Defense – Issues.xyz

Opinion Headlines

“The Russians Have Us Over a Rocket.” [The U.S. is dangerously dependent on Moscow for engines for military and space missions.] 10-24-14
Defense. “North Korea’s Nuclear Breakthrough.” [Now it can put a warhead atop a ballistic missile. The U.S. needs defenses. 10-25-14
Defense. LTE. “On Russian Rocket Engines and U.S. National Security. 10-29-14
Defense. LTE. “The Face of Battle: Can Women Endure Its Horrors?” 11-19-14
Defense. “Ground up Chuck.” [The Defense chief takes the fall for the failures at the White House.” 11-25-14
Defense. “A Technocrat for Defense.” [Ashton Carter must confront West Wing micromanagement.] 12-3-14
Defense. LTE. “Many Arguments for Women in Combat Are Poor Ones. 12-3-14
Defense. “A Wake-Up Call for Americans,´ by Robert H. Scales, Book review of “For Love of Country by Howard Schultz et. al.” [After giving a speech at West Point, the CEO of Starbucks realized how little he knew about the men and women protecting his freedon.] 12-16-14
Defense. “Blunt-Force Military Cuts Need Revisiting.” By Norbert R. Ryan Jr. [Making benefits a target, not wasteful acquisition programs, is unfair to those who serve. ] 12-30-14
Defense. Book review “The Shadow Lawmakers.” By Ali Soufan: “National Security and Double Government, by Michael J. Glennon.” [While the public believes the people they elect to Congress create legislation and policies, their role is increasingly theatrical.] 12-31-14
Defense. “Progressives and Disorder.” [The next two years may be the most dangerous since the cold War ended.] [“The final two years of the Obama Presidency will thus be the most dangerous since the end of the Cold War as the world’s rogues calculate how far they can go before a successor enters the White House in 2017.”] 12-31-14
Defense. “Cyberdefense Is a Government Responsibility.” By Alan Charles Raul. [The Navy fought Barbary pirates to protect U.S. commerce. Digital pirates have much less to fear.] 1-6-15
Defense. “The Pentagon’s Growing Army of Bureaucrats.” By Mackenzie Eaglen. [Since 2009, the military’s civilian workforce has grown by about 7% while fighting forces have been cut by 8%.] 1-30-15
Defense. “The View From NATO’s Russian Front.” [Weekend Interview with Frederick B. Hodges, by Sohrab Ahmari] [The Army commander in Europe on Putin’s new way of war, Russia’s growing arsenal, and coping with U.S. military budget cuts.] 2-7-15
Defense. LTE. “Many of Those Pentagon Civilians Are Tip-of-the-Spear.” 2-10-15
Defense. “A Question for Susan Rice.” [Does a bomb at the Mall of America Qualify as an ‘existential’ threat?] 2-23-15
Defense. “Shortchanging Missile Defense.” [The need is urgent as nuclear threats proliferate.] 2-21-15
Defense. “America’s Eroding Antiterror Intelligence.” By Henry A. Crumpton. [Thanks to Snowden and other self-imposed harm, we know less about the enemy than at any time since 9/11.] 2-20-15
Defense. “How America Was Misled on al Qaeda’s Demise.” By Stephen F. Hayes et.al. [The White House portrait of a crumbling terror group is contradicted by documents seized in the bin Laden raid.] 3-6-15
Defense. “America’s Dangerous Defense Cuts.” By John McCain and Mac Thornberry. [Threats are rising around the globe, yet the U.S. is poised to cut $1 trillion from the Pentagon over 10 years.] 3-10-15
Defense. “Why the ‘Nuclear Utopians’ Are Wrong.” By Keith B. Payne. [Unilaterally reducing or eliminating America’s nuclear arsenal will not make the world a safer place.] 3-17-15
Defense. “Firmly Committed to Growing the U.S. Fleet.” By Bay Mabus. [The secretary of the United States Navy on what it takes to protect and project U.S. power.] 3-17-15
Defense. “ObamaCare for Arms Control.” By Daniel Henninger. [The Iran nuclear deal has the same political weaknesses as the Affordable Care Act.” 3-19-15
Defense. LTE. “Sequestration, Fiscal Responsibility and Our Defense.: 3-19-15
Defense. “The Bergdahl Desertion.” [Obama wanted to ‘whittle away’ the killers at Guantanamo.] 3-26-15
Defense. “The Hyundaization of the Global Arms Industry.” By Joe Katzman. [ The rapid spread of cheaper but good-enough weaponry poses a serious threat to U.S. military dominance.] 4-6-15
Defense. “The Meaning of Their Service.” By James N. Mattis. [A retired four-star Marine Corps General on the clarifying effect of combat, the poison of cynicism and how veterans can help revive American optimism.] 4-18-15
Defense. “Enemy Cruise Missile, Meet the U.S. Rail Gun.” By Mike Conaway, Rep. Tex. [Using electricity to fire high-speed projectiles is a relative bargain at $35,000 per shot.] 4-20-15
Defense. “Saigon’s Fall Still Echoes Today.” [Myths about the Vietnam War persist, weakening America’s role in the world.] 4-30-15
Defense. “The Threat to Melt the Electric Grid.” By Henry F. Cooper et.al. [An electromagnetic-pulse attack from North Korea or another U.S. enemy would cause staggering devastation.] 5-1-2015.
Defense. “Garbage Out, National Security Threat In.” by John Shegerian et.al. 5-5-15
Defense. “Impeding the Fight Against Terror.” By Michael B. Mukasey. [The appeals-court ruling on surveillance will have damaging consequences if Obama doesn’t appeal. ] 5-13-15
Defense. “The Dumbing Down of U.S. Intelligence.” By L. Gordon Crovitz. [“…Politicians should update the Patriot Act by permitting the intelligent use of data to prevent terrorism.]. 5-11-15
Defense. “America Plays Russian Rocket Roulette.” By Ron Wahid. [Why send money to the Kremlin when three U.S. companies can do the job and protect national security?] 5-21-15
Defense. “Everything Is Awesome, Mideast Edition.” By Bret Stephens. […It takes a special innocence to imagine that nothing in life is irreversible…] 5-19-15
Defense. “The Anti-Surveillance Rush.” [The Senate should block a House bill that weakens U.S. security.] 5-20-15
Defense. “The Iraq Diversion.” [Liberals want to talk about anything but the current world disorder.] 5-19-15
Defense. LTE. “There is No Anti-Surveillance Rush.” [by four U.S. representatives, 2 Rep., 2 Dem.] 5-22-15
Defense. “After 20 Years, a SEAL Deploys to Civilian Life.” By Karl Rove. [Sent into combat zones 11 times, Brian O’Rourke now will be battling for veterans’ well-being.] 5-28-15
Defense. “Kaiser Xi’s Navy.” [China’s new military strategy is to push the U.S. out of East Asia.] 5-30-15
Defense. “Rise of the Regional Hegemons.” [Russia, Iran and China are advancing as the U.S. retreats.] 5-26-15
Defense. “The Boehner-Obama Intel Gap.” [A bipartisan House bill will weaken U.S. antiterror defenses.] 5-29-15
Defense. “Graham for the Defense.” [The foreign-policy hawk was right about Obama when others were mute.] 6-4-15
Defense. “The Surveillance Fiasco.” [McConnell is a rare honest actor as Congress ducks and covers.] 6-2-2015
Defense. “Graham for the Defense.” [The foreign-policy hawk was right about Obama when others were mute.] 6-4-15
Defense. “Snowden’s Dirty Work for Putin.” By Josef Joffe. [As the defector dribbles out stolen intel, the Germans are now turning on each other as well as America’s NSA.] 5-28-15
Defense. “The Chinese Have Your Numbers.” [The U.S. government gives up personal data secrets with barely a fight.] 6-8-15.
Defense. “SpaceX and the Russian Rocket Mess.” By Homan W. Jenkins, Jr. [Boeing and Lockheed aren’t the enemy, but accelerating a competitive launch business is worth some risks.] 6-13-15
Defense. “Snowden’s Gift to Russia And China.” [A newspaper report says the countries have cracked the thief’s files.] 6-15-15
Defense. “How NATO Is Meeting New Threats.” By Jens Stoltenberg and Philip M. Breedlove. [Our new Spearhead Force is up and running, and a 30,000-man Response Force is next.] 6-17-15
Defense. “Obama’s Cyber Meltdown.” [The Chinese attack on federal personnel files keeps getting worse.] 6-24-15
Defense. “The Next American Hostages.” [The U.S. won’t pay ransom but it will ‘assist’ those who do.] 6-25-15
Defense. “We’re Losing the Cyber War.” By L. Gordon Crovitz. 6-29-15Defense. “National Security After the SpaceX Explosion.” By William Shelton. [Congress’s demand to cease using Russian engines may leave the military dependent on unproven rockets.] 6-30-15
Defense. “The Central Inclusiveness Agency.” By Gabirel Schoenfeld. [CIA Director John Brennan says America’s top spies are not diverse enough, and he’s doing something about it.] [“…at a time when … is it really a good idea to ask the CIA to concentrate on achieving a 30% minority quota in the agency’s leadership ranks?…”] 7-3-15
Defense. LTE. “The Staggering Damage From an Unaccountable OPM.” 7-2-15
Internet. LTE. “No Wonder We Are Losing the Cyber War.” 7-9-15
Defense. “The Fading U.S. Nuclear Deterrent.” By Robert R. Monroe. [The next president must restore America’s aging arsenal to face a world of new atomic threats.] 7-13-15
Defense. “Pentagon Purchasing Is Overdue for an Overhaul.” By Charles Josef Duch. [Defenders of the system say bureaucratic hurdles prevent failure. Have they not heard of the RAH66 Comanche?] 7-23-15
Defense. LTE. “When the Pentagon Was on Budget.” 8-3-15
Defense. “How Obama Shrank the Military.” By Mark Moyar. [He’s used the budget sequester to accomplish what looks to have been his political goal from the start.] 8-3-15
Defense. LTE. “Those Civilian Workers Help Defense.” 8-4-15
Defense. “The West’s Failure of Imagination.” By Christopher Walker. [The democratic world won the Cold War but has underestimated the tenacity of the new threats to freedom.] 8-4-15
Defense. “Thank God for the Atom Bomb.” By Bret Stephens. [Hiroshima and Nagasaki weren’t merely horrific, war-ending events. They were lifesaving.] 8-4-15
Defense. “The U.S. Digs Itself Into a Hole on Vital Minerals.” By Lisa Murkowski. [Regulators’ heavy hand can delay a mine’s start for up to a decade, sapping half its value.] 8-4-15
Defense. LTE. “The Military Doesn’t Interest Obama.” 8-7-15
Defense. China. “China Wants to Dig the Nicaragua Canal.” By Mary Anastasia O’Grady. [The economics don’t add up, but the project serves both governments’ larger interests.] 8-10-15
Defense. “Military Officers Don’t Need College Degrees.” By Benjamin Luxemberg. [There are other ways for candidates to gain the skills they need.] 8-11-15
Defense. LTE. “Debating the Decision to Drop the Bomb on Japan.” 8-11-15
Defense. LTE. “What to Do About Enemy Drones.” 8-14-15
Defense. “This is No Time to Cut The U.S. Army.” By Raymond T. Odierno. [We need a force of 490,000 as global dangers rise. It’s at 450.000 and heading down.] 8-14-15
Defense. LTE “College Degree a Necessity for Higher-Ranking Officers.” 8-15-15
Defense. LTE. “World Must Prevent the Future Use of Nuclear Weapons.” 8-15-15
Defense. LTE. “Speaking Out Means Real Loyalty.” 8-21-15
Defense. “Obama’s Plans to Import Guantanamo Prisoners.” By Pat Roberts and Tim Scott. [The president is willing to gamble on U.S. security for the sake of his personal legacy.] 8-24-15
Defense. “Women in the Infantry? No Thanks.” By Julie Pulley. [As a former captain and airborne soldier in the U.S. Army, I say be careful what you wish for.] 9-15-15
Defense. “Security Checks Need a 21^st-Century Upgrade.” By Christopher Kojm. [“The U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s massive data breach, revealed this summer, gave hostile state and non-state actors access to 21.5 million background checks, including sensitive information on FBI, State and Defense Department employees…”] 9-17-15
Defense. LTE. “Infantry Foxholes Make Strange Bedfellows.” [Women in combat.] 9-21-15
Defense. “The U.S. Military Needs Budget Certainty in Uncertain Times.” By Ashton Carter. [With threats multiplying, it’s time to get serious about defense funding.] 10-21-15
Defense. LTE. “Using the Armed Forces as Budget Hostages.” 10-24-15
Defense. “Getting the B-3 Off the Ground.” [Procurement reform is almost as important as the weapons themselves.] 10-31-15
Defense. “Obama’s Military Policy: Down-Size While Threats Rise.” By Michael O’Hanlon. “A deliberate strategy shift to a smaller standing army risks leaving the U.S. unable to fight when necessary.] 10-29-15
Defense. “The Decline of Antiterror Surveillance.” [Paris should reopen the debate about U.S. intelligence collection.] 11-20-15
Defense. “Time to Remove the Surveillance Blinders.” By Michael B. Mukasey and Jamail N. Jaffer. [The terror threat is rising while Obama and Congress have moved to limit U.S. intelligence capabilities.] 11-24-15
