Protecting America from Online Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism
When 22-year-old Zachary Chesser was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison this past year, many casual observers wondered aloud how a middle-class kid from… Read More
An Anonymous War
Anonymous, the shadowy hactivist group, may have just declared war on the United States. This raises questions: How would we know, and what does this… Read More
Reducing National Security Cutter Fleet Threatens U.S. Sovereignty at Sea
In his recent budget request, President Obama cut funding for two Coast Guard National Security Cutters (NSC) that were slated to round out the fleet… Read More
Gut Ships and Planes, but Cybersecurity—Not So Fast
Futurists who applaud Obama for gutting conventional forces—ships, planes, and boots on the ground—and (allegedly) shifting to emerging, asymmetrical, or hybrid threats (pick your adjective… Read More
What to Do If Israel Attacks
What to make of the recent leaks that the Israelis are telling Washington, “If we attack, we won’t tell you first”? There is some speculation… Read More
Nuclear Reductions Should Not Be Driven by Numbers
“There are very solid grounds for re-evaluating our nuclear force structure,” writes Major General Paul Monroe (Ret.) in his recent Politico op-ed. He comes out… Read More
The Future Put on Hold
The Airborne Laser Test Bed (ALTB) was recently retired to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, primarily due to the assertion that “the program’s proposed operational… Read More
White House Fantasies on “Nuclear Zero”
Rose Gottemoeller, Acting Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security, has reiterated the Administration’s commitment to nuclear arms control at the Getting to Zero Conference… Read More
Morning Bell: Obama Doctrine Failure
Three years ago, President Barack Obama set forth to recast American foreign policy in an image of his own design. It was one in which… Read More
Slashing Defense Budget Puts Nation at Increased Risk
Heritage’s James Carafano recently wrote that President Obama’s proposed defense cuts are tantamount to a gift to America’s enemies. These cuts reduce America’s military capabilities… Read More
SecurityNews
Obama Doctrine Leaves World Less Safe
In his State of the Union address, President Obama declared that “America is back.” Examining Obama’s foreign policy efforts, however, this statement seems doubtful. To… Read More
“Hollow Forces” Discussion Distracts from Consequences of Defense Cuts
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) recently issued a report that attempts to explain the usage of the term “hollow forces.” The report argues that given… Read More
Al-Qaeda: Splintered, Scattered, but Still Dangerous
A recent report from the RAND Corporation on al-Qaeda’s future says that the terrorist organization remains extremely dangerous and will demand America’s continued attention for… Read More
Nightmare Cinema: A World Under Obama’s Arms Control
In a recent speech to the Conference on Global Zero, Rose Gottemoeller, the Assistant Secretary for Arms Control, Verification and Compliance, told the cheering masses, “New… Read More
Iran Shows How to Rope-a-Dope
Talks between Iran and the U.N. “watchdog” International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) just failed big time. You would never know that talking to Ali Asghar… Read More
Defense Budget: Proper Metrics Required
In a recent Wall Street Journal column, George Will criticizes the GOP for failing to provide a national security policy that Americans would agree upon…. Read More
Reducing Nuclear Arsenal Would Shift U.S. Target Options
President Obama wants to reduce the nuclear arsenal to as little as 300 warheads. While this might seem like a lot, the targeting list is… Read More
A Case Study in How Localities Can Best Respond to Natural Disasters
Last week, a subcommittee of the House of Representatives Committee on Small Business held a hearing on the Disaster Loan Fairness Act (H.R. 3042). Sponsored… Read More
Failure to Protect: Central America’s Worsening Security Crisis
The horrific fire in a Honduran prison that claimed the lives of 358 prisoners highlights a worsening crisis of violence, insecurity, and institutional failure in… Read More
When Is Congress the Most Dangerous?
When it comes to cybersecurity, maybe Americans ought to be happy with a do-nothing Congress. Remember the rush to pass the Stop Online Privacy Act… Read More
Choosing Decline: The Meaning of Obama’s Defense Guidance and Budget
The Defending Defense project—a joint initiative of AEI, the Foreign Policy Initiative, and the Heritage Foundation—brought together Senators Jon Kyl (R–AZ), Kelly Ayotte (R–NH), and… Read More
Underwear Bomber Sentenced to Life in Prison
On Christmas Day 2009, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab nearly succeeded in murdering almost 300 civilians aboard Northwest Flight 253. As the plane approached its final destination… Read More
Not a Good Time for U.S. Unilateral Reductions
Does the United States need fewer nuclear weapons? The White House thinks so. According to the recent reports, the Administration directed the Pentagon to develop… Read More
Left and Right Argue Terrorism Ups and Downs
Can we be confident that President Obama’s counterterrorism strategy is headed in the right direction? When I posted a chart to suggest that the numbers… Read More
New START: Been There, Threatened That
Yet again, the Russians are working to strengthen their position prior to NATO’s Chicago summit coming up in May. Mikhail Ulyanov, director of the Security… Read More
Cutting the Nuclear Arsenal Even Further
Representative Edward Markey (D–MA) has grave misconceptions regarding contributions that nuclear weapons make to the U.S. and allied national security. On Wednesday, he introduced a… Read More
The Reality of Maritime Cargo Security: 100 Percent Scanning Not the Answer
It sounds like a scene from 24: A terrorist group gets a hold of a nuclear bomb, places it in a cargo container, watches it… Read More
Defense Report Gets Failing Grade
America’s military is witnessing yet another attempt to recast the negative impact of massive defense cuts, this time in a report by the Council on… Read More
No Transparency Regarding Russia’s Strategic Buildup
In the New Strategic Arm Reductions Treaty (New START), the United States agreed to a weak verification regime. An indication of this is that U.S…. Read More
Military Maintenance Critical to a Ready Force
In a recent report titled “A Historical Perspective on ‘Hollow Forces,’” the Congressional Research Service (CRS) surveyed past efforts to keep the military from going… Read More
