Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks’ daily take on national security.
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The cover of C.S. Forester's "The General." (William Collins) Max Hastings on C.S. Forester’s classic tale of World War I, ‘The General’
C.S. Forester recognized that his fumbling half-hero was as much a tragic figure as the men whom he led, often to their deaths.
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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) Some quiet thoughts on Kelly’s militarism
The gap widens between the military and American society.
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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
A thousand years ago when I was about to begin my military career, a wise old retired Marine colonel, a veteran of the carnage at Tarawa, gave me some advice.
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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) This Whole Gold Star Mess
Trump does not appear to understand military service
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U.S. service members walk off a helicopter on the runway at Camp Bost on Sept. 11 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. (Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images) My time in the rotation helps show why our approach in Afghanistan is doomed
The U.S. military’s way of operating in Afghanistan is a recipe for failure.
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A Bangor, ME police department dog. (Courtesy Bangor, Maine, police department) Today’s briefing
A Bangor police dog takes the podium.
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Headstones are seen at Arlington Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia on Sept. 21. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images) Waiting for that official knock on the door: A military spouse’s thoughts
The "sacred trust" between military families and the commander in chief provides secure ground
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An Israeli soldier throws a grenade into a Hezbollah bunker during the 2006 Lebanon war. (Wikimedia Commons) Some unhappy reasons for why we are on the verge of another war in Lebanon
Conversations with Israelis these days tend to end up in one place: casus belli.
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El Tres de Mayo, by Francisco Goya. (Wikimedia Commons) Son, rotation of troops is no way to fight: It hurt Napoleon’s campaign in Spain as well as the U.S. Army effort in Afghanistan
The more I study military history, the more I believe that troop rotation is a lousy way to run a war.
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Major General George Armstrong Custer in field uniform. (Library of Congress) Quote of the day, from old Hofstader:
War is a comedy of errors and incompetence.
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Iraqi forces drive past an oil production plant near the city of Kirkuk during an operation against Kurdish fighters on Oct. 16. (Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images) The Kurdish war with Iraq
A perplexing conflict.
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British World War I recruitment poster. (Wikimedia Commons) The British disdain for military affairs — and how it might affect British publishing
I’ve noticed in looking at British books about war in the last 20 years that the British public is not well served by its publishers.
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Siegfried's Death, by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld. (Wikimedia Commons) Have our military leaders been honest?
The military must be honest, both with itself and the rest of the nation.
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The U.S. Marshall Plan logo. (Wikimedia Commons) Great moments in interviews
A high school student interviewed Defense Secretary James Mattis
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Stephanie Smith, human cannonball at the Royal Melbourne Show, 2005. (WIkimedia Commons) Firings, reliefs, and military misdeeds: The hits just keep on coming, for some reason
This month's hall of shame.