Defense. “Our Precarious Defenses in Europe.” By Robert H. Scales. [There are fewer American soldiers protecting the Continent than there are New York City cops.] 11-30-15
Defense. “How Obama Unilaterally Chilled Surveillance.” By David R. Shedd. [An executive order that encourages a risk-averse approach to intelligence.] 11-30-15
Defense. LTE. “Let EU Lead on Improving Europe’s Defense.” 12-9-15
Defense. “Justice for Bowe Bergdahl.” [A general court-martial is a message about military discipline.” 12-16-15
Defense. “ ‘A Security Concern Due to Divided Loyalties.’ By Bret Stephens. [A dentist wants to serve America’s military. But having a mother in Israel can be disqualifying.] 12-17-15
Defense. “Metadata or More San Bernardinos.” By L. Gordon Crovitz. [Let intelligence agents do their job before terror attacks, not in the bloody aftermath.] 12-21-15
Defense. LTE “Security, Divided Loyalty and Common Sense.” 12-22-15
Defense. “Disarming the Navy Through Bureaucratic Bloat.” By John Lehman. [Too few ships on longer deployments is sapping the service, even as the civilian staff has hugely expanded.] 12-31-15
Defense. “Time for a Rigorous National Debate About Surveillance.” By Mike Pompeo and David B. Rivkin Jr. [Post-9/11 measures have been weakened or discarded. A coherent new approach is needed.] 1-4-16
Defense. LTE. “Internal Growth Cost is Danger to Military.” 1-5-16
Defense. “The New Nuclear Proliferation Age.” [North Korea’s test shows the continuing failure of arms control.] 1-7-16
Defense. “S.O.S. for a Declining American Navy.” By Seth Cropsey. [Today’s 272-ship fleet isn’t nearly enough. The U.S. needs 350 ships to meet the rising global dangers.] 1-7-16
Defense. Cuba. “North Korea’s Cuban Friends.” By Mary Anastasia O’Grady. [The Castro Boys now have a U.S. Hellfire missile to share with Kim Jon Un.] 1-11-16
Defense. LTE. “We Need a Navy That’s Up to the Job at Hand.” 1-13-16
Defense. “The Petraeus Vendetta.” [The Pentagon may strip the former general of a star. And Hillary?] 1-20-16
Defense. LTE. “Gender Equality in Combat Ignores Some Hard Truths.” 1-23-16
Defense. “Tech-Challenged Pentagon Searches for a Silicon Ally.” By Mackenzie Eaglen. [Leasing a 12,000-foot space in Sunnyvale, hoping to bolster defense innovation.] 2-1-16
Defense. “A Quick Fix for the U.S. ‘Icebreaker Gap.’ By Norton A. Schwartz and James G. Stavridis. 2-4-16
Defense. Congress. “Congress’s Cynical Crony-Capital Gift to Putin.” By John McCain. [Two of my fellow senators used a disgraceful ploy that expands U.S. reliance on Russian rocket engines.] 2-8-16
Defense. LTE. “ Sen. John McCain’s Rocket Criticism Is Wrong.” 2-12-16 [By Sen. Dick Durbin]
Defense. “The Rogue-State ICBM.” [The intercontinental nuclear missile threat arrives in America.] 2-13-16
Defense. LTE. “Break the Ice on America’s Urgent ‘Icebreaker Gap.” 2-13-16
Defense. “Overhauling the Army for the Age of Irregular Warfare.” By Andrew F. Krepinevich. [The U.S. military isn’t prepared to wage long fights against Islamic State and other enemies.] 2-19-16
Defense. LTE. “Dump Russian Rockets When We Are Ready.” 2-22-16
Defense. “Waging War in Zeros and Ones.” [Bookshelf by Gary Schmitt] “The Hacked World Order” by Adam Segal. [The U.S. dominates the fields fo hardware and software. But it remains uniquely vulnerable because its so connected to the Internet.] 2-26-16
Defense. “The Military-Free 2016 Contenders.” By Bob Greene. [Trump, Cruz, Clinton, Sanders and the rest all share on trait: None has served in the armed forces.] 3-15-16
Defense. LTE. “Give Missile Defense More Attention After Iran’s Tests. 3-18-16
Defense. “Keeping Europe Safe From Putin.” By Daniel Katz. 3-24-16
Defense. [Bookshelf: by H.R. McMaster] “Probing For Weakness: “The Unquiet Frontier” by Jakub J. Grygiel & A. Wess Mitchell” [What appear to be isolated Russian, Chinese and Iranian actions are part of a geopolitical realignment that cuts against U.S. interests.] 3-24-16
Defense. “A Bad Time to Cut U.S. Nuclear Capability.” By Matthew R. Costlow. [Short-term budget gains would be risky as dangers keep rising.] 3-25-16
Defense. “America’s East Asian Bargain.” [U.S. troops in Japan and Korea would cost more to base at home.] 4-7-16
Defense. “The Candidates Ignore Rising Military Dangers.” By Mark Helprin. [Obama is weakening U.S. defenses and credibility, but there’s little debate about the growing risk of war.] 4-18-16
Defense. LTE. “A Real U.S. Military Buildup Is Most Unlikely.” 4-27-16
Defense. “A U.S. Spy Left to Hang.” [Washington has abandoned a CIA agent facing jail in Europe.] 4-28-16
Defense. “U.S. Air Power Needs an F-22 Upgrade.” By J. Randy Forbes and Michael W. Wynne. [“…American airmen should be given the planes they need in the quantities that will provide a winning edge in a future fight – the opposite of what this administration has provided.”] 4-29-16
Defense. “Accountability in Kunduz” [The Taliban is the real culprit in the mistaken hospital bombing.] 5-2-16
Defense. “Dubya Is Still Right About War.” By William McGurn. [Do Trump and Clinton understand that a president is obliged to win a fight once our troops are in it? 5-10-16
Defense. “The Hiroshima Speech Obama Won’t Give.” [How we arrived at the dawn of a new and more dangerous nuclear age.] 5-12-16
Defense. “Obama, Truman and Hiroshima.” By Wilson D. Miscamble. [There’s zero reason to apologize for the atomic bombing, which forestalled invasion and saved lives.] 5-12-16
Defense. “Twitter Picks Russia Over the U.S. “ by L. Gordon Crovitz. [The company cuts off the CIA. But selling data to Vladimir Putin? That’s fine.] 5-16-16
Defense. LTE. “Truman Chose the Lesser Evil at Hiroshima.” 5-18-16
Defense. “Bernie and the Cut-The-Military Brigade.” By Daniel Katz. 5-23-16
Defense. “Expanding the U.S. Military’s Smart-Power Toolbox.” By James Stavridis and John R. Allen. [Commanders saw a promising way to combat extremism – too bad current law won’t allow it.] 6-9-16
Defense. “A Devastating Threat We’re Not Ready For.” By Joe Colangelo. [“The departments of Homeland Security and Energy are not protecting Americans from these threats…” (EMPs) ] 6-13-16
Defense. LTE. “EMP: More Urgent Than Any Climate Threat.” 6-20-16
Defense. “How the Red Cross Killed Non-Lethal Weapons.” [The retaking of Fallujah has become another bloody urban battle. It didn’t have to be this way.] 6-23-16
Democrats. “Pelosi Lives Matter.” [Democrats use the left’s protest politics to shut down Congress.] 6-24-16
Defense. LTE. “Electricity Grid Is Tougher than You think.” 6-27-16
Defense. LTE. “The ICRC Doesn’t Determine Weapons Use.” 7-1-16 (Re: Red Cross. See 6-23-16 here #130)
Defense. “How to Crash Putin’s Brexit Party.” By Robert D. Kaplan. [Never since the Cold War has American leadership been more vita to NATO and democratic Europe.] 7-1-16
Defense. “NATO Shores Up the East.” [The alliance sends a message to Moscow with four battalions.] 7-11-16
Defense. LTE. “ U.S. Can’t Continue to Lead World Alone.” 7-15-16
Defense. “This Traitor Belongs In Jail, Not Free in Cuba.” By Devin Nunes. [Montes spied on her own country for Castro, doing much damage, yet Obama may soon liberate her.] 7-15-16
Defense. LTE. “Unsecure Technology Is a Threat to the National Grid.” 7-26-16
Defense. “Putin’s Infowar on America.” By L. Gordon Crovitz. [The DNC leaks were another Russian victory as the U.S. fails to fight back.] 8-1-16
Defense. “Obama’s Nuclear Farewell.” [He is preparing to repudiate decades of U.S. deterrence policy.] 8-5-16
Defense. “The Myth of a U.S. Military ‘Readiness’ Crisis.” By David Petraeus and Michael O’Hanlon. [Sequestration cuts have presented challenges. But America’s fighting forces remain second to none.] 8-10-16
Defense. “Evading the Constitution to Ban Nuclear Tests.” By Jon Kyl and Douglas Feith. [The safety and reliability of U.S. nuclear weapons cannot be ensured forever without tests.] 8-16-16
Defense. “Don’t Forget Putin’s Pal in the White House.” By Sohrab Ahmari. [“…It wasn’t Mr. Trump, after all, who in 2014 announced deep cuts to the U.S. strategic arsenal, disabling 56 submarine-based nuclear-launch tubes, converting 30 B-52 bombers to conventional use, and removing 50 missiles from underground silos…”] 8-18-16
Defense. “NATO Is America’s Greatest Strategic Advantage.” By Hannes Hanso. [The alliance is the best way to guarantee peace in Europe and beyond, no matter what this year’s White House hopefuls say.] 8-19-16
Defense. “North Korea’s Submarine Success.” [Pyongyang appears to have a new way to launch nuclear missiles.] 8-25-16
Defense. LTE. “Big Nuclear Arsenal, Smaller chance of War.” 8-25-16
Defense. “Long Live the Long-Range Standoff Nuke.” By Matthew R. Costlow. [“…President Obama is considering sweeping changes to U.S. nuclear policy… whether to cancel the Long-Range Stand-off weapon…”] 8-26-16
Defense. “The Army Offers a Model for Broader Defense Reform.” By Mahlon Apgar IV and Jack Keane. [Today, 90% of the Army’s U.S. housing inventory is in the hands of private managers.] 8-31-16
Defense. “Dangers Rise as America Retreats.” By Dick Cheney and Liz Cheney. [Fifteen years after 9/11, the next president will face greater risks and a weaker military to combat them.] [The U.S. needs a renewed war on terror and better defenses to deter China, Russia and Iran.] 9-10-16
Defense. “For Troops, a Tone Deaf “Commander –in-Chief’ Forum.” By Jeremy Stern. [Neither Trump nor Clinton seemed to understand the true concerns of military families across America.] 9-10-16
Defense. “Sizing Up the Next Commander-in-Chief.” By Robert M. Gates. [Neither candidate has seriously addressed how he or she thinks about the military or the use of force.] 9-17-16
Defense. “The United States Must Be the World’s Policeman.” By Anders Fogh Rasmussen. [Only America has the material and moral greatness to stop the slide into chaos and foster peace.] 9-21-16
Defense. “The Gathering Nuclear Storm.” By Mark Helprin. [Lulled to believe nuclear catastrophe died with the Cold War, America is blind to rising dragons.] 9-24-16
Defense. “Naïve Nuclear Proposals for a Dangerous World.” By Keith B. Payne and Franklin c. Miller. [Liquidating America’s ICBMs and declaring a ‘no-first-use’ policy would embolden enemies abroad.” 10-15-16
Defense. LTE. “Combat Mission Readiness Should Beat Social Policy.” 10-21-16
Defense. “Trump’s Nuclear Deterrence Challenge.” By Franklin Miller and Keith B. Payne. [America’s nuclear triad is sorely out of date, left to age by a president who saw it as a relic of the Cold War.] 11-21-16
Defense. “From Moscow, with Provocation.” [Vladimir Putin deploys nuclear-capable missies on Poland’s doorstep.] 11-25-16
Defense. “Give Our Fighting Men and Women the Equipment They Need.” By Robert H. Scales. [For less than half the cost of a Navy destroyer, we can give all our infrantrymen better, lifesaving materiel.] 11-29-16
Defense. “Sorry, Mad Dog, Waterboarding Works.” By James E. Mitchell. [I respect Gen. Mattis, but he has never employed enhanced-interrogation techniques. I have.] 12-9-16
Defense. “Obama’s Late Cyber Defense.” [He finally sanctions Russia, and Trump should get the message.] 12-30-16
Defense. “The Fable of Edward Snowden.” By Edward Jay Epstein. [As he seeks a pardon, the NSA thief has told multiple lies about what he stole and his dealings with Russian intelligence.] 12-31-16
Defense. “Shooting Down North Korea’s Missiles.” [Kim wants the ability to make U.S. cities his nuclear hostages.] 1-3-17
Defense. “Obama’s Self-Serving Cybersecurity Spin.” By Jeffrey A. Eisenach. [There’s real cause for alarm, but it isn’t the recent malware.] 1-4-17
Defense. “A Useful Trump Intelligence Shakeup.” [The White House intel shop can be shrunk and its staff improved.] 1-6-17
Defense. “Bonfire of the Intelligence Vanities.” [Putin is the winner as Washington melts down over Russian hacking.] 1-9-17
Defense. “The U.S. Nuclear Triad Needs an Upgrade.” (by 8 retired four star flag officers) [With bombers shifted to other duties and missiles aging out, the arsenal looks wobbly at best.] 1-12-17
Defense. (Bookshelf by Walter Russell Mead.) “In Defense of Military Might, the Big Stick.” By Eliot a. Cohen. [Cohen, a Bush administration official, believes the Iraq War was a mistake. But that doesn’t mean the age of hard power is over. Far from it.] 1-18-17
