Former Undersecretary of the Army Nelson Ford asks for evidence regarding my claim that America’s elites are underrepresented in the all-volunteer force [Letters, June]. In “America’s ‘casualty gap’”(Los Angeles Times, May 28), …

North Korea’s torpedo mischief ripples beyond Northeast Asia

When North Korea makes headlines, it is never good news.For instance, there was the Korean War — certainly not good news. Then there was …

TO LEADERSHIP. President Obama, announcing his decision to accept the resignation of McChrystal after the Rolling Stone article became public, finally stepped up to his commander-in-chief responsibilities and wartime leader duties. It’s …

TO ARROGANCE. The most far-reaching and damaging comments in Rolling Stone’s profile of Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal were not his dismissive attitude toward the vice president and other Obama administration officials, but …

With strong conventional strike options, the U.S. can lessen nuclear threats

In an effort to reduce U.S. military reliance on nuclear weapons, the Obama administration is emphasizing how much more America can …

The U.S. must restore the civil-military equilibrium

The relief in June of Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal has led to an outpouring of articles about civil-military relations and the need for top generals …

Revealing the Army’s UAS road map

When combat operations began in October 2001, the Army had 54 operational unmanned aircraft. Today, the Army has more than 4,000 unmanned aircraft in various sizes …

Defenders of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter are having a tough year as headlines scream about cost overruns, schedule delays and international partner wobbles. Under pressure to justify the program’s multibillion-dollar price …

Protecting communities is the only way to build Afghan trust

The hardy people and rugged terrain of Afghanistan have long inspired some of the world’s best writers to craft romantic tales of …

TO DUTY. “I am humbled and honored to have been nominated by the president to command the ISAF and U.S. forces in Afghanistan,” said Army Gen. David Petraeus during his Senate confirmation …