Features

10 steps toward a lighter, better endgame

After 11 years of war, the U.S. military is applying a strategy in Afghanistan that works, based on gradually empowering the Afghanistan government to take …

Shifting U.S. units from Western Europe makes readiness, fiscal sense

As the U.S. military prepares to trim its 80,000-strong force in Europe by 10,000 soldiers, it’s a good time to rethink a …

Lt. Cmdr. David Coghlan’s recommendation that NORTHCOM absorb EUCOM has merit, except that it fails to take into account the political aspect of that combatant command’s interaction with NATO.

Making the NORTHCOM …

Charting the erosion of senior officer responsibility

Army Lt. Col. Paul Yingling wrote in these pages that today a private who loses his weapon “suffers far greater consequences than a general who …

10 things the military needs to know about its security partner

Since President Harry S. Truman created the CIA with the signing of the National Security Act in 1947, the agency and …

The Army must reinforce standards of discipline

Nearly two years into the Army Profession campaign, this systematic effort to identify and promote key principles has assessed the service’s strengths and weaknesses, identified …

To the Air Force for attempting to return to the thrilling days of yesteryear, when manned jets ruled the skies.

Looks like Bob Gates called this one. A few months before he …

Dissent is always difficult, yet history is rife with examples of people who spoke out against consensus and saved the day. In a military context, dissent is especially tricky. Good commanders value …

To the Marine Corps for requiring all new sergeants to get culture-and-language training.

Starting last month, Marines who ascend to E-5 and above enroll in familiarization courses focusing on one of 17 …

Worry less about China’s rise than its fall

Current U.S. security policy and the “strategic pivot” toward Asia are rooted in the premise that China’s rise to economic and military power threatens …