Defense. “Trump’s Asia Reassurance Project.” [Without a trade deal, defense spending rows even more important.] 1-26-17
Democrats. “Who Are the ‘Obstructionists’ Again?” by Karl rove. [Democrats are holding up Trump’s cabinet nominees in a way the GOP didn’t in 2009.] 1-26-17
Defense. “An Opportunity to Rebuild Our Dangerously Weakened Military.” By John McCain. [I’m ready to work with President Trump to undo the damage of the 2011 budget ‘sequester.’] 1-30-17
Defense. “A Recipe to Improve President Trumps Intelligence Diet.” By Michael Allen. [If the white House wants better information, it should give the spy community a true leader.] 2-1-17
Defense. “Let’s Make a Deal on Russia and NATO.” By Melvyn Krauss. [Trump leaves sanctions alone, while allies spend more on defense.] 2-2-17
Defense. “Mattis’s Pacific Promise.” [The U.S. defense chief reassures Tokyo and Seoul.] 2-7-17
Defense. “The Ninth Circuit Ignores Precedent and Threatens National Security. By David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee a Casey.” [Under its ruling, a state university could go to court on behalf of any alien, anywhere.] 2-11-17
Defense. “How to Make the Voice of America Come Through Loud and Clear.” By Robert Reilly. [The broadcaster’s purpose isn’t just to entertain, or even to inform. It’s to wage the battle of ideas.] 2-18-17
Defense. “A Military Strategist for Trump’s NSC.” [H.R. McMaster wrote a book about the duty to challenge a President.] 2-21-17
Defense. “Democracy Can’t Function Without Secrecy.” By Michael R. Mukasey. [‘Loose lips sink ships,’ and the leakers who sank Mike Flynn weren’t acting on public-spirited principle.] 2-21-17
Defense. “Mattis’s Pyrrhic Personnel War.” By Kimberley A. Strassel. [The defense secretary clashes with the White House about staffing the Pentagon.] 2-24-17
Defense. “Decoding the Zimmermann Telegram, 100 Years Later.” By Arthur Herman. [Trump should learn from Woodrow Wilson: Staying aloof from world affairs can’t keep America safe.] 2-24-17
Defense. “An Alternative to NATO Expansion That Won’t Antagonize Russia.” By Michael O’Hanion. [‘Permanent neutrality’ would offer countries like Ukraine and Georgia the protection they need.] 2-27-17
Defense. “Don’t Underestimate North Korea’s Nuclear Arsenal.” By R. James Woolsey and Peter Vincent Pry. [ The country’s weapons are likely more advanced and dangerous than many experts think.] 2-28-17
Defense. “Trump’s Defense Buildup.” [The only military we can’t afford is one that is too small.] 3-4-17
Defense. “Washington Goes Nuts.” [Can the intelligence committees act like grown-ups?] 3-6-17
Defense. “WikiLeaks’s New Damage.” [Its latest leaks expose U.S. cyber tools against terror networks.] 3-8-17
Defense. LTE. “Military’s Damaged Morale and Readiness.” 3-14-17
Defense. “Can Americans Trust Their Spies?” by Peer Hoekstra. [If intelligence agencies can’t keep their secrets, they can’t credibly assure us they follow other rules.] 3-16-17
Defense. “Russia’s Nuclear Menacing Shouldn’t Go Unanswered.” By William Lloyd Stearman. [The U.S. ought to match Moscow’s buildup to show Putin he can’t possibly win a new arms race.] 3-17-17
Defense. LTE “Missiles Pose Dire Threat to Electricity Grid.” 3-18-17
Defense. “Russia’s Yahoo Hack Shows Risk of Spies Run Amok.” By Homan W. Jenkins, Jr. [When intelligence agencies use their powers for domestic fights and self-advancement, look out.] 3-18-17
Defense. “Comey Doesn’t Say Much.” [Let’s hope Congress reports more than the FBI director disclosed.] 3-21-17
Defense. “Rebuild Our Defenses for the Information Age.” By Mackenzie Eaglen. [Trump’s infrastructure upgrades could start at the Pentagon, which still uses 8-inch floppy disks.] 3-22-17
Defense. “Trump’s Russia House.” By Daniel Henninger. [The FBI investigation is a hall of mirrors that diminishes everyone near it.] 3-23-17
Defense. “Did Obama Abuse Raw Intelligence?” by Peter Hoekstra. [I couldn’t have seen those transcripts when I led the House Intel committee.] 3-24-17
Defense. “America Is Ill-Prepared to Counter Russia’s Information Warfare.” By Mike Rogers. [Propaganda is nothing new. But Moscow is frighteningly effective – and worse is on the way.] 3-28-17
Defense. “Susan Rice Unmasked.” [Obama’s security adviser sought the name of a Trump official in intelligence reports.] 4-4-17
Defense. “What Happens After Victory.” (Bookshelf by Robert H. Scales.) “War and the Art of Governance” by Nadia Schadlow. [Soldiers believe that their job is to fight and win battles. So it should come as no surprise that military leaders aren’t adept at forging peace.] 4-7-17
Defense. “Obama WMD Intelligence Failure.” [Susan Rice said Assad had given up all his chemical weapons.] 4-8-17
Defense. “McMaster Brings a Touch of Eisenhower to the NSC.” By Taylor Dinerman. [Steve Bannon says the National Security Council is now ‘de-operationalized.’ What does that mean?] 4-12-17
Defense. “Why Trump Might Win With China.” By Charles W. Calomiris. 4-18-17
Defense. “The ‘Armada’ That Wasn’t There.” [The Pentagon and White House sell a mirage as a military deterrent.] 4-20-17
Defense. “North Korea’s Latest Hostage.” [The Kim regime detains a teacher, its third American captive.] 4-24-17
Defense. “The U.S. Navy Must Be Everywhere at Once.” By John Lehman. [A recent mishap with the USS Carl Vinson is a case study for rebuilding the fleet to about 350 ships.] 4-28-17
Defense. “The Bolton Unmasking Files.” [Democrats give Susan Rice a pass they didn’t give to John Bolton.] 5-1-17
Defense. “How to Defuse the North Korean Threat.” By Mark Helprin. [China’s interests are aligned – for the moment – with those of the U.S., Japan and South Korea.] 5-1-17
Defense. “The Military Needs Modern Ways to Attract and Manage Talent.: by Leon Panetta and Jim Talent. [A rigid, bureaucratic personnel system made sense in 1947. Now it’s dangerously out of date.] 5-3-17
Defense. “The Troops Train to Reassure Europe.” By Thomas Donnelly and James Cunningham. [The U.S. Army’s Dagger Brigade is preparing for a September deployment. But it’s stretched thin.] 5-4-17
Defense. “NATO’s Vital Role in the War on Terror.” By Jens Stoltenberg. [The alliance can do even more – including a formal role in the fight against Islamic State.] 5-25-2017
North Korea. “North Korea Dreams of Turning Out the Lights.” By Henry F. Cooper. [Pyongyang doesn’t need a perfect missile. Detonating a nuke above Seoul – or L.A. – would sow chaos.] 6-9-17
Defense. “The Trump Budget Still Shortchanges The Military.” By Mac Thornberry. [After the stagnant ‘70’s, Presidents Carter and Reagan boosted spending by double digits annually.] 6-12-17
Defense. “Outsourced, Insecure.” (Bookshelf by James R. Hagerty) “Sellout” by Victoria Bruce. [U.S. manufacturing played a key role in winning World War II. Today many high-tech marvels that power our military are made in China.] 6-19-17
Defense. “Congress and Obama Depleted the Military.” By Dick Cheney and Liz Cheney. [The Trump budget would increase spending only 3%. With today’s threats, that’s not nearly enough.] 6-21-17
Defense. N. Korea. “The Next Step on North Korea.” [New sanctions against China’s traders and financiers might work. 6-22-17
Elections. “The GOP’s Narrow Escape in Georgia.” By Karl Rove. [Karen Handel ekes out a victory and upsets the Democratic narrative for 2018.] 6-22-17
Elections. “The Real Georgia Lesson.” [GOP success in Congress can overcome liberal Trump loathing.] 6-22-17
Defense. “The Missile Defense Imperative.” [As nuclear threats grow, the U.S. needs more advanced protections.] 6-26-17
Defense. “Trump’s Opportunity to Arm Ukraine.” By Stephen Blank. [How to promote freedom, advance U.S. interests, and show strength to Russia.] 6-30-17
Defense. North Korea. “Putin’s Assist for North Korea.” [Russia sends a message to Trump by nixing a U.N. resolution.] 7-7-17
Defense. “America Isn’t Ready for a ‘Cyber 9/11’” by H. Rodgin Cohen and John Evangelakos. [A new cabinet-level agency could help – if officials have learned the lessons of Homeland Security.] 7-12-17
Defense. “The U.N. Bans Nuclear Weapons.” [So at least that problem is solved.] 7-17-17
Defense. “Forcing China’s Hand on North Korea.” By Daniel Blumenthal and Derek Scissors. [Beiging’s corporate shell game enables Pyongyang to avoid sanctions.] 7-18-17
Defense. “The City Is the Battlefield of the Future.” By John Spencer. [The Mosul experience shows the difficulties of urban warfare – and the need for better training.] 7-20-17
Defense. LTE. “Space-Based Defense Is Best, and Cheapest.” (See #215, here) 7-22-17
Defense. “Repeal the Bu8dget Control Act.” By Tom Cotton. [The ‘sequester’ hasn’t reduced spending, but it has crippled the military’s ability to plan.] 7-26-17
Defense. “Trump’s Transgender Tweet.” [Apparently he thinks he can run the government by himself.] 7-28-17
Defense. “The Regime Change Solution in Korea.” [The CIA director talks about separating Kim from his missiles.] 7-31-17
Defense. “Kim Jong Un Is Going Ballistic in More Ways Than One.” By Henry Sokolski and Zachary Keck. [North Korea has developed advanced short-range weapons and is almost certain to export them.] 7-31-17
Defense. “How U.S. Allies Undermine NATO.” By Orde F. Kittrie. [European countries divest from American defense firms that help protect them.] 8-1-17
Defense. “Nukes Won’t Save North Korea.” By Holman W. Jenkins,Jr. [The U.S. and South Koreaa’s constant war games are their best sanction.] 8-2-17
Defense. “Tillerson’s Korea Confusion.” [The Secretary of State offers happy talk about Chinese cooperation.] 8-3-17
Defense. “The Military Options for North Korea.” By John Bolton. [Some sort of strike is likely unavoidable unless China agrees to regime change in Pyongyang.] 8-3-17
Defense. “The Latest North Korean Sanctions Show.” [Why did China agree to tougher measures against its client state?” 8-8-17
Defense. “Trumpian Fury on North Korea.” [China needs to know that the threat of military action is real.] 8-10-17
Defense. “John McCain’s Defense Cut.” [His vote to kill health reform will inevitably squeeze the military.] 8-11-2017
Defense. “How to Resolve the North Korea Crisis.” By Henry Kissinger. [An understanding between the U.S. and Beijing is the essential prerequisite. Tokyo and Seoul also have key roles to play.] 8-12-17
Defense. “Let Calm and Cool Trump ‘Fire and Fury.” By Peggy Noonan. [The Cuban Missile Crisis came at a less dangerous time, and involved less dangerous men.] 8-12-17
Defense. “We’re Holding Pyongyang to account.” By Jim Mattis and Rex Tillerson. [The U.S., its allies and the world are united in our pursuit of a denuclearized Korean Peninsula.] 8-14-17
Defense. “Soften the Tone and Harden Our Defenses.” By Mark Helprin. [Trump can solve the North Korea crisis by pressuring China and rebuilding the U.S. military at last.] 8-16-17
Defense. “The Navy’s McCain Moment.” [Are U.S. sailors being pushed into missions without enough training?] 8-22-17
Defense. “Has the Navy Reached Its Breaking Point?” By Seth Cropsey. [As the fleet shrank, the Navy was diligent about doing more with less. That strategy has limits.] 8-24-17
Defense. “Three Lessons for Negotiating With North Korea.” By Alan Liotta. [I’ve been to the country six times for talks. Sometimes the only words they hear are the strong ones.] 8-25-17
Defense. “How Well Do We Know Kim Jong Un?” by Robert Scales and Steve Israel. [The North Korean’s game of nuclear blackmail is potentially catastrophic – but it isn’t unpredictable.] 8-28-17
Defense. LTE. “Navy Has Many Causes for Its Poor Sailing.” 8-31-17
Defense. “Does Trump Want a Nuclear Japan?” by Walter Russell Mead. [It might please the ‘America First” crow, but retreat from Asia Won’t bring peace.] 9-5-17
Defense. “Options for Removing Kim Jong Un.” [The U.S. has never used all of its tools to topple the North Korean regime.] 9-5-17
Defense. “The Godfather of Missile Defense” [Jay Keyworth endured liberal derision but was vindicated by history.] 9-6-17
Defense. “A Missed Warning on the McCain?” [“…a 2015 report that received little attention compounds questions about whether the military has the resources to equip sailors for war.] 9-9-17
