“Fighting Fire with Fire:” Will Trump Bring Back What He Calls Torture?
Top former national security leaders are questioning a draft executive order that calls for a policy review to potentially authorize the CIA to reopen overseas […] More
North America
Staying the Course on Nuclear Modernization
This year, the Donald J. Trump administration will review the state of U.S. nuclear forces, the nation’s nuclear policy and posture, and how it fits […] More
Passing the ‘Football’: The Future of U.S. Nuclear Policy
At 12:00PM on Friday, Jan. 20, the nuclear “football,” a briefcase containing the launch codes for the U.S. nuclear arsenal, was passed to a new […] More
The Case for Arms Control and Drawing Down Nuclear Forces
The pursuit of nuclear arms control agreements and other efforts to draw down nuclear forces to reduce nuclear dangers is a goal that is almost […] More
“America First” From Now On, New U.S. President Proclaims
A dramatic, and sometimes controversial, campaign and transition period culminated Friday in Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 45th president of the United States. In his […] More
Power and the U.S. Presidency
Today, President-elect Donald J. Trump and Vice President Michael R. Pence will take the oath of office on the western steps of the Capitol building. […] More
Checks on Presidential Power Are Stronger Than You Think
Donald Trump today enters the most powerful office in the United States, and probably the world. Just how powerful, however, is an area of much […] More
The Erosion of Congressional Checks on Presidential Power
After his inauguration today, Donald Trump will hold the most powerful office in the country. Just how powerful, however, is much debated. Over the past […] More
Obama: “Justice Served” but Manning Decision Angers Security Community
President Barack Obama’s decision on Tuesday to commute the sentence of U.S. Army private Chelsea Manning’s sentence is being met with outrage in the military […] More
DNI Nominee Says He Will Use Every Tool to Keep America Safe
President-elect Donald Trump Saturday named former Senator Dan Coats (R-IN) as his choice to be Director of National Intelligence. Coats recently retired from Congress, where […] More
The Evolving Role of the National Security Agency
President-elect Donald Trump was briefed Friday on the findings of the intelligence community that Russia was behind hacks of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary […] More
U.S. Intel Leaders Resolute on Russian Hacking
Top United States intelligence officials on Thursday defended the intelligence agencies’ findings on Russian hacking and interference in the election, pushing back at the public […] More
Congress Needs to Take Back National Security Power
The separation of powers is one of the instrumental components of American democracy. The President of the United States, as the saying goes, isn’t a […] More
Land, Sea, and Air: U.S. Military Readiness in the Navy and Marine Corps
The crash of a MV-22B off of Okinawa on December 13, 2016 occurred during one of the most difficult tasks a Marine aviator can do […] More
Marine Corps Readiness: Meeting the Challenges While Mitigating the Risks
As the United States’ crisis response force, the Marine Corps prioritizes readiness above capability, capacity, or any other goal. Maintaining this level of readiness in […] More
U.S. Navy Readiness: The Fleet’s Problems Are Not Fleeting
With important global roles during times of peace and war, U.S. Navy ships and sailors must be ready to deploy anywhere in the world on […] More
Senate National Security Panels to Plan Response to Russian Hacking Allegations
Leaders of three top Senate national security committees are to meet Wednesday to discuss alleged Russian hacking of last month’s elections, and the Senate Foreign […] More
The State of Defense Acquisition on the Cusp of a New Administration
As 2017 begins, it is worth reflecting on the current state and future direction of Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition. Contract data from the Federal […] More