Trump Has Picked America’s Enemies in Russia Over Its Friends in Europe
After his most recent trip abroad, the president deserves credit for consistency — but not much else.
David Bosco
Max Boot
Rosa Brooks
Thanassis Cambanis
Elizabeth Dickinson
Laurie Garrett
Kim Ghattas
Julia Ioffe
Leela Jacinto
Whitney Kassel
Jeffrey Lewis
Aaron David Miller
Suzanne Nossel
Thomas E. Ricks
David Rothkopf
Kori Schake
Emile Simpson
James Stavridis
Bruce Stokes
James Traub
Stephen M. Walt
Lauren Wolfe
Michela Wrong
Micah Zenko
Recent Voices
A SecDef nominee at war?: What I wrote about General Mattis in ‘The Generals’
Given the possibility that retired Marine Gen. James Mattis will be secretary of Defense, this section from my book, The Generals, becomes more interesting.
Our generals failed in Afghanistan
The United States military failed America in Afghanistan. It wasn’t a tactical failure. It was a failure of leadership.
Reminder: The biggest danger in civil-military relations isn’t making a coup
Rather, it is letting things slide, and winding up with a poor formulation of national strategy.
Why does Trump admire one of the worst generals ever in American history?
For all the reasons you’d expect.
I’ll C U in September!
After today, the Best Defense goes on summer hiatus.
The Air Force fumbles: A post-mortem on the recent promotion board for lt. colonels
The public discussion that’s recently emerged about the U.S. Air Force’s personnel crisis is well overdue.
We Didn’t Kick Britain’s Ass to Be This Kind of Country
Donald Trump’s abandonment of human rights is a repudiation of the country’s founding principles.
An interesting proposal to reduce suicide among people leaving the military
A lot of suicides occur when the new vet is transitioning from military to civilian life, writes Marine Sgt. James Galloway.
Australian Brig. Ryan: Russ Glenn gets our mission command right — but we still have lots of work to do, especially in professional military education
Tom challenged me to reflect on Russ Glenn’s recent article in Parameters, about the theory and application of mission command in the Australian Army.
A submarine skipper reflects on the impact of ‘Loss of Confidence’ reliefs
Tom’s run a lot of news lately about reliefs.
Koko’s a hard-working bomb dog
You'd be tired too.
Could the Chinese Communist Party survive dropping South China Sea claims?
The Chinese Communist Party’s very existence may rest on defending their claims in the South China Sea, and the party’s leadership knows it.
You’d Be Scared if You Were Donald Trump, Too
The president is obsessed with the investigation into his relationship with Russia. He should be.
The next internment: Would Chinese in the U.S. be rounded up during a war?
Present U.S. leadership seems both to make war more likely through its bellicose rhetoric and to heighten the risk that the conflict would lead to violence against the American-Chinese population.
Can Nationalists Ever Make Good Liberals?
France's new president is betting that he can bring disaffected voters back into the liberal fold by combining openness with economic growth. What if he just makes them even angrier?
Reliefs, ousters, and military mischief-making by a general and various others
An Army two-star was acting inappropriately with a female captain, despite warnings from his chief of staff and his command sergeant major.
What are the chances of a second American Civil War? (A Best Defense update)
Last time out, in early March, when we discussed this, the consensus number for national security experts was at about 30 percent, with some outliers at 60 percent and even 95 percent.
You want military innovation? OK, let’s start by cutting the defense budget
“Limited resources tend to drive innovative,” argues retired Air Force Lt. Col. Dan Ward, an expert in defense acquisition.
‘Wonder Woman’: Wonderful war movie
The strength of the film is really in the ideas.
Science Won’t Save Vaccines From Lawsuits Anymore
Europe’s highest court has just cleared the way for vaccine-truthers to sue manufacturers, even without any evidence.
Mohammed bin Salman Will Rule Saudi Arabia for Another 50 Years
What the elevation of the young crown prince — now successor to the throne — means for the Middle East.
The World Is Even Less Stable Than It Looks
Chaos is spreading – and that’s even before getting to America’s lack of competent leadership.
OK, Metz concludes that Army leaders are failing small units by overburdening them. Do generals do the same with strategy?