Defense. “The Air force Needs a budget That Aims Higher.” By Heather Wilson and David Goldfein. [A return to sequester-level funding would inhibit our ability to fly, fight and win America’s wars.] (“…In 1991, when the U.S. went to war to drive Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait, the Air Force had 134 fighter squadrons…Today, the Air Force has only 55 fighter squadrons, and 1,500 fewer pilots than it needs…”) 9-12-17
Defense. “Kick North Korea Out of the U.N.” by Claudia Rosett. [Membership has its privileges – spying, money laundering and illicit procurement.] 9-21-17
Defense. “Our Troops Need a New War Resolution From Congress.” By Tammy Duckworth. [“…the courage our troops show every day is not being matched by those sworn to represent them in Washington…”] 9-27-17
Defense. “China and Russia’s Dangerous Entente.” By Alexander Gabuev. [They have developed a good-cop/bad-cop routine that will frustrate efforts against North Korea.] 10-5-17
Defense. “Don’t Trust the Chinese to Make Microchips for the Military.” By Dan Nidess. [Congress should require defense manufacturers to buy vital electronics from American producers.] 10-27-17
Defense. “Reform Surveillance, Don’t End It.” By David Medicine and Patricia M. Wald. [Section 702 is a vital tool against terror. But ‘backdoor searches’ should require a warrant.] 10-30-17
Defense. “The Pentagon’s Vital African Mission.” By James Inhofe. [The worst scenario is failed states where terror can take root.] 11-3-17
Defense. “Bad Marks for a Good Military.” [The Bergdahl sentence and a Navy report are dispiriting.] 11-7-17
Defense. “Who Leaked the Paradise Papers?” by Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. [Is the consortium of journalists fronting for an intelligence agency?] 11-8-17
Defense. “Chinese Telecom Threatens U.S. Security.” By Patrick B. Pexton. [Giving Huawei the green light would allow Beijing to spy on Americans.] 11-8-17
Defense. “South Korea’s Bow to Beijing.” [Seoul caves on Thaad missile defenses and a democratic alliance.] 11-8-17
Defense. “Don’t Rebuild the Surveillance ‘Wall’” [by Michael B. Mukasey. [Proposals to amend FISA’s Section 702 would tie the hands of investigators, as in the days before 9/11.] 11-9-17
Defense. “West Pacific Showdown.” (Bookshelf by Howard W. French.) “Crashback” by Michael Fabey. [Spurred by three decades of economic growth, Beijing is beefing up its navy in the South China Sea. Should the U.S. be more concerned?] 12-13-17
Defense. “America’s Military Needs a Space Corps.” By Taylor Dinerman. [An adversary using swarms of antisatellite weapons could leave the U.S. blind, deaf and lost.] 12-22-17
Defense. Internet. “Report From the Cyberwar Front Lines.” (The Weekend Interview with Toomas Hendrik Ilves by Tunku Varadarajan.) [Estonia’s former president warns the West to harden digital defenses and makes the case for a universal electronic ID card.] 12-30-17
Defense. “A Cold War in the Arctic Circle.” By Paula J Dobriansky. [NATO plans a new command to counter Russia’s buildup. It should be only a start.] 1-2-18
Defense. “America’s Alarmingly Archaic Arsenal.” By Mark Helprin. [The U.S. nuclear deterrent has kept the peace for years. If it withers, it will keep the peace no longer.] 1-4-18
Defense. “NATO’s Problem in Europe Is Mobilization.” By Jeffrey Rethke. [What good is buying more tanks without the bridges and rail lines to get them to a flashpoint?] 1-11-18
Defense. “The Pentagon’s Fading Readiness.” [The first priority in a budget deal should be more money for defense.] 1-16-18
Defense. “The U.S. Navy Lowers Its Sights.” By Seth Cropsey. [Has Trump given up on expanding the size of the fleet? If so, there’s still time to reverse course.] 1-18-18
Defense. “The Case for Tactical U.S. Nukes.” By Matthew Kroenig. [‘It’s best not to mess with us,’ Putin has said. ‘Russia is one of the leading nuclear powers.’] 1-25-18
Defense. “The Mattis Budget Rebuke.” [“…Mr. Mattis said that stumbling into another year-long continuing resolution would mean: not recruiting 15,000 army soldiers…] 2-7-18
Defense. “America’s Self-Imposed Uranium Shortage.” [The U. S. and its allies have plenty, but we still buy from despots.] 2-8-18
Defense. “The Guns and Butter Budget.” [Democrats exact a high price for agreeing to boost the military.] 2-8-18
Defense. “The Legal Case for Striking North Korea First.” By John Bolton. [Does the necessity of self-defense leave ‘no choice of means, and no moment of deliberation’?] 3-1-18
Defense. “The Qualcomm Question.” [Why are the feds passing on a review of Broadcom’s takeover bid?] 3-5-18
Defense. “Treasury’s Qualcomm Reversal.” [A security review of Broadcom’s takeover bid is warranted.] 3-6-18
Defense. “Xi Jinping’s Military Might.” [China’s leader is remaking the PLA into a serious fighting force.] 3-9-18
Defense. “Drones Can Protect Us From Kim’s Missiles.” By Arthur Herman and Stephen C. Meyer. [But Congress has to act by this Friday’s budget deadline.] 3-19-18
Defense. “A U.S. Battlefield Victory Against Russia’s ‘Little Green Men.’ By Tod Lindberg. [Americans drove back an advance by mercenaries. The next one ended almost as soon as it began.] 4-4-18
Defense. “Don’t Be Evil, Support The Troops.” [Google employees may not like its Pentagon work, but what’s good for business is good for peace.] 4-17-18
Defense. “Pentagon Spending Sanity.” [Some good ideas to kill redundant defense programs.] 4-26-18
Defense. “America Can’t Afford to Cede the Seas.” By Seth Cropsey. [Does the U.S. want to continue as a great power? China’s navy is set to surpass our fleet by 2030.] 5-15-18
Defense. LTE. “Navy Faces Global Chinese Maritime Threat.” 5-22-18
Defense. “The Other China Challenge.” “Mattis and Congress push back against Beijing’s military escalation.” 6-4-18
Defense. “The Senate’s Nuclear Insurance.” [Space sensors would be a game-changer in missile defense.] 6-11-18.
Defense. “A Troops for Nukes Trade?” [U.S. forces in South Korea do far more than protect Seoul.] 6-18-18
Defense. “’Space Force! Space Force!’ by Taylor Dinerman. [Trump’s supporters love the idea of extending U.S. superiority beyond the Earth’s atmosphere.] 6-25-18
Defense. LTE. “Troops, Nukes and German Vs. South Korean Militaries.” 6-28-18
Defense. “There’s No ‘Jungle Force.’ Who Needs a Space Force?” Michael O’Hanlon. [In evaluating Trump’s proposal, governmental reorganizations after 9/11 should counsel caution.] 6-28-18
Defense. “America Needs to Sell More Weapons.” By Alexander Benard. [Excessive restrictions on arms deals help China and Russia and harm U.S. national security interests.] 7-2-18
Defense. “Houston, We Have A Space Force.” [A new military service isn’t needed to compete above the Earth.] 7-5-18
Defense. “A Bold Plan To Make Waves.” (Bookshelf by Arthur Herman.) “Oceans Ventured.” By John Lehman. [A new strategy revived American sea power in the face of a Soviet bid for supremacy – and offer lessons for confronting global rivals today.] 7-23-18
Defense. “Better bombs Save Lives.” By Andy Kessler. [If Google can make drones more accurate, everyone benefits except the bad guys.] 7-30-10
Defense. “America Goes on the Cyberoffensive.” By Dave Weinstein. [U.S. government hackers will now have greater latitude to deter and answer attacks.] 8-29-18
Defense. “Congress, Take Your War Powers Back.” By Ken Buck. [The president should not have carte blanche under a resolution from 17 years ago.] 9-25-18
Defense. “Don’t Let Jim Mattis Get Away.” By Michael O’Hanlon. [Trump chose an excellent defense secretary, who needs more time in the job.] 10-1-18
Defense. “Defining Defense Down.” By Mark Helprin. [Across the spectrum of military technologies, the U.S. is losing its edge as competitors gain ground.] 10-12-18
Defense. “The American Arsenal Is Vulnerable to Cyberattacks.” By Brian E. Finch. [U.S. firepower could be crippled by software flaws. The Pentagon has been slow to respond.] 10-16-18
Defense. “Fighters Downed by Hurricane.” [Why America’s best military aircraft couldn’t fly to escape a storm.] 10-17-18
Defense. “The Risks of Failing to See the Sea.” By Elisabeth Braw. [The West suffers from a dangerous general ignorance of maritime and naval affairs.] 10-22-18
Defense. “Arms Control for Dummies.” [Trump is right to nix a treaty that Putin has violated for a decade.] 10-23-18
Defense. “How to Win A Cold War With Beijing.” By Seth Cropsey. [Unlike with the Soviets, the key is controlling the seas – so bolster the Navy and work with allies.] 10-26-18
Defense. “Where Are the Corporate Patriots?” by Samantha F. Ravich. [Regarding China, U.S. companies should step up ad do their part to protect national security.] 11-29-18
Defense. “Don’t Cut Military Spending, Mr. President.” By James Inhofe and Mac Thornberry. [America’s troops shouldn’t have to make do with less than they were promised.] 11-30-18
Defense. “The Cyber Threat Reconsidered.” (Bookshelf by Mara Hvistendahl) “Dawn of the Code War.” By John P. Carlin with Garrett M. Graff. [Publicizing the names of nation-state hackers, whether or not they’ll ever be apprehended, might still advance geopolitical interests.] 12-4-18
Defense. “What to Do About Huawei?” by Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. [China’s turn toward totalitarianism should not shake Western confidence in freedom.] 12-12-18
Defense. “The U.S. Military’s Crisis of Imagination.” By Douglas J. Feith and Seth Cropsey. [America’s longstanding position of dominance has tended to make strategists and citizens complacent.] 12-20-18
Defense. “China’s Hacking State.” [Indictments show cyber economic theft is a government operation.] 12-21-18
Defense. “Silicon, Not Steel, Will Win the Next War.” By Henry Kressel and David P. Goldman. [America needs a domestic supply of military technology.] 12-24-18
Defense. “Stop Worrying and Learn the Love the Military-Industrial Complex.” By Elisabeth Braw. [In the era of cyber warfare, walls between business, civil society and the army make us less safe.] 1-3-19
Defense. “A Nuclear Battle Is Ahead in Congress.” By Taylor Dinerman. [Democrats seem intent on killing the main elements of the Pentagon’s plan to modernize the arsenal.] 1-4-19
Defense. “Women Don’t Belong in Combat Units.” By Heather MacDonald. [The military is watering down fitness standards because most female recruits can’t meet them.] 1-14-19
Defense. “Bring Missile Defense Down to Earth.” By Arthur Herman. [Remotely piloted drones are better suited than space-based lasers for shooting down ICBMs.] 1-31-19
Defense. “When Arms Control Fails.” [The U.S. leaves the INF treaty after a decade of Russian violations.] 2-2-19
Defense. “Missile Defense Alert.” [As global threats grow, the U.S. needs space-based sensors.] 2-4-19
Defense. “Support the Troops – don’t Declare an Emergency.” By Mackenzie Eaglen and rick Berger. [The long-underfunded Pentagon can’t afford to have money diverted for a border wall.] 2-11-19
Defense. “An Indictment Exposes America’s Witless Intelligence Agencies.” By Bill Gertz. [Monica Witt allegedly spied for Iran – but she defected in 2013, so she’ll never be brought to justice.] 2-20-19
Defense. “Stick to your Guns, Microsoft.” [The company should ignore a petition to drop defense work.] 2-26-19
Defense. “The Geeks vs. the Infantrymen.” By Robert H. Scales. [Microsoft employees lament that a military system will ‘help people kill.’ Damn right it will.] 2-27-19
Defense. “NATO Is Dying, but Don’t Blame Trump.” By Walter Russell Mead. [Germany reneges on defense commitments, thumbing its nose at the alliance.] 3-26-19
Defense. “An Alliance Worth Keeping.” [There’s a reason Putin would love to blow up NATO.] 4-4-19
Defense. “The Pentagon Shouldn’t Be a Landlord.” By Sandy Apgar and Mark Cancian. [Instead, work with private companies on safety standards and repairs for military housing.] 4-4-19
Defense. “Why America Needs New Alliances.” By Yoram Hazony and Ofir Halvry.” [The international order of the cold War era no longer makes sense. But the world can’t do without U.S. leadership. Here’s a better approach.] 4-6-19
Defense. “Andrew Marshall.” [The Pentagon strategist who saw the military threats of the future.] 4-10-19
Defense. “The Threat of Nuclear War Is Still With Us.” By George P. Shultz, Wm. J. Perry and Sam Nunn. [The U.S. must re-engage with Russia to ensure the ultimate weapon doesn’t spread and is never used.] 4-11-19
Defense. “The Longest War Needs Fresh Thinking.” By Jonathan Burks. [Congress should call a bipartisan panel of experts to examine the antiterror effort.] 4-18-19
