U.S. Afghan Strategy Time Warps to Vietnam 1969
“We may have advisers there 10 years from now, but the Taliban will not be the enemy they are,” was the way Defense Secretary James […] More
Fine Print
Gen. Dunford’s Clear-Eyed Take on Koreas Crisis
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford set out his views on key national security issues last Tuesday during the Senate Armed Services Committee’s confirmation hearing […] More
Trump’s Erratic Rhetoric Increases Risk of War in Koreas
Saturday’s Pentagon announcement that B-1B bombers escorted by F-15C fighters had flown a route above the demilitarized zone in international airspace over the Sea of […] More
Austerity Cloud Hovers Over Pentagon Wish List for Guerillas and Climate
The Senate-passed, fiscal 2018 Defense Authorization Bill carries two little-publicized amendments that will impact future war-fighting capabilities. But the measure fails to deal with the […] More
Capitol Hill Budget Brawls Stretch Navy Resources Thin
“If we do a continuing resolution, we are not only not rebuilding our military, we are harming our military,” Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) told his Senate […] More
Leave Military Decisions to Those Who Actually Served
In miniature, President Trump’s impetuous attempt to ban transgender individuals from military service illustrates why he is not qualified to be Commander-in-Chief of America’s armed […] More
Kushner Stumbles on Bumps in the Road on Mideast Junket
The whirlwind Middle East trip last week by Trump son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner and his team working to restart Israel-Palestinian talks highlighted the […] More
No Direct Way to Denuke Pyongyang
The United States and its allies need to focus first on freezing North Korea’s current nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs with a goal of […] More
U.S. Nuclear Arsenal a Deterrent, Not an Impromptu Threat
Within the next week, North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un and President Donald Trump will face situations that will require them to take steps that […] More
Trump’s War Wider than Afghanistan
Afghanistan is now President Donald Trump’s war, but it’s wider than just that country. Having refused to accept a strategy and operational plan presented to […] More
Pushback Against Iran
As if there were not enough world problems already facing the United States, President Donald Trump is now talking about declaring Iran “non-compliant” with the […] More
Trump’s Memory Failures
President Donald Trump’s penchant for making misleading or false statements has been well documented. Former CIA Director John Brennan last week offered a possible reason […] More
Will Congress Break the Budget Caps This Time Around?
The Congress is heading for another budget crisis as the beginning of fiscal 2018 approaches on October 1. At issue is when and how Congress […] More
Did Trump Really “Strongly Press” Putin on Election Meddling?
A Trump administration “cover up” is underway. I am not talking about the concealing of activities related to the criminal investigation into possible coordination between […] More
U.S. Fails to Unscramble Mixed Messages on Qatar-Saudi Dispute
Two weeks have passed since I wrote the column about the Saudi-Qatar split, and as of today the Trump administration seems still unable to get […] More
The Days of Nation-Building Are Not Over
If you take Defense Secretary James Mattis at his word, the United States in coming years will be doing nation-building in Iraq and Afghanistan, once […] More
Qatar Controversy: U.S. Creates Vacuum with Mixed Messaging
Today’s diplomatic chaos pitting Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Egypt, and other Sunni states against Qatar, can be partly blamed on Trump’s […] More
U.S, North Korea Play Cat and Mouse Game Over Nukes
Editor’s Note: The North Korean test on Tuesday of what is believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile, capable of hitting Alaska, has the U.S. […] More