Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks’ daily take on national security.
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WWII query: Why did France surrender so quickly while Russia held out for years?
After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts.
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A stunning profile of Ben Rhodes, the asshole who is the president’s foreign policy guru
After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts.
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White House Chief of Staff John Kelly speaks during a White House briefing Oct. 19 in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) An Old Colonel Looks at General Kelly
After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts.
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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks alongside Secretary of Defense James Mattis at a cabinet meeting in the White House on Dec. 6, 2017. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) Mattis as defense secretary: What it means for us, for the military, and for Trump
After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts.
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U.S. Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan arrives at Combat Outpost Sharp in the Garmsir District. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Mark O’Donald/Released via Wikimedia Commons) 2 big warnings from Gen. McChrystal: War in Europe is possible & we’re going to have to give up rights for our security
After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts.
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Saudi Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz meets Chinese President Xi Jinping after a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People on March 13, 2014 in Beijing, China. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) What Would a Saudi-Iran War Look Like? Don’t look now, but it is already here
After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts
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(Flickr/DVIDSHUB) We’re getting out of the Marines because we wanted to be part of an elite force
After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts.
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U.S. Joint Forces Command Commander James Mattis speaks during the 2010 Atlantic Council awards dinner at the Ritz Carlton Hotel on April 28, 2010 in Washington, D.C. (Kris Connor/Getty Images) The ouster of Mattis: Some follow-up details and a White House response
After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts.
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Topographic map of North Korea. (Wikimedia Commons) Why ‘5027’ is a number you should know: How war in Korea might unfold
After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts.
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A German designed Leopard AS1 Gun Tank from the Australian 1st Armored Regiment at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area, Queensland, Australia. (U.S. Navy/Wikimedia Commons) Hey, shut up about being the best military in the world, because we might not be (A)
After eight years at Foreign Policy, here are the ten most popular Best Defense posts.
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(Cover of Illusions of Victory by Carter Malkasian. Publisher: Oxford University Press. ) Excerpt From ‘Illusions of Victory’: Here’s Why the Iraqi Awakening Broke Down
In Iraq, the U.S invasion toppled over society and let sectarian dynamics run their course.
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The cover of "Enlisting Faith." (Harvard University Press) Book Excerpt: In ‘Enlisting Faith,’ the Navy Takes Vietnamese Catholics South
It was hot and muggy as monsoon season crested in the summer of 1954.
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A rainbow glows in the sky behind trees in blossom on April 11, 2012 over the city of Geneva. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images) Reading Rainbow: Take a Look
With the holidays upon us, a collection of military and history books worth checking out.
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A damaged circuitboard. (Flickr) Learning to Fight When Screens Go Dark
If we woke up tomorrow and found that none of our laptops, iPhones, iPads, or personal assistants worked, what would we do?
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(Flickr via davidneubert.com) Operation Mr. Coffee: A Military Memoir
A mission of capital importance