Defense. “The Trump Effect Saves U.S. Soldiers From Runaway Prosecutors.” By Eugene Kontorovich. [The court in The Hague finally drops an improper inquiry into alleged abuses in Afghanistan.] 4-19-19
Defense. “The Madness of Nuclear Deterrence.” By Mikhail Gorbachev. [The dangers have only become more acute in the decades since I tried to convince Thatcher.] 4-30-19
Defense. “It’s Time To Create an American Space Force..” by Patrick M. Shanahan. [Last year China had twice as many launches. Seeing there’s a problem doesn’t take a rocket scientist.] 5-1-19
Defense. “Case of the Killer Toyotas.” [Are foreign-owned car plants in the U.S. a national security threat?] 5-21-19
Defense. “Huawei is an Asset, Not a Threat.” By George Gilder. [Ren Zhengfei’s company should be celebrated as a triumph of the U.S.-led global trading system.] 5-21-19
Defense. “Not Every Officer Wants to Be a General.” By Kate Bachelder Odell. [Allowing service members to pursue different career paths would ease the strain on military families.] 5-21-19
Defense. “Defending the Periphery of the West Without Going to War.” By Michael O’Hanlon. [A strategy of economic sanctions could deter aggression and reduce the need for military options.] 6-2-19
Defense. “A Dangerous Plan to Limit U.S. Nukes. “ by Mike Turner. [If Congress bans low-yield weapons, it would hand an advantage to Moscow and make war more likely.] 6-7-19
Defense. “American’s Aren’t Ready for Cold War II.” By Walter Russell Mead. [To prevail against China, the U.S. must better understand its rival – and itself.] 6-11-19
Defense. “INF Treaty Defenders Raise the Risk of Nuclear War.” By Elbridge Colby and Mike Gallagher. [A dangerous plan to ban research and development of intermediate -range conventional weapons.] 7-1-19
Defense. “The Treaty Behind China’s Drone Edge.” By Arthur Herman. [Beijing isn’t a signatory of the 1987 pact, so it’s been exporting UAWs to American allies.] 7-9-19
Defense. “Budget Deal Is No Win for the Military.” By Rick Berger and Gary Schmitt. [Congress and Trump agree to spend more on defense, but not nearly enough.] 7-29-19
Defense. “Why Russia and China Are Joining Forces.” By Walter Russell Mead. [The past few years have witnessed a marked increase in American power.] 7-30-19
Defense. “House Democrats’ Missile Mess.” [They want to block weapons the U.S. needs to deter China.] 8-2-19
Defense. “Uncle Trump to the Naval Rescue.” [Europe claims it can’t rely on the U.S., but look who’s protecting ships.] 8-9-19
Defense. “End the Gag Rule, Start the Space Force.” By Daniel Lyons. [The Air Force stalls key Trump initiative by flagrantly violating academic freedom.] 8-27-19
Defense. “Pentagon Should Take the Lead on Tech.” by Mackenzie Eaglen. [U.S. military systems lag behind rivals’, and defense leaders depend on Silicon Valley to try to keep up.] 9-5-19
Defense. “Don’t Help Russia Make It to the Moon.” By Taylor Dinerman. [In choosing a backup rocket provider, NASA should favor Musk over Moscow.] 9-27-19
Defense. “The Antitrust Threat to National Security.” By Jon Bateman. [Americans love to hate companies like Google and Amazon, but Big Tech serves strategic interests.] 10-23-19
Defense. “The Quantum Computing Threat to National Security.” By Arthur Herman. [Google claims supremacy, but the risk remains that U.S. complacency lets China crack all its codes.] 11-11-19
Defense. “NATO Isn’t Dead, but It’s Ailing.” By Walter Russell Mead. [Macron is right that the alliance needs to adapt to a rapidly changing world.] 11-12-19
Defense. “Treat China as the Nuclear Superpower It Is.” By Mark Helprin. [If Beijing really has only tiny number of warheads, why are they housed in a 3,000-mile tunnel system.?] 11-14-19
Defense. “China’s Bid on American Science.” [Taxpayer dollars flow to researchers under contract with Beijing.] 11-20-19
Defense. “Trump and the SEALs.” [Senior officers worry about tolerance for a culture of ill-discipline.] 11-26-19
Defense. “Army Beats Navy in the Battle of the Budget.” [Compared with the other branches of the military, the Marine Corps is dangerously underfunded.] 11-27-19
Defense. “Artificial Intelligence and the Adversary.” By Samantha Ravich. [What will Beijing do with the data it stole about American military service members and others?” 12-4-19
Defense. “Repeal and Replace the War Powers Resolution.” By James a. Baker III. [The 1973 law is likely unconstitutional and routinely ignored. A Better proposal already exists.] 1-21-20
Defense. “Everyone Loses on Huawei.” [Britain OK’s Chinese network equipment, but not too much of it.] 1-29-20
Defense. “Deterring China on a Coronavirus Budget.” [The Marines plan for a more agile force in the Western Pacific.] 4-11-20
Defense. China. “Watch Out in the South China Sea.” [As U.S.-China tensions increase, the chance of a miscalculation grows.] 4-24-20
Defense. “The Century of Bioweaponsl” by Walter Russell Mead. [The coronavirus’s disruptive effects will inevitably inspire evil mins to action.] 4-28-20
Defense. “The U.S. Doesn’t Need a New Cold War.” By Robert B Zoellick. [Proponents of heightening the conflict with China understate the diplomatic successes of recent years.] 5-19-20
Defense. “Imported Chips Make America’s Security Vulnerable.” By Adam A Scher and Peter L Levin. [In response, the U.S. needs better engineering to detect sabotage and a move to more domestic production. 5-26-20
Defense. “Retreat From Germany.” [Withdrawing U.S. troops would be a win for Russia – and China.] 6-8-20
Defense. “Yes, America Is in a Cold War With China.” By Mike Gallagher. [Lessons from the Soviet era apply: Seek bipartisan consensus and allies, and avoid armed conflict.] 6-8-20
Defense. China. “Huawei and the U.S.-China Tech War.” [Computer chips are the first battlefield of the great power-rivalry.] 6-10-20
Defense. “Why the U.S. Is Moving Troops Out Of Germany.” By Robert C. O’Brien. [Forces are needed in the Indo-Pacific. And Berlin should contribute more to European security.] 6-22-20
Defense. “The Navy’s Cultural Ship Is Listing.” by Kate Bachelder Odell. [The service is trying to do too much with too little public support, as the chain of command frays.] 7-18-20
Defemse. “A Trump Retreat From Korea?” [A good way to look weak on China and help Biden get to his right.] 7-18-20
Defense. “A Space Race for he 21^st Century.” China aims to land a Mars rover, something the EU hasn’t managed.] 7-31-20
Defense. “The Atomic Bomb Saved millions – Including Japanese.” By John C. Hopkins. [An invasion would have meant massive casualties. War would have dragged on until 1947 or later.] 8-6-20
Defense. “Trump’s Spectrum Chaos.” By Holman W Jenkins, Jr. [When Democrats credit the administration with smooth work, you know the unraveling has begun.] 8-8-20
Defense. “The Pentagon Is Prepared for China.” By Mark Esper. [The PLA serves Beijing’s authoritarian goals. The U.S. and our allies are ready to defend every front.] 8-25-20 (Mr. Esper is U.S. defense secretary.)
Defense. “Ponder the Rewards of Military Service.” By H.S. McMaster. [Civilians don’t always understand what compels warriors to sacrifice and endure.” 11-11-20
Defense. “A Missile Defense Triumph.” [American adversaries will take note of a successful test at sea.] 11-20-20
Defense. “Defense Is on the Ballot in Georgia.” By Dan Sullivan. [With a majority, Chuck schumer and Bernie Sanders would resume cuts to vital military spending.] 12-8-20
Defense. “Trump’s Defense Bill Kamikaze Run.” [His veto threat could end up hurting his own policy priorities.] 12-9-20
Defense. “The Marines’ Missile Imperative.” [Congress may not fund ground-based weapons for Pacific defense.] 12-18-20
Defense. “Russia’s Solar Winds Hack.” [Are U.S. cyber defenses the equivalent of the Maginot Line in 1940?] 12-19-20
Defense. “No More Generals Atop the Pentagon.” By Mike Gallagher. [I voted to exempt Jim Mattis from the law but won’t repeat that mistake with Lloyd Austin.] 12-21-20
Defense. “The Cyber threat Is Real and Growing.” By Mike Rogers. [The U.S. must respond proportionally to the Solar winds breach – and prepare for the next attack.] 12-21-20
Defense. “Trump’s Parting Shot: A Bigger Navy?” [The U.S. needs more ships to counter China and project power.] 12-22-20
Defense. “The Year in SpaceTravel.” [SpaceX keeps making remarkable rocket launches look routine.] 12-22-20
Defense. “Iran Isn’t Afraid of B-52s and Aircraft Carriers.” By Kathryn Wheelbarger and Dustin Walker. [The U.S. should redeploy its big guns to counter the conventional threat from Russia and China.] 12-22-20
Defense. “A Deterrent for the Next Hackers.” By Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. [Today the attacker is a nation state and not Matthew Broderick in ‘WarGarmes.’] 12-23-20
Defense. “Will We Be Ready if GPS Goes Down?” by Diana Furchtgott-Roth. [The Transportation Department has ideas for a backup, but it needs money from Congress.] 3-20-21
Defense. “A Good Battery Is the Best Defense Against a Military Assault.” By Arthur Herman and Nadia Schadlow. [If China maintains control over the supply chain, it will be able to deny power to advanced Y.S. weapons.] 3-31-21
Defense. “What to Look For at Congress’s Big Intelligence Gathering.” By John Bolton. [Testimony will shed light on Biden’s approach to Russia, China, terrorism and proliferation.] 4-14-21
Defense. “Biden’s Defense Budget Squeeze.” [More money for the welfare state means less for the Pentagon.] 4-19-21
Defense. “Want Infrastructure? Build Shipyards.” By Jerry Hendrix. [A lack of facilities to support naval vessels risks handing China military advantage.] 4-22-21
Defense. “America’s Naval Strategy Is at Sea.” By Seth Cropsey. [The Pentagon hasn’t spelled out how it would win a maritime war against China.] 4-28-21
Defense. “The Missing Aircraft Carrier.” [“The missing carrier in East Asia should send a message that the U.S. is going to need more naval assets and a better strategy…] 5-27-21
Defense. “Threats Rise, Defense Falls.” [Biden talks tough to adversaries even as he shrinks the Pentagon.] 6-16-21
Defense. “A Bipartisan Missile Buildup.” [The defense budget makes good on Trump’s INF treaty withdrawal.] 6-23-21
Defense. “Does the Pentagon Take China Seriously?” by Elaine Luria. [Its leaders warn of thee threat from Beijing, but their budgets suggest otherwise.] 7-6-21
Defense. “Fall of the JEDI.” [“…Two years ago the Pentagon was preparing to award the $10 billion JEDI contract to Microsoft or amazon, both cloud leaders…”] 7-7-21
Defense. “NATO Is AN Alliance Divided.” By Andrew A. Michta. [Western European leaders see less threat from China and Russia than U.S. and Eastern European ones do.] 7-7-21
Defense. “If War Comes, Will the U.S. Navy Be Prepared?” by Kate Bachelder Odell. [A new report details a culture of bureaucracy and risk-aversion that is corroding readiness.] 7-12-21
Defense. “Gen. Milley Reminisces About he Battle of the Beltway.” By Gerard Baker. [The most curious claim is the one that somehow restrained Trump from starting a war with Iran.] 7-20-21
Defense. “UFO’s May Be Earthly and Dangerous.” By Jeffrey Scott Shapiro. [Adversaries could be developing technology to disrupt flight systems. The U.S. seems to be doing so.] 7-30-21
Defense. “Lloyd Austin’s Philippine Progress.” [In a blow to Beijing, Manila will keep hosing U.S. forces.] 8-3-21
Defense. “The Danger of Shrinking American Naval Power.” By Seth Crepsey. [China may invade Taiwan within six years, admirals warn. Is the U.S. ready?] 8-13-21
Defense. “Dragging Anchor.” (Bookshelf by Kate Bachelder Odell.) “The Blue Age.” by Gregg Easterbrook. [The U.S. Navy’s dominance brought order to the oceans and fostered global trade. How much longer will that continue?] 8-31-21
Defense. “Democrats’ Defense-Cut Test.” [After Afghanistan, congress’s spending choices loom larger.] 9-1-21
Defense. “China’s Alarming Nuclear Breakout.” By Wm. Schneider Jr. [Beijing is adding warheads, missiles and subs at a rapid rate. The goal is global dominance, not deterrence.] 9-8-21
Defense. “The Army Needs to Understand the Afghanistan Disaster.” By Frank Sobchak and Matthew Zais. [The service can’t review its own performance. An independent civilian commission is necessary.] 9-9-21
