Strategic Outpost

The cyclone of rapid-fire actions taken by the Trump administration in its first weeks has affected every part of the U.S. government, including the Department of Defense and military services. The Feb. 21 summary dismissal of the chairman…

The gruesome ongoing war in Ukraine should have shattered any remaining illusions that the U.S. military can count on swiftly and decisively defeating any capable adversary in a future war. History is filled with examples of states that…

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in War on the Rocks to honor Veterans Day in 2017. Seven years later, its message of fostering meaningful communication between servicemembers and civilians is more important than ever. This…

Summertime is in full swing, which means it’s time for our annual reading list! Every year since 2016, we have shared our favorite picks for our fellow natsec nerds to read while at the beach — or wherever you go to get away from email,…

Today, the U.S. Air Force faces an almost-existential crisis. During the past several years, the service has been battered by the loss of its prestigious space mission to the nascent U.S. Space Force. It has also struggled to balance the…

The U.S. military spends untold time, energy, and effort preparing for its future wars. Yet periodically, real wars intrude to shatter hypothetical concepts and show how the ever-changing interaction of doctrine, technology, and leadership…

Every summer since 2016, we have dutifully crafted a summer vacation reading list for our loyal readers. But this year, the utterly bizarre yet somehow appealing phenomenon known as Barbenheimer inspired us to do something a bit different.…

The all-volunteer force may finally have reached its breaking point. During the first years of the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, many military experts worried that the constant deployments would “break” the force since they expected…

Happy holidays to all you national security nerds out there! This is red-nosed Rudolph checking in for Santa this year. The old man has asked me to share his gift list for the season with you while he and Mrs. Claus battle all the leaks in…