Blog Posts

"There are five counterterrorism approaches that have worked well over the past two decades. The next administration should embrace them, while adapting policy to new conditions."

"The United States and its allies need to look beyond the fighting, and beyond tactical victory."

"The Pentagon’s top brass have entered a debate coursing through the presidential campaign: how to define an enemy the US military has been fighting for 15 years."

Continue on for this Modern War Institute Report.

Most American military personnel are deeply skeptical of nation-building missions overseas and would prefer to see leaders focus the country's resources on less ambiguous missions.

Continue on for the video.

The Silver Wings perform more parachute demonstrations in a year than the ubiquitous Golden Knights with a fraction of the budget and with primarily part-time team members.

"Although Pyongyang appears to be stable now, such stability is like nuclear deterrence: it works right up to the day when it does not."

"Trying to secure North Korea after a chaotic collapse or overthrow of the Kim regime would be a nightmare."

While in the past, irregular tactics and protracted forms of conflict have mostly been marked as tactics of the weak, in future hybrid opponents may exploit them because of their effectiveness.

"This bleak outlook arises mainly because of the aggressive nationalism being exhibited by Putin and because of strategic misjudgments by the last two U.S. presidents."

"Once a widely practiced tradition, professional soldiers are no longer commonly embedded as official military observers during war."

The U.S.-Russia negotiated cease-fire in Syria that was negotiated over the heads of militias battling to oust President Bashar al-Assad appears Sunday to be all but dead.

The deal for US military cooperation with Russia would expand the current mission in Syria far beyond its exclusive focus on the Islamic State group. And the Pentagon is not happy about it.

"Coalition forces believed they were striking a Daesh fighting position, Central Command said in a statement, using an alternate term for the IS group."

As the Islamic State group's arsenal of sophisticated weaponry dwindles, IS fighters are creating more homemade armaments.

Faced with a global Islamist insurgency, the U.S. government and its political system continue to put forth military-heavy policies which advance strategic objectives haphazardly.

"Why does Snowden get to pick which laws apply to him and which don’t? If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime."

"The U.S. has sent about 40 special-operations troops to work with Turkish forces on clearing out a stretch of the border region in northern Syria still occupied by Islamic State."

SIGAR has released its first lessons learned report. "Corruption in Conflict: Lessons from the U.S. Experience in Afghanistan". Continue on for the interactive website and the full report.

"The Obama administration is considering how to respond. As in most strategic debates, there’s a split between hawks and doves."

The Mattis Way of War: An Examination of Operational Art in Task Force 58 and 1st Marine Division.

“It is a phenomenon that is anathema to me. It runs counter to everything that any of us whoever entered special operations know [is] the right way to do business.”

Americans may despise the Taliban but ISIS makes them look like choirboys.

“The troubled Admiral Kuznetsov has had lots of problems but will soon head out on its first combat deployment.”