Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Well done, Canada

The chief chaplain of the Canadian military appointed an advisor on indigenous religions.

Anniversary Of D-Day Landings
Anniversary Of D-Day Landings

 

 

The chief chaplain of the Canadian military appointed an advisor on indigenous religions. Good for him. Anything that attends to the spiritual needs of soldiers is a good move, and also probably helps unit cohesion down the road.

It reminded me of an evening a couple of decades ago when my wife and I took our kids to the Crow Fair’s opening ceremonies. The color guard was made up of Native Americans who had served in the military. There we were, perhaps four miles from the Little Bighorn battlefield, and these people were there in the uniforms of the U.S, military, proud of who they were and what they had done. (And yes, I know the role Crow scouts played at Little Bighorn.) After the ceremony, we were politely advised that it was time for tourists to leave, which we did.

Photo credit: GRAEME ROBERTSON/Getty Images

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

More from Foreign Policy

An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.
An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.

A New Multilateralism

How the United States can rejuvenate the global institutions it created.

A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.
A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.

America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want

Embedded with U.S. forces in the Pacific, I saw the dilemmas of deterrence firsthand.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seen in a suit and tie and in profile, walks outside the venue at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Behind him is a sculptural tree in a larger planter that appears to be leaning away from him.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seen in a suit and tie and in profile, walks outside the venue at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Behind him is a sculptural tree in a larger planter that appears to be leaning away from him.

The Endless Frustration of Chinese Diplomacy

Beijing’s representatives are always scared they could be the next to vanish.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.

The End of America’s Middle East

The region’s four major countries have all forfeited Washington’s trust.