Management
The Iraq War Has Cost the U.S. Nearly $2 Trillion
The Pentagon has spent more than $800 billion on military operations in Iraq. But that doesn't include money needed to care for veterans, rebuild the country or pay interest on war debt.
Defense
The One War Zone Trump Doesn’t Want to Leave
The president’s resistance to withdrawing from Iraq boils down to three of his main enemies: ISIS, Iran, and Obama.
Defense
Now It's 64. Wounded Troop Tally from Iran Missile Strike Rises Again
Trump “understands the nature” of brain injuries, says Defense Secretary Esper after the president downplayed Americans’ wounds as not “serious.”
Defense
Kenya Base ‘Surprisingly’ Undefended During Attack, U.S. Officials Say
The Jan. 5. attack by al-Shabaab killed three Americans came as the Pentagon considers a further drawdown of its African presence.
Defense
A Preventable Disaster Killed Six Marines, and Congress Has Questions for Military Leaders
A ProPublica investigation showed senior military leaders were worried about how prepared American sailors and Marines were for combat.
Defense
A Call to Inaction on Defense Acquisition Law
The best thing Congress could do for a while is stop passing new legislation.
Defense
The Torturers Wanted to Stop, but the CIA Kept Going
An interrogator testified that even after prisoner Abu Zubaydah started cooperating, the waterboarding continued.
Defense
As Toll Mounts, Trump Downplays Injuries Suffered in Iranian Attack
The president's dismissive statements about the brain trauma suffered by U.S. troops at Al Assad may reflect a considered attempt to de-escalate – or not.
Defense
A Navy Scandal Sheds Light on the Nature of Bribery and the Limits of Free Speech
A massive scandal implicating senior US Navy officers highlights what bribery is and how it happens. A law and ethics scholar at the U.S. Naval Academy can't say much more than that, though.
Defense
Analysis: America’s Wars Wouldn’t Be Possible Without Contractors
But presidents usually ignore the thousands who have died.
Defense
Trump Says U.S. Is Ready for War. Not All His Troops Are So Sure.
A series of accidents calls the military’s preparedness into question.
Defense
Eleven U.S. Troops Were Injured in Jan. 8 Iran Missile Strike
The troops were medevaced this week to Germany and Kuwait to be treated for traumatic brain injury after experiencing concussion symptoms.
Defense
The Navy Needs More Money, Its Top Admiral Bluntly Argues
The sea service is pushing for a fleet of 355 ships in the next decade, and that’s not counting unmanned vessels.
Oversight
Meet the House Republicans Who Want to Rein In Trump On War
After the Soleimani strike, a working group of moderate Republicans and Democrats trying to “clarify” Congress’s war responsibilities hope they can build momentum.
Oversight
House Passes War Powers Resolution to Limit War With Iran
The measure is legally toothless, but could still have some political impact.
Defense
Why U.S. Officials Are Revealing More about Cyber Ops
It’s part of a “costly signaling” gambit. Will it deter America’s enemies?
Defense
U.S., Iran Back Away From Conflict—For Now
The crisis appears to be cooling, at least for now, as U.S. lawmakers — and presumably the president — return their focus to the looming impeachment trial in the Senate.
Defense
Iran Is Getting Ready to Blow Up A Fake Aircraft Carrier, Again
To test weapons, try out tactics, and intimidate adversaries, Iranian forces may attack its barge-borne “carrier” as soon as March.
Defense
Iran Launched Missiles at Iraqi Bases with U.S. Forces, Pentagon Says
More than a dozen ballistic missiles were fired at the Al-Assad air base in Anbar province and a base in Irbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan, a Defense statement said.
Defense