Remember the item I ran recently about an article by Capt. J. Scott Metz in which he stated that our allies now are better at small unit tactics than we are?
‘Mission Command 2.0’: A review
Anthony King's essay in the new issue of Parameters, titled “Mission Command 2.0: From and Individualist to a Collectivist Model,” is accurate and insightful.
A skipper’s thoughts on the Fitzgerald
Final judgments on causes and blame will have to wait completion of the investigation, but there’s sufficient information to raise some early questions.
Honorary war dog of the week: A wild horse hanging out at Fort Polk, La.
He’s lying down and doesn’t wish to be bothered by a bunch of noisy Humvees.
Yes, there are times when it’s better for a country to be neutral than to be your ally
That seems counterintuitive. After all, in war, you need all the friends you can get, right?
This Is How Great-Power Wars Get Started
Not with a bang, but basic strategic confusion in Washington about the links between Syria, Qatar, Iran, and Russia.
Metz’s critique: The problem is readiness means different things to the Army’s leaders and to company commanders
The thoughtful article by Captain J. Scott Metz in Armor magazine, shared by Tom Ricks here at Foreign Policy, has generated quite a bit of discussion in the senior ranks.
Book excerpt: ‘The Frontline Generation’ veteran meets a snide college professor
I knew the drill — state your name, major, and something interesting about yourself.
Hey, Geaney and ‘Nimble’: The era of the ‘fighter mafia’ is over, and the Air Force actually is doing better with non-pilots
Capt. David Geaney and Maj. “Nimble” both offered some useful insights about leadership in the Air Force on the Best Defense blog, but both miss the mark.
More from Dubik on mission command
This is a kind of commentary on the last item I ran by retired Army Lt. Gen. James Dubik on mission command.
Why Trump’s Foreign Policy Can’t Be Stopped
There are almost no checks and balances on the administration’s conduct of international affairs. And most Americans are fine with that.
North Korea Would Not Hesitate to Kill You
The scariest thing about the death of Otto Warmbier is that the Kim regime doesn’t feel even an ounce of remorse.
The EU Is Alive and Well, But the Referendums Are Coming
After the shock of Brexit, the French election has stabilized the patient in Brussels. But most countries still want a say on membership.
The significance of the battle for Mosul’s Great Mosque: This is where modern Iraqi history meets the medieval
A looming battle around Mosul’s medieval Great Mosque of al-Nuri as part of the final stages to push the Islamic State out of the city is expected to deliver another important tactical and even symbolic victory against the Islamic State.
Tom on ‘Morning Edition’
I like the interview that Steve Inskeep did with me about my new book on Churchill and Orwell.
It’s OK That Trump Doesn’t Care About Human Rights
America still does.
Donald Trump Is Proving Too Stupid to Be President
“You know, I’m, like, a smart person.” Uh huh.
2 new worrisome precedents in the Syrian war: Iranian missiles, and U.S. vs. Russia?
A U.S. Navy F-18 shot down a Syrian Su-22. That’s the first air-to-air downing by a U.S. aircraft since 1999.
A few names to consider:
Now who wants to tell me about their problems with diversity and immigration in today’s United States?
A rocket of a warning on SEAL suicides
“They are from the same platoon and suffering the same overexposure to combat,” writes retired SEAL officer Ed Hiner.
‘Mark’ delivers ammo for the Lewis gun
To these British troops.
Pilot management? The Air Force’s core problem is that we lack a strategy and so we do everything on a short-term basis
Anyone who’s uttered the immortal words “Hold my beer and watch this” knows the dangers of optimism.
Appeasement: A primer
Here’s the key thing to remember: Appeasement is a position of negotiating with a strong state from a position of weakness.
Strategy advice: Thinking out of the box requires getting your head out of that box
It is past time that we recognize the relevance of the field of management to the military world.
An excerpt from ‘One Mission: How Leaders Built a Team of Teams’
Midway through my year with General Stanley McChrystal, I found myself in the back-seat of a well-worn and dented SUV.
Trump Desperately Needs a Goodwill Ambassador
But is there anyone in the administration cut out to win friends and influence enemies?
Trump Isn’t Being a CEO. He’s Just AWOL.
The president’s delegation of determining troop levels in Afghanistan to the Pentagon is unprecedented and dangerous.
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