Defense. “We Are More Secure Than We Were on 9/11.” By Condoleezza Rice. [Remember the victims and the heroes, but most of all remember the feeling of national unity.] 9-10-21
Defense. “The Necessity of a Navy.” (Bookshelf by Marc Levinson.) “To Rule the Waves.” By Bruce D. Jones. [The imperative of protecting trade lanes on the high seas is fueling maritime competition especially between the U.S. and China.] 9-14-21
Defense. “The Human Cost of ‘Over the Horizon.’” By Benjamin Schwartz. [The lack of Americans on the ground makes drone strikes likelier to go wrong.] 9-28-21
Defense. “One Man Shouldn’t Control the Nuclear button.” By William J. Perry. [Congress should require consultation, so generals wouldn’t have to break the rules to save the world.] 10-5-21
Defense. “China’s Hypersonic Wake-Up Call.” [A missile test shows the next war won’t be anything like the last one.] 10-19-21
Defense. “The Distracted Defense Department.” By Nadia Schadlow. [The military should focus on strategic adversaries, not challenges like Covid and climate change.] 10-22-21
Defense. “Needed: A Military Strategy for China.” [The Pentagon, with its outdated policies, may not have the luxury of time when a crisis develops.] 11-3-21
Defense. “Honor Veterans by Having the Will to Win a War.” By H.H. McMaster. [If civilian leaders send troops into battle without a commitment to victory, who will sign up to serve?] 11-11-21
Defense. “Folding America’s Nuclear Umbrella.” [Biden Weighs ‘no first use’ even as strategic storm clouds loom.] 11-14-21
Defense. “A Space Treaty to Stop the Sky From Falling.’ By Alexander William Salter. [Debris in orbit poses dangers to human life and well-being.] 11-17-21
Defense. “The U.S. Navy’s Range Has Diminished Dangerously.” By Jerry Hendrix. [Carrier air wings aren’t prepared to overcome weapons that push U.S. ships away from shore.] 11-19-21
Defense. “America Repeated Vietnam’s Mistakes in Afghanistan.” [Lessons from both conflicts should become part of the military’s education requirements.] 11-24-21
Defense. “How Online Lies Become the Truth.” (Bookshelf by Joseph C. Sternberg.) “The Wires of War.” By Jacob Helberg. [First cook up an ‘untruth.’ Then ‘layer’ it, obscuring its source. At any hint of suspicion, use a ‘firehose’ to drown out the correct details.] 12-1-21
Defense. “The U.S. Needs a Hypersonic Capability Now.” By Arthur Herman. [Washington mothballed its program just as Beijing made developing the technology a priority.] 12-7-21
Defense. “The Xi-Putin Entente Rises.” 12-16-21
Defense. “2022’s Biggest Challenges Come From Russia and Iran.” By Joe Lieberman. [U.S. and allied security depends on approaching these threats from a position of strength.] 1-3-22
Defense. “Back to the Degraded Military Future.” [Failure to pass a budget will squeeze defense at a vulnerable time.] 1-21-22
Defense. “A Test for Intelligence.” (Bookshelf by Harvey Kiehr. “Spies, Lies, and Algorithms.” By Amy B. Zegart. [For readers raised on thrillers, here is a real-world account of the challenges that American spy agencies must confront in the 21^st century.] 1-27-22
Defense. “The U.S. Needs More Nuclear Weapons.” By Matthew R. Costlow. [As Russia and China build up their stockpiles. Washington is replacing weapons one-for-one.] 1-31-22
Defense. “America Is Stronger Than It Looks.” By Walter Russell Mead. [Moves by China and Russia have bolstered the U.S. Indo-Pacific alliances and NATO.] 2-1-22
Defense. “Time for More Defense Spending.” By Walter Russell Mead. [The U.S. will face challenges from the new alliance between China and Russia.] 2-8-22
Defense. “The Pentagon’s Political Priorities.” [Sleep well tonight. The U.S. Army has plans to defeat climate change.] 2-12-22
Defense. “Fighter Pilots Need More Time in the Air.” By Kate Bachelder Odell. [The U.S. military budget doesn’t allow aviators enough hours and sorties to be ready for battle.] 2-18-22
Defense. “How the U.S. and Europe Lost the Post-Cold War.” By Gerard Baker. [Victory bred complacency, neglect of fellow citizens, and a failure to preserve our civilizational values.] 2-22-22
Defense. “Ukraine Invasion Marks an Era’s End.” By Wm. A. Galston. [No one can deny any longer that force is a permanent feature of foreign relations.] 2-23-22
Defense. “Cold War II Arrives.” [U.S. and European sanctions are still too weak against Putin.] 2-23-22
Defense. “America Needs a Bigger Navy.” [The disconnect between U.S commitments and the current fleet is huge.] 2-24-22
Defense. “A Hardheaded guide to Deterring Russia and China.” By Robert C. O’Brien and Alexander B. Gray. [Shore up alliances by holding allies accountable, helping key partners, and showing energy leadership.] 2-25-22
Defense. “Peace Through Strength Requires Economic Freedom.” By Phill Gramm and Mike Solon. [The U.S. must not turn away from its main advantages: free markets and limited government.] 3-2-22
Defense. “U.S. Defense After Ukraine.” [Biden needs to pivot to rebuilding the military as Jimmy Carter did.] 3-8-22
Defense. “America’s Declining Military.” [Biden’s budget widens a window of vulnerability for at least a decade.] 3-30-22
Defense. “Biden’s ‘Integrated Deterrence’ Fails in Ukraine. By Mike Gallagher. [The buzzy term is being used to justify cuts to conventional hard power that please progressives.] 3-30-22
Defense. “Be Afraid of Nuclear War, Not Climate Change.” By Bjorn Lomborg. [The war in Ukraine shows that global warming has distracted us from more important threats.] 3-30-22
Defense. “The Shrinking U.S. Navy.” [The Biden Budget would build nine ships next year but retire 24.] 4-5-22
Defense. “Russia’s Military Troubles Could Be America’s.” by Seth Cropsey. [If the U.S. doesn’t improve its logistics, a defense of Taiwan against China is likely to fail.] 4-7-22
Defense. “The U.S. Can Win Russia’s Neighbors Over.” By Ariel Cohen. [Central Asia is also vital for America’s rivalry with China.] 4-8-22
Defense. “Stop Buying Uranium From Russia.” By John Barrasso. [Why does the U.S. rely on adversaries for nuclear power?] 4-13-22
Defense. “Outdated Nuclear Treaties Heightening the Risk of Nuclear War.” By Franklin C. Miller. [U.S. policy makers have lost sight of the crucial link between arms control and deterrence.] 4-22-22
Defense. “Expand NATO to Hawaii.” By Arshan Barzani. [Keeping territory from the allied security guarantee can bring on war, as it did in the Falklands in 1982.] 4-25-22
Defense. “The U.S. Should Show It Can Win a nuclear War.” By Seth Cropsey. [Washington might study Cold War-era practices that had a major effect on Soviet policy making.] 4-28-22
Defense. “Upgrading America’s Flying Binoculars.” [AWACS is helping Ukraine, but the U.S. needs a replacement.] 5-5-22
Defense. “Chinese Spies Violate U.S. Sovereignty and Americans’ Rights.” By Michael Cunningham. [Federal officials need to step up investigation and prosecution of Beijing’s Operation Sky Net.] 5-7-22
Defense. “Does Turkey Still Belong in NATO?” By Joe Lieberman and Marl D. Wallace. [Under Erdogan’s rule, it wouldn’t qualify to join. And Ankara is trying to block Finland and Sweden.] 5-19-22
Defense. “Send In the Marines for a Modernization.” By Seth Moulton and Mike Gallagher. [Force Design 2030 ensures they will still be first to the fight.] 5-31-22
Defense. “’To Gun’ Culture and Reality.” [The movie’s success is notable, but the U.S. needs real-life pilots. 6-2-22
Defense. “Semiconductor Dependency Imperils American Security.” By Graham Allison and Eric Schimidt. [The U.S. Innovaton and Competition Act is only the first step in preventing Chinese dominance.] 6-21-22
Defense. “NATO Gets a Military Upgrade.” [The alliance expands, but Europe is still contributing too little.] 6-30-22
Defense. “The West Needs an Arms Race.” By Yulia Latynina. [Russia rejects the norms of civilization. The only way to overcome it is with superior weaponry.] 7-7-22
Defense. “Vaccines, Religious Freedom and the Military.” By Christopher J. Motz. [The Pentagon violates soldiers’ rights and its own regulation.] 7-11-22
Defense. “Congress Rejecs Biden’s Defense Budget.” [The House and Senate add to his reuest, but it’s still not enough.] 7-11-22
Defense. “Putin and the UFO Puzzle.” By Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. [The debate may herald not alien visitors but destabilizing new weapons systems.] 7-13-22
Defense. “What if They Gave a War and Everybody Was Woke?” by Jimmy Byrn. [The military’s embrace of faddish politics may make activist happy, but it’s driving away recruits.] 7-30-22
Defense. “Vaccine Mandate Puts National Security at Risk.” By James O. Eifert. [The Pentagon’s rigid Covid policy may lead to the discharge of 1,000 guardsmen I command.] 8-5-22
Defense. “NATO Is Hedging on Its Promise to Protect the Baltics.” By John R. Deni and Michael O’Hanlon. [The alliance is still making only token military increases in the three states on Russia’s front lines.] 8-11-22
Defense. “America’s Industrial Base Isn’t Ready for War With China.” By Elbridge A. Colby and Alexander B. Gray. [Washington must invest immediately in a domestic capacity to build and repair military hardware. 8-19-22
Defense. “Restore Reagan’s Military ‘Margin of Safety.’” By Roger Zakheim. [While Foreign policy ‘realists’ urge détente with China and Russia, only strength ensures peace.] 8-29-22
Defense. “Inflation Catches the Pentagon Flat-Footed” by Mackensie Eaglen and John Ferrari. [By using rosy assumptions about prices, officials have ended up hurting both readiness and troops.] 9-6-22
Defense. “The Military Needs More Ammo.” [Delay in delivering Himars to Ukraine reflects Us. shortfalls.] 9-30-22
Defense. “Enduring Lessons of the Cuban Missile Crisis.” By Peggy Noonan. [JFK came to understand the need to be ‘disciplined in self-restraint,’ as he put it in a 1963 speech.] 10-1-22
Defense. “America’s ‘Window of Maximum Danger.’” {The Weekend Interview with Mike Gallagher by Kate Bachelder Odell. [A Marine turned lawmaker warns that the U.S. is far more vulnerable to losing a military conflict than the public recognizes.] 10-8-22
Defense. “Biden Riffs on Armageddon.” [He needlessly raises nuclear anxiety at a cocktail party. That won’t help deterrence.] 10-8-22
Defense. “The Pentagon’s Recruiting Woes.” [Fewer young people want or are able to serve, a big problem for U.S. security.] 10-15-22
Defense. “The U.S. Isn’t Ready to Face China on the Battlefield.” By Seth B. Jones. [The invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated critical deficiencies in America’s defense industrial base.] 10-17-22
Defense. “The U.S Military’s Growing Weakness.” [A new report warns about declining U.S. naval and air power.] 10-18-22
Defense. “Uncle Sam Wants you for a Military Job Tha Matters.” By Christine Wormuth, Frank Kendall and Carlos Del Turo.” [We need data scientists, coders and engineers as much as we need pilots, submariners and infantry.] 10-25-22
Defense. “The High Cost of Low Military Spending.” By Walter Russell Mead. [Ukraine’s lesson: Deterrence isn’t about preventing only nuclear war.] 11-1-22
Defense. “The Pacific’s Missing Fighter Jets.” [The Pentagon pulls F-15s from Okinawa without a replacement.] 11-3-22
Defense. “’The Big One Is Coming.’” [A U.S. flag officer talks candidly about the failing U.S. deterrent.] 11-5-22
Defense. “America’s Tactical Nuclear Stand-Down.” 11-14-22
Defense. “Biden’s Missing Taiwan Strategy.” [As he meets with Xi Jinping, he has no trade agenda for the Pacific.] 11-14-22
Defense. “Americans Are Losing Trust in the Military.” [The rise of woke politics has undermined public confidence in the brass.] 12-1-22
Defense. “The U.S. Government Keeps Buying Chinese Drones.” By Lars Erik Schonander. [Some departments have outlawed their use, but others persist despite the national security risk.] 12-1-22
Defense. “The B-21 Bomber Is Needed Now.” [The plane is vital for Pacific deterrence but is rolling out too slowly.] 12-6-22
Defense. “The Pentagon Goes to Climate War.” [Biden’s new mandate on contractors adds green policies to weapons.] 12-8-22
Defense. “Joe Biden’s Nuclear Misfire.” By Wm. McGurn. [It is U.S. credibility and power – not our moral example – that prevents proliferation.] 12-13-22
Defense. “The Military Pays for Beltway Budgetary Brinkmanship.” By Dustin Walker and Mackenzie Eaglen. [Will House Republicans protect the armed forces from losing another decade to fiscal disorder?] 12-19-22
