According to a well-known Jewish proverb, “It is not the mouse that is the thief, but the hole.” In other words, some of the problems we face (mice entering our home) are perhaps more a result of our own actions or lack thereof (plugging the holes in its walls), than of the malign intentions of others. What does this tell us about the security challenges...

Almost 10 years ago I penned a strategy article inspiring ad hominem attacks, the suggestion by former colleagues that I had written something akin to The Anarchist Cookbook, and otherwise causing “profound disappointment” and “alarm” in the defense community. My target at the time was the now classic formula for strategy as the sum of ends, ways, and...

In recent months, resistance forces in Myanmar have been making major gains against the country’s military junta, capturing vast swaths of territory in strategic border regions. Then, last week, the military recaptured the key trading hub of Myawaddy on the border with Thailand, just two weeks after the rebels had taken it. We asked four experts to...

Ryan sat down with three friends to talk about the war in Ukraine through the lens of a new edited volume on the topic. Enjoy this conversation with Andrea Kendall-Taylor (former CIA), Hal Brands, and Alexander Bick (former National Security Council staff), which surfaces some important disagreements and debates about the war and international order....

In March 2023, the Department of Defense released a report declaring, “In aggregate, the defense industry is financially healthy, and its financial health has improved over time.” In fact, few people would argue that — at least for those companies that beat the odds and survive the “valley of death” — defense contracting isn’t a lucrative business....

On March 14, 2023, a U.S. Air Force Predator uncrewed aircraft was destroyed after it was struck by a Russian fighter jet in international airspace over the Black Sea. The actions conducted by the Russian fighter, including dumping fuel and flying in front of it, would have constituted a violation of the U.S.-Russia Incidents at Sea agreement — if the...