Senators Debate Wisdom of President’s Nuclear Authority
The shadow of President Donald Trump’s comments in August forewarning that the United States would meet any threat from North Korea with “fire and fury” […] More
Congress
Steel Yourself for a Long War Against Russian Disinformation
The 2016 presidential campaign was just a test run for Russia’s continuing use of disinformation on social media aimed at manipulating public thinking in the […] More
Russia Succeeds by ‘Playing to Our Deep Fears’
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, my old Committee, will hold a critical, open hearing today with the three largest social media content providers in […] More
Congress Grills Tech Firms Over Russia’s 2016 Reach
Top social media companies revealed more details about how Russian operatives made extensive use of their platforms to wage a disinformation and influence campaign targeting […] More
Duck & Cover? Lawmakers Probe Lax Trump Response to Russian Hacking
Has the Trump administration put together a coordinated plan to deal with what the intelligence community has warned will be Moscow-directed cyberattacks during the upcoming […] More
Corker Asks: How Far Can Trump Go Without Congress?
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) asked the right question last week when he said, “In something like North Korea, what is […] More
Look to Cold War History to Confront Russian Meddling
Members of Congress have expressed deep concern over the Kremlin’s disinformation campaign in the 2016 election. They have even taken some action, most notably voting […] 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
Senator Balks at CIA Inspector General Nominee Over Torture Report
The Trump administration’s nominee for CIA inspector general faced tough questions from lawmakers over his handling of whistleblower complaints, and his handling of a classified […] More
Corker Should Up Ante in Feud With Trump
It’s time for Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to use his congressional panel rather than just his mouth or […] More
DHS Nominee Faces Fraught Politics of Domestic Security
President Donald Trump on Thursday nominated Kirstjen Nielsen to run the Department of Homeland Security, taking on the job at a time when the agencies […] More
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
We Should Be Nice with Nice Guys and Tough with Tough Guys
The United States is confronting a wide array of national security challenges ranging from North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and Russia’s subversive cyber activities, to the […] More
Senate Will Look for ‘Any Hint of Collusion’ between Trump and Russia
The question of alleged Kremlin collusion with the Trump campaign is “still open,” the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Wednesday. The investigation is […] More
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
Threat of Attacks Even Higher than on 9/11 as ISIS Adapts to Failure
America’s leading homeland security professionals believe the terror threat from international extremist groups – and inspired domestic terrorists alike – is higher than it was […] More
Pick for Russia Ambassador Blasts Moscow Meddling
At a time when U.S.-Russia relations are at an extreme low, Tuesday’s nomination hearing for the new U.S. Ambassador to Russia attracted less than a […] 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