Defense. “Defense is Now a GOP Target.” 1-9-23
Defense. “The Military Needs Recruits With ADHD.” By Michael Segal. [The condition can be a disability in some roles, but it can be a super ability in others.] 1-20-23
Defense. “The End of Nuclear Arms Control.” 2-3-23
Defense. “It’s Time to Resolve the Cases of the Guantanamo Detainees.” By Theodore B. Olson. [If the 9/11 defendants plead guilty and accept life sentences, justice will almost have been served.] 2-3-23
Defense. “Seen Any Other Spy Balloons Lately?” [An $850 billion defense budget, and we can’t detect a Chinese airship?] 2-7-23
Defense. “China’s Balloon Recalls Cold War Crises.” By Gerard Baker. [In a developing struggle, episodes like this carry a risk of miscalculation and escalation.] 2-7-23
Defense. “The China Missile-Launcher Gap.” [Another sign of Beijing’s growing nuclear ambitions.] 2-8-23
Defense. “A Healthy budget Makes for a Strong Military.” By Chip Roy and Victoria Coates. [To deal with the threat from China, cut wasteful spending everywhere, including at the pentagon.] 2-10-23
Defense. “Mystery Invasion Object of the Week.” [This time, Biden wastes no time shooing down a flying foreign intruder.] 2-11-23
Defense. “What’s Going On Up Thee?” [chuck Schumer’s Sunday balloon spin will reassure o one.] 2-13-23
Defense. “Like It or Not, the U.S. Is in an Arms Race With China.” By Patty-Jane Geller. [Beijing is on its way to nuclear parity and has tested technologies America has never had.] 2-16-23
Defense. “Putin Buries Nuclear Arms Control..” [Treaties aren’t a substitute for defenses and deterrence.] 2-22-23
Defense. “Four Nuclear States Can Ruin Your Whole Strategy.” By Matthew Kroenig. [Washington and its allies face new threats from Russia, Iran, North Korea and China – all at once. ] 3-2-23
Defense. “The U.S. Should Head an Arms Cartel.” By Jonathan D. Caverley. [The objective would be not to make money but to advance a security agenda.] 3-3-23
Defense. “About That ‘Record’ Defense Budget.” [Biden’s 3.2% increase is a cut in real terms despite rising threats.] 3-10-23
Defense. “The Missing U.S. Subs for Australia.” [The defense deal is great, but the boats won’t arrive for years.] 3-15-23
Defense. “Replying to Russia’s Drone Provocation.” [The best response is to send long-range missiles to Ukraine.] 3-17-23
Defense. “Joe Biden’s Weak Defenses.” [His budget isn’t close to adequate to meet the world’s growing threats.] 3-23-23
Defense. “The Military Should Stay Colorblind.” By Patrick H. Brady and Mike Waltz. [The Pentagon’s relentless focus on racial differences endangers our readiness to deter, fight and win wars.] 3-25-23
Defense. “What the U.S. Can Do to Prepare for a War With China.” By Seth Cropsey. [The military’s problem isn’t technological. It’s a strategy designed only for low-intensity conflict.] 3-29-23
Defense. “Biden’s Hot Air About Spy Balloons. [It turns out the blimp was transmitting info to Beijing in real time.] 4-4-23
Defense. “How Obama Killed Nuclear Nonproliferation.” By Walter Russell Mead. [He took the rules-based international order for granted and wouldn’t defend it.] 4-11-23
Defense. “Intel ‘Leaks’ Aren’t Solved.” By Holman W. Jenkins, jr. [Also, just because it’s in a ‘briefing’ doesn’t mean it’s true or accurate.] 4-12-23
Defense. “A New American Grand Strategy to Counter Russia and China.” By John Bolton. [The U.S. and its allies can’t afford to drift aimlessly as history’s tectonic plates shift.] 4-13-23
Defense. “The Guardsman and the Guardians.” [Why did a 21-year-old allegedly have access to so much intel?] 4-14-23
Defense. “Our Jack Teixeira Problem.” By Daniel Henninger. [We ask: How could this happen? The better question: How could it not happen?” 4-20-23
Defense. “The Pentagon Tilts at Windmills.” [Interior’s offshore wind leases could interfere with military training.] 4-25-23
Defense. “Ukraine Can Point the Pentagon Toward a New Way of War.” By Jahara Matisek and Will Reno. [Defense planners are used to working with other states, but volunteer groups have proved vital.] 5-4-23
Defense. “The U.S. Navy’s Bud Light Moment.” By Tommy Tuberville. [Amid a recruitment crisis, the military brass are preoccupied with woke identity politics.] 5-5-23
Defense. “Biden Abandons a Military Contractor.” [Air-traffic controllers in Kabul ask the Supreme Court for immunity.] 5-19-23
Defense. “China’s Military Provocations.” [Beijing’s war hawks are making it harder to improve relations.] 6-5-23
Defense. “The Debt Deal’s Defense Threat.” By Roger Zakheim. [The last sequester hurt military preparedness. Republicans can avoid repeating that mistake.] 6-5-23
Defense. “Pivot to the Pacific? That Misses the Point.” By Andrew A. Michta. [We need a rebuilt defense industrial base to make our forces ready for combat in any theater.] 6-24-23
Defense. “My Plan to Confront the Chinese Threat.” By Nikki Haley. [Trump made progress, but not enough. Biden has set America back. It’s time to be bold and creative.] 6-27-23
Defense. “World War III Will Be Fought With Viruses.” By Richard A. Muller. [A two-front biological and cyber attack could lead to a U.S defeat before we know what hit us.]. 7-7-23
Defense. “A Revived NATO Comes to Vilnius.” [The alliance would be stronger with Ukraine as a member after the war.] 7-10-23
Defense. “This Isn’t Your Father’s NATO.” By Tod Lindberg. [An anti=Putin military alliance now stretches from the Barents to the Black Sea.] 7-11-23
Defense. “America Is Running Out of Ammo.” [Biden admits the problem, but why not do something about it?] 7-11-23
Defense. “Japan Is Ready and Able to Maintain U.S. Naval Vessels.” By Rahm Emmanuel. [American warships shouldn’t be sailing home for repairs when a trusted ally can do the job.] 7-12-23
Defense. “The U.S. Navy Needs More Attack Submarines.” By Roger Wicker. [To supply our allies, and counter the threat from China, the time to double sub production is now.] 7-17-23
Defense. “Asian Allies Have A Role to Play in NATO.” By John Bolton. [China’s rising threat has splintered Europe while creating a need for global leadership.] 7-24-23
Defense. “The U.S. Submarine Fleet Is Underwater.” [Selling subs to Australia is a good plan, but the U.S. needs to build more.] 7-29-23
Defense. “China and Russia Eye Alaska.” [A joint naval patrol off the Aleutians is a warning and a test.] 8-7-23
Defense. “Station U.S. Troops in Poland, Not Germany.” By Andres A. Michta. [Warsaw and other allies on NATO’s eastern flank are vital to deterrence and are pulling their weight.] 9-6-23
Defense. “In Defense of the Defense Industry.” By Ira Stoll [Populists of the right and left attack U.S. companies that make weapons. Who do they think protects us?] 9-7-23
Defense. “The Biden-Schumer War Games.” By Kimberley A. Strassel. [They are the ones who endangered military readiness for the sake of abortion politics.] 9-22-23
Defense. “$11 billion for Defense Is About to Vanish.” By Mike Gallagher. [My Firs Act would use the money against the Chinese threat.] 9-29-23
Defense. “The General and the ‘Wannabe Dictator.’” [Milley takes a shot at Trump as he departs as U.S. military chief.] 9-30-23
Defense. “The U.S. Needs a Defense Buildup.” By Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. [The House leadership fight anticipates a chaotic redirecting of the fiscal ship.] 10-11-23
Defense. “The False Choice Between Ukraine and Israel.” [Helping Kyiv won’t rob weapons to fight Hamas or Hezbollah.] 10-13-23
Defense. “A World Without American Deterrence.” By Walter Russell Mead. [A gradual retreat into strategi passivity led to the world’s spinning suddenly out of control.] 10-20-23
Defense. “Both Parties Can Agree on America’s Nuclear Peril.” By John Bolton. [To deter threats from China and Russia, the U.S. needs to modernize and recapitalize its arsenal.] 10-26-23
Defense. “Patriotism’s Decline Imperils the Military.” By Owen West and Kevin Wallsten. [Trying to appeal to woke young people will only make the recruitment problem more severe.] 10-31-23
Defense. “U.S. Needs to Be Ready for War.” By Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. [If Joe Biden wants peace, he should take a page from the script of ‘A Few Good Men.’] 11-15-23
Defense. “Proxy Wars From Sparta to Ukraine and Gaza.” (The Weekend Interview with Paul A. Raha by Tunku Varadarajan.) [A scholar of ancient military history finds contemporary parallels. But where’s our Gylippus?] 11-18-23
Defense. “Is the U.S. Ready for War?” by Andy Kessler. [It always comes down to men killing their enemies in the mud, says Sen. Tom Cotton.] 11-20-23
Defense. “Gaza Is Gen Z’s First Real War.” By Walter Russell Mead. [Many young people grew up believing war was passe and peace was normal.] 11-21-23
Defense. “NATO and Donald Trump.” [Congress tries to take out an insurance policy against U.S. withdrawal.] 12-19-23
Defense. “U.S. Naval Deterrence Is Going, Going, Maybe Even Gone.” By Jerry Hendrix. [A new report expounds on the clear lesson of recent Houthi attacks: America isn’t very scary anymore.] 12-20-23
Defense. “No Shortcuts on Nuclear Deterrence.” By Rebeccah L. Heinrichs. [Handling both Russia and China is a major challenge for the U.S. but targeting cities isn’t the solution.] 1-3-24
Defense. “’Traumatic Brain injuries.’” [Iranian-backed militias mount another missile attack on US. Forces.] 1-22-24
Defense. “Congress vs. the U.S. Military.” [A Yearlong continuing resolution would harm the armed forces.] 1-23-24
Defense. “Biden, Iran and Three Dead Americans.” [The Commander in Chief’s weakness puts his Presidency at risk.] 1-29-24
Defense. “America’s Space War Vulnerability.” [Maybe Mike Turner’s warning will awaken a complacent Beltway.] 2-16-24
Defense. “Trump Didn’t Rebuild the Military.” 2-23-24
Defense. “Biden Shrinks the U.S. Military.” 3-13-24.Defense. “Biden’s budget Neglects the Military.” By Michael J. Boskin and Kiran Sridhar. Sequestration and chronic underfunding have opened a yawning gap in American strength and readiness.] 3-15-24
Defense. “Biden Weakens America’s Global Clout.” By Walter Russell Mead. [Step one for renewed respect is a serious defense budget. Step two: Kill some crows.] 3-19-24
Defense. “America’s Strategic Posture Is Slouching.” By Jon Kyl. [We’ve let our nuclear force atrophy while Moscow and Beijing have expanded theirs and gone on offense.] 3-21-24
Defense. “Patent Lawsuits Are a National-Security Threat.} by Joseph Matl. 3-21-24
Defense. “America at Risk.” By Daniel Henninger. [Biden and Trump know the details of the threat. Does either have a plan?] 3-28-24
Defense. “The West Needs a War Footing.” By Anders Fogh Rasmussen. [FDR enlisted William S. Knudsen in 1940 to ramp weapons production up. It’s time to do it again.] 3-29-24
Defense. “Does Biden Take China’s Threat Seriously.?” By Walter Russell Mead. [His diplomacy is provocative, but his defense strategy isn’t preventive enough.] 4-9-24
Defense. “A Surveillance Compromise Worth Passing.” [Sensible reforms can protect Americans from ISIS and FBI abuses.] 4-10-24
Defense. “Biden’s View of NATO Is as Outdated as Trump’s.” by Shay Khatiri. [The alliance’s center of gravity has shifted east, but Western Europe still holds undue influence.] 4-11-24
Defense. “A Fighter in the Cold War With China.” (The Weekend Interview with Tony Abbott by Tunku Varadarajan..) [The former Australian prime minister is worried by the U.S. tilt toward isolationism – though he has faith America will come through in the end.] 4-13-24
Defense. “A Near Miss for National Security.” [The House reauthorizes wiretap authority against foreigners.] 4-13-24
Defense. “By Aiding Ukraine, Mike Johson Makes America Great Again.” By Gerard Baker. [No country on Earth has anywhere near the ability to project power around the world at so little cost.] 4-23-24
Defense. “The Grim Arithmetic of a Just War.” By Lance Morrow. [Gettysburg, Hiroshima Gaza – great numbers of people must die before a conflict can be resolved.] 5-3-24
Defense. “Are American’s Ready for War?” (The Weekend Interview with Mark Halprin by Barton Swaim.” [As our enemies advance, a prescient author considers what it would take for the U.S. to avoid defeat. The answer is sobering.] 5-4-24
Defense. “Houthi May Embolden Beijing.” By Walter Russell Mead. [In the Indo-Pacific, doubts emerge that the U.S can manage simultaneous crises.] 5-7-24

