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

Best Defense contest predictions on President Trump’s first foreign policy crisis, and I gots to say, March is looking pretty busy

Best Defense is on summer hiatus. During this restful spell we offer re-runs from the past 12 months.

operation_castle_-_romeo_0011
operation_castle_-_romeo_0011

Best Defense is on summer hiatus. During this restful spell we offer re-runs from the past 12 months. This item originally ran on Jan. 23, 2017.

Best Defense is on summer hiatus. During this restful spell we offer re-runs from the past 12 months. This item originally ran on Jan. 23, 2017.

Shava Nerad
South China Sea, almost immediately

Hunter Pauli
Mexico – January 2017

Rich Ford
Russia,  January 2017

Mario Chiu
U.S, terrorism, January 2017

James Gelvin
Jerusalem, end of January/beginning of February.

Frankie Miranda
North Korea, late January/February

Dan Santella
Barbara Disco
North Korea, February 2017

 @_Orwell
China, February, 2017

Eric Shimp
Hythm Shibl
China, February 2017 – specifically South China Sea

Doug Samuelson
Israel / Palestine, February 2017

Peter Lucier
Germany, February 2017

@cao_đẹp1
Iran, February 2017

Oluwaseun M. Faleye
Eastern Europe, February 2017

JA Vasquez
Ukraine – Late February
(Russian induced on Ukraine territory)

Aidan Hehir
Kosovo, March 2017

Jonathan Heimer
Mexico, March 2017

Joe Mazzafro
United States (cybercrisis), mid-March 2017

stormageddon
Venezuela’s collapse, March 2017

Michael Vredenburg
South China Sea/West Philippine Sea, March 2017

Kevin Adams
Lithuania, March 2017

Stewart Schoder
Turkey, March 2017 

Paul Rosenzweig
Paj Sandhu
Ukraine, March 2017

John Reid
Israel, March 2017

Logan Machowski
Iran, March 2017

Chris Govekar
Iran, April 2017

Thom
China, April 2017

Will Draxler
Estonia, April 2017

Matthew Collins
Chinese Trade Policy, April 2017

Jeffrey Stern
Germany, April 2017

Nick Kirby
North Korea/China, April 2017

Gold Star Fahda
Mexico, April 2017

AJLemons
Iraq, April 2017

Miles McNerney
Ukraine .May 2017

Cameron Gallagher
North Korea, May 2017

Harry Rosenthal
Venezuela, May, 2017

Seacoaster37
Israel/Palestine, June 2017

Conrad Truedson
North Korea, June 2017

Frank Moore
Iran, June 2017

USAF Pilot-RET
Tested by Iranian acts, July 2017

WWIIFanatic
Afghanistan, July 2017

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

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

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