Provoking conflicts with friends and disrespecting leaders of close allies like Canada is no way to conduct foreign policy.
The Navy has had long-established conventions for naming ships. But the Navy has increasingly named warships for living people, including political figures, which has become a divisive issue. The next Navy secretary needs to get control of the dysfunctional naming process and restore a sense of order.
U.S. policy is burdened by strategic dithering — supporting Ukraine enough to not lose, but not enough to be victorious.
The next Navy secretary should create a group of upwardly mobile Navy, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine captains and Marine Corps colonels to experiment with new concepts of naval strategy and operations. The increasing tensions with China demand it.
President-elect Trump and his national security team want change in the U.S. military. They can score fast wins by correcting major defense program mistakes made by the Biden administration.
Here are a set of top priorities the new Trump administration should consider for the first 100 days in the Department of Defense.