Issue Headlines

10-1-2014 “For the first time, Russia has more deployed nuclear warheads than U.S” http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/oct/1/inside-the-ring-compromise-of-classified-documents/

Defense. Issue headline. “America, World Cop.” [No Great power can safely ignore chaos and disorder in key regions of the world. It’s time for the U.S. to take a new approach – enforcing rules and standards but not trying to remake failed societies.] WSJ 11-15-2014 p. C1

DrudgeReport.com Headline 12-22-14: Obama Support Among Military Plummets to 15%…

Defense. Drudgereport.com 6-3-15: Military ‘urban’ training startles MI residents…

Explosions ‘expect in war zone’…

‘Blew up whole sky’…

Drill details kept ‘under wraps’…

Defense. Wall Street Journal 6-13-15. P. A1: “Security Clearance Forms Accessed In Federal Hack.” By Damian Paletta. [“Washington – Hackers who raided the U.S. government’s personnel office gained access to secret background investigations conducted on current and former employees, senior administration officials said Friday – an ominous development in the recent theft of federal data, one of the largest in history… [included] records of ‘foreign contacts’ – lists of non-U.S. officials that a person might know or have relationships with…]

China. [News] “Breached Network’s Security is Criticized.” Wall Street Journal, 6-24-15, Page. A1: [“A federal security system that failed…is largely unable to stop the most sophisticated attacks, current and former U.S. officials said…”]

China. (News) “Officials Masked Severity of Hack.” Wall Street Journal, 6-25-15 p. A1. [“…The Obama Administration for more than a week avoided disclosing the severity of an intrusion into federal computers…has frustrated lawmakers as they probe …one of the biggest-ever thefts of government records. …suspect China……whether up to 18 million unique Social Security numbers were stolen…]

Defense. Jade Helm. Article: “Texans organize ‘Operation Counter Jade Helm’ to keep an eye on the federal troops.” By Dylan Baddour, Houston Chronicle Updated 5:38 pm, Friday, July 10, 2015:

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/texas/article/Texans-organize-Operation-Counter-Jade-Helm-to-6378017.php

Defense. Drudgereport.com 7-14-15. 1.1 Million Fingerprints Stolen in Fed Govt Hack…

Ex-NSA official: ‘Biggest counterintelligence threat in my lifetime’… National Journal2 days ago, Jul 14, 2015 · The pilfering of 1.1 million fingerprints is “probably the biggest counterintelligence threat in my lifetime,” one former NSA official said

Defense. “The Last Classic War.” Wall Street Journal “Review Section” C1, Saturday, 8-1-15 [Twenty-five years after Iraq invaded Kuwait, the Gulf War stands out as a triumph of U.S. foreign policy. Its Lessons remain urgent, even in the chaos of today’s much altered Middle East.]

Defense. [News story] “Cyberwar Ignites New Arms Race.” Wall Street Journal, 10-12-15, pg. A1 [Countries amass digital weapons, reconfigure militaries to meet threat.]

Defense. “Report Warns of Chinese Hacking.” Subhead: “Cybersecurity firm says latest incidents violate recent deal between U.S., China.” Wall Street Journal. 10-19-15

Defense. Drudgereport.com 11-5-15 >>

NATO CHIEF SOUNDS ALARM OVER RUSSIAN BUILDUP…

Defense. “Cyberwar’s Hottest Front” Wall Street Journal 11-10-15 p. A1. Subhead: Ukraine gives glimpse of future conflicts where attackers combine computer and traditional assaults.

Defense. Women. “U.S. Opening All Military Combat Roles to Women.” <<<<<

Wall Street Journal, 12-4-2015 p. A1

Defense. Drudgereport.com 1-5-2016 >>>>

US PACIFIC FLEET SHRINKS EVEN AS CHINA GROWS MORE AGGRESSIVE…

Defense. “Missing U.S. Missile Shows Up In Cuba” [“…a loss of sensitive military technology that ranks among the worst-known incidents of its kind.”] Wall Street Journal 1-8-16 p. A1

Defense. Drudgereport.com 2-8-16. >>>>

Feds probe apparent breach of FBI, DHS worker data…

Defense. Drudgereport.com 2-22-16 >>>>

USA aircraft carriers ‘unchallenged primacy may be coming to close’…

Defense. “China’s Xi Bets Big on a Global Military.” [Leader’s plan to revamp the armed forces, a milestone in his nation’s emergence from isolationism, faces hurdles at home.] [“…a plan that unnerves America and its Asian allies and could upset the global balance of power…”] Wall Street Journal, 4-26-16, P. A1.

Defense. Drudgereport.com 6-9-16 >>>>

Russia violating New START arms treaty…

‘Could smash NATO in 60 hours’…

Defense. 6-12-16 http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160611/1041185729/russia-hypersonic-glider.html :

Politics Russian Top Secret Hypersonic Glider Can Penetrate Any Missile Defense Read more: http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160611/1041185729/russia-hypersonic-glider.html#ixzz4BOBwkrkV

20:28 11.06.2016(updated 21:13 11.06.2016) Get short URL

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Russia’s new Yu-74 ultra-maneuverable hypersonic glide vehicles may become yet another response to the deployment of NATO’s missile installations in Eastern Europe, according to military analysts.

Defense. “China Makes Quantum Leap Forward.” Subhead: “Satellite aims to enable hack-proof communications; race to surpass West.” Wall Street Journal, 8-16-16 page. A7

Defense. Drudgereport.com 4-11-17

NKOREA: WE’LL NUKE YOU! TRUMP: We Are ‘Sending an Armada, Very Powerful’ Including Subs… Japanese, U.S. navies plan joint show of force…

Defense. North Korea. Drudgereport.com 4-14-17

STEP BACK OR IT’S WAR…

China issues stern warning…

STANDOFF TRIGGERS CIA THREAT…

U.S. aircraft carrier group approaches…

NKOREA PUTS ON SHOW FOR ‘DAY OF THE SUN’…

Sends radio broadcast of new encrypted numbers…

Displays submarine-based missiles for first time…

ICBMs paraded…

NO NUKE TEST…