefield.
Given the unpopularity of the Ukraine War, and the attempted revolt/protest of Wagner group Russian mercenaries, could the Black Sea Fleet by ripe for another grand and embarrassing naval mutiny?
Ukraine with Western support is winning, and it is only a matter of time before the Russian military is driven back into Russia. There are powerful signs of pending Russian defeat and the success of U.S. grand strategy.
Ukraine forces have put low-tech, affordable and sometimes even homemade drones into operation against Russia to great effect. However, they are finding that connectivity is a serious issue.
The hollowed-out carcasses of tanks and supply trucks along Ukraine’s highways should serve as a harsh wake-up call as we think about how the United States will sustain its forces on the modern battlefield, not only as a talking point about the ineffectiveness and disorganization of Russia’s military.
Adding an auxiliary hybrid power system to idling vehicles is a feasible change that will allow the military to maximize the cost efficiency of emission reduction while rapidly upgrading entire fleet of vehicles.
The issue of establishing a more sustainable military doesn’t need to create a political disagreement. The right technology can address concerns of financial responsibility plus environmental sustainability without compromising safety, readiness or ease of operation.
It is the height of arrogance to think the U.S. has a mandate to tell other societies how they should be organized and governed. American arrogance and hubris led us to pursue policies in three wars that never had a chance of success.
When a nation newly ascends or returns to the status of a leading international power, it often feels the need to publicly demonstrate its rise through a brief, victorious war. Today, China’s increasing strength may tempt it to pursue such a conflict, and not necessarily with Taiwan, if it anticipates—perhaps incorrectly—that victory will be swift, decisive and demonstrative.
The U.S. military takes into consideration the quality of local public schools as it decides whether to maintain military commands and offices where they are or move them elsewhere. This provides communities with another big reason to focus on improving schools, because the economic impact of any single military installation can be enormous.
The future of the Arctic and its stability depend on how effectively the U.S. can depict battlespace awareness in the region. Well-equipped sensors and novel computing methods and artificial intelligence will allow the United States and its allies to reach that goal.
The Arctic is the next frontier for U.S. military operations, where the physical environment poses a major threat to achieving strategic dominance, managing assets and ensuring freedom of the seas.
In biodefense, there is no more powerful a statement than the first words of the new National Biodefense Strategy: “It is a vital interest of the United States to manage the risk of biological incidents, whether naturally occurring, accidental or deliberate.”
Ukraine is fighting to retain its freedom from the grips of Moscow while at the same time trying to approximate a K-12 education for the nation’s 5.7 million school-age children. It highlights the resiliency of Ukrainian children.
The U.S. government recently issued a national terrorism advisory, warning of heightened threats during the holidays — at the same time as federal agencies are experiencing a shortage of U.S.-bred dogs trained to detect explosives.
The ask is that on Nov. 13, every adult American should contact a veteran or service member and ask how they are doing, let them know they are cherished and, if necessary, steer them toward assistance when they might otherwise slip through the cracks.
