A Look at the U.S. Army’s Future Mission
Thousands of people are virtually gathering this week as the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) kicks off its annual conference focused on the […] More
Army
Closing the Gaps Before the Next War: The Army’s New Sense of Urgency
Close to six thousand people, including current military leaders and members of the defense industry, are gathered at AUSA’s 2019 Global Force Symposium in Huntsville, […] More
SOCOM’s Discipline and Ethics on the Radar
The Cipher Brief’s new Friday column Cipher Select, is laser-focused on bringing you a range of different perspectives on special operations issues over the next several […] More
The True Border Mission
OPINION — President Trump’s pre-election-day deployment of U.S. Army units on the southwest border may turn out to be more of a dangerous, long-term precedent […] More
The Latest
Wrestling with Nukes, Not Enough Troops & Too Much CO2
While most American news outlets last week focused on sexual harassment, tax reform and President Donald Trump’s red-carpet trip to the Far East, the Pentagon […] More
McCain Pushes for Answers on Deadly Niger Ambush
As questions swirl around what happened during the ambush in southwestern Niger earlier this month that left four American service men dead and two wounded, […] More
Best Of: The Revolution of the Railgun
For this year’s Fourth of July feature, The Cipher Brief revisits its coverage on electromagnetic railguns. Capable of firing projectiles at speeds of Mach 7 […] More
Reality Has Got to Set In: The Trump Administration and the Defense Budget
For a moment, try to ignore President Donald Trump’s tweets and rambling speeches and let’s look at what the Trump administration may be thinking about […] More
The U.S. Military: Ready or Not?
In a September 7th speech, then-candidate Donald Trump described his vision for the future of the American military. “As soon as I take office, I […] More
U.S. Army: Regaining Lost Ground
By some analyses, the U.S. Army has fared the worst in terms of diminished readiness. Fifteen years of operations in the Middle East and budget […] More
The U.S. Army: Battle Tested, Tough, and More Aware
In the 15 years following 9/11, the U.S. Army pivoted away from its traditional role and took on the challenge presented by new missions and […] More
The Post-9/11 U.S. Military
The crisis after 9/11 forced every branch of the military to reevaluate its mission set, its structure, and its identity. Fifteen years later, the process […] More
Ground Combat
After the United States emerged from the Vietnam War, it witnessed the events of the 1973 Yom Kippur War—a state-level conflict fought against Israel by […] More
Naval Warfare
Thomas Mahnken is the Jerome E. Levy Chair of Economic Geography and National Security at the U.S. Naval War College and served as Deputy Assistant […] More
Preparing Today’s Military for Tomorrow’s Wars
Whether or not we are officially at war with ISIS is a reoccurring debate in today’s mass media. Part of what makes this question so […] More
Understanding Who They Are
In American culture, Veteran is a powerful word, and for better or worse, it is used universally. The Department of Veterans Affairs is a common […] More
Celebrating Their Sacrifice
For many Americans, holidays have become something to look forward to, because they mark the beginning of special season like summer, a day off from […] More
Veterans Day
Every year, about 200 thousand service members complete their military service and transition to civilian communities and the civilian workforce. Military downsizing—forced by budget pressures […] More