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

Always vigilant

Dog keeps a lookout on the wing of a Hurricane in March, 1941.

By
ROYAL AIR FORCE 1939-1945: FIGHTER COMMAND (CH 2275) Hurricanes of No 401 Squadron undergoing maintenance at Digby, 16 March 1941. Copyright: � IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205219360
ROYAL AIR FORCE 1939-1945: FIGHTER COMMAND (CH 2275) Hurricanes of No 401 Squadron undergoing maintenance at Digby, 16 March 1941. Copyright: � IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205219360
ROYAL AIR FORCE 1939-1945: FIGHTER COMMAND (CH 2275) Hurricanes of No 401 Squadron undergoing maintenance at Digby, 16 March 1941. Copyright: � IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205219360

 

 

Dog keeps a lookout on the wing of a Hurricane in March, 1941.

Photo credit: Imperial War Museum

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
Tag: Military

latest

Attention-Seekers and Autocrats Are a Combustible Mix

Green Hydrogen Isn’t a Silver Bullet 

Why the Iraq War AUMF Is Still Dangerous

The U.S. Shouldn’t Worry About the India-Canada Rift

Largest Climate Change Lawsuit in History Kicks Off in European Court
See All Stories

Editors’ Picks

  1. 1
    The Scrambled Spectrum of U.S. Foreign-Policy Thinking
  2. 2
    North Korea’s Shell Game Is Not a Game-Changer, Pentagon Says
  3. 3
    Washington Is Losing Credibility Over the Canada-India Spat
  4. 4
    The Morality of Ukraine’s War Is Very Murky
  5. 5
    The U.S. Shouldn’t Worry About the India-Canada Rift
  6. 6
    Poland Is Throwing All Its Neighbors Under the Bus

More from Foreign Policy

A photo illustration shows Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden posing on pedestals atop the bipolar world order, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Russian President Vladamir Putin standing below on a gridded floor.
A photo illustration shows Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden posing on pedestals atop the bipolar world order, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Russian President Vladamir Putin standing below on a gridded floor.

No, the World Is Not Multipolar

The idea of emerging power centers is popular but wrong—and could lead to serious policy mistakes.

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.

The Chinese flag is raised during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics at Beijing National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022.
The Chinese flag is raised during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics at Beijing National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022.

America Can’t Stop China’s Rise

And it should stop trying.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on prior a meeting with European Union leaders in Mariinsky Palace, in Kyiv, on June 16, 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on prior a meeting with European Union leaders in Mariinsky Palace, in Kyiv, on June 16, 2022.

The Morality of Ukraine’s War Is Very Murky

The ethical calculations are less clear than you might think.

Trending

  1. Washington Is Losing Credibility Over the Canada-India Spat
    Analysis
    Howard W. French

  2. The Scrambled Spectrum of U.S. Foreign-Policy Thinking
    Analysis
    Ash Jain

  3. The Morality of Ukraine’s War Is Very Murky
    Argument
    Stephen M. Walt

  4. The U.S. Shouldn’t Worry About the India-Canada Rift
    South Asia Brief
    Michael Kugelman

  5. North Korea’s Shell Game Is Not a Game-Changer, Pentagon Says
    Report
    Jack Detsch