US Opinion and Commentary

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Mattis as Defense Secretary: What it Means for Us, the Military, and for Trump

Posted December 2nd, 2016 at 10:15 am (UTC-4)
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Mattis says what he thinks. That is President-elect Trump’s reputation, but I think the fact of the matter is Trump actually says what sounds good. There’s a big difference….  He is a rarity in that he is a genuine strategic thinker, pushing himself and others to stretch their minds. This tendency is not always welcomed.

The Looming Air Superiority Train Wreck

Posted August 31st, 2016 at 4:19 pm (UTC-4)
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America is on track to lose air supremacy in contingencies involving near-peer air combat….In a 2030 war, the U.S. Air Force, after assessing currently funded improvement programs, now expects to no longer be able to win the air superiority battle.

Neither Clinton nor Trump Will Be Able to Fix the Pentagon’s Budget

Posted August 3rd, 2016 at 11:14 am (UTC-4)
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[A] Clinton or Trump administration will find itself facing a budget deadline just 254 days after taking the oath of office on Jan. 20. Pentagon officials are already warning of cuts that would come to the military if the budget caps return.

What America’s Big New Defense Plan Gets Wrong

Posted June 2nd, 2016 at 12:09 pm (UTC-4)
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DoD’s leaders recently identified autonomy and artificial intelligence technologies as the core elements of what they believe our new overmatch will be….But before the Third Offset flies too far, we need to ask the critical question: whether we are soaring in the right direction.

The Wrong Way to Handle the Kunduz Tragedy

Posted May 2nd, 2016 at 8:27 am (UTC-4)
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It is unclear why a court of inquiry was not used in the Kunduz case…Such a court would have been closed to the public when classified evidence was being examined, but much of it could have been open. That alone would have fostered greater confidence in the results.

The Exotic New Weapons the Pentagon Wants to Deter Russia and China

Posted February 24th, 2016 at 10:49 am (UTC-4)
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Pentagon officials have started talking openly about using the latest tools of artificial intelligence and machine learning to create robot weapons, “human-machine teams” and enhanced, super-powered soldiers….Pentagon officials say they have concluded that such high-tech systems are the best way to combat rapid improvements by the Russian and Chinese militaries.

Republicans Won’t Stop Saying Our Military is Weak

Posted February 22nd, 2016 at 2:25 pm (UTC-4)
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Americans should not equate a commander-in-chief’s decision not to use the military with the military’s lack of readiness or its ineffectiveness. Rather, this is the intended outcome of the framework of the Constitution, whereby elected civilians, and those serving under them, exercise control over where the military will be used.

America’s Military is Getting Deadly Serious about China, Russia, and North Korea

Posted February 10th, 2016 at 2:39 pm (UTC-4)
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The Third Offset Strategy is about retaining America’s lead in military power in the face of potential challenges by Russia, China, North Korea and others. The strategy takes aim at enemy vulnerabilities and weak spots with plans to exploit them in wartime.

The Army We Have. The Army We Need.

Posted December 22nd, 2015 at 3:12 pm (UTC-4)
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Most of those running for president say more must be done to defeat ISIS. And more usually equals more military might. In the United States, military service is a choice, not a requirement. While all men must register with the Selective Service System at age 18, there has not been a military draft in 42 years. But that has not stopped some from suggesting its return, for reasons ranging from raising the competency level of the military to improving the country’s social fabric. Many argue that compulsory service would make politicians think twice about going to war. Does the U.S. has the military it needs? And what are the needs of the military it has?

Women Can Go to War

Posted December 7th, 2015 at 10:43 am (UTC-4)
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[M]ilitary culture will need to change … It will demand higher levels of professionalism that will result in a better experience for all parties, including service members and the people they serve and protect. The integration will do out with a macho culture and in with an intellectual and inclusive one.

Ignoring Sexual Abuse in Afghanistan

Posted September 24th, 2015 at 9:43 am (UTC-4)
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By instructing American soldiers and Marines not to interfere, even if the incidents occurred on American bases, the Pentagon has chosen — reprehensibly — to sacrifice vulnerable children in order to maintain good relations with the Afghan police and militias it needs to fight the Taliban.