After the two Chinook helicopters descend from the cobalt sky and land amid a flurry of whirring rotors and flying grit, 48 figures emerge from their ramps.

At their head is 2nd …

For his legislation demanding that the Army’s field manual on prisoner treatment be used as the Defense Department standard. In the wake of scandals at Abu Ghraib in Iraq and elsewhere — …

Pity the poor noun “task,” so frequently verbed and now subjected to prefixing as well. If adding “re-” to a verb generally means “to do it again,” shouldn’t retasking an aircraft mean …

How to write on military subjects

A follow-up to October’s column on why veterans should write for publication.

One oddity of military service is that you meet men and women who are …

For opposing the McCain amendment on the grounds that it limits the executive branch’s ability to fight the war as it sees fit. In fact, the legislation is a proper exercise of …

China’s military rise is no longer an issue. The question is: How will Beijing use its power?

The remarkable economic growth of the People’s Republic of China during the past two decades, …

To a person, Senate Armed Services Committee members signaled support for the two men nominated to be Air Force and Navy secretaries. But after two hours of hearing senators describe the services’ …

Yes, you heard us right, the intelligence community — for intercepting the letter from Osama bin Laden’s lieutenant and top strategist, Ayman al Zawahiri, to Abu Musab al Zarqawi, head of al-Qaeda …

Mass customization must replace mass production

The Pentagon’s acquisition system, with roots that stretch back to World War II, is rapidly approaching a precipice. In the Cold War, the acquisition process was …

In Afghanistan, signs of progress are everywhere, but there’s a long road ahead

Even the New York Times, no friend to the Bush administration, has noticed “the Afghan difference.” After the recent …