Outside the Beltway

The capital of the purported caliphate declared by ISIS has apparently fallen, but that doesn’t mean the end of ISIS. In fact, it may make the group more dangerous.

President Trump sinks even lower.

The Bergdahl case comes to an end.

Donald Trump continues to be as astoundingly ignorant about the most powerful weapons the U.S. military possesses as he was as a candidate.

America’s longest war seems likely to soon turn into America’s never-ending war.

Once again, Congress is abdicating its Constitutional responsibilities.

Contrary to reports, Secretary of Defense Mattis is not defying the President on his order to bar transgender Americans from serving in the military.

Another Cabinet member rebukes the President for his comments about Charlottesville.

President Trump’s effort to ban transgender Americans from serving in the military faces two new legal challenges.

President Trump’s shameful decision to ban transgender Americans from the military has nothing to do with military readiness and everything to do with pandering to his far-right base.

The Trump Administration has reportedly finalized its order to the Defense Department regarding a ban on military service by transgender soldiers.

President Trump’s Afghanistan policy sounds awfully familiar, and it’s likely to lead to the same results.

Based on initial reports, Trump’s Afghanistan policy looks a lot like what we’ve seen for the past sixteen years.

More stupid, irresponsible rhetoric from the President of the United States.

Just about two weeks after being announced, the President’s proposed ban on military service by transgender troops is being challenged in Court.

Things are getting far more complicated on the Korean Peninsula. Diplomacy isn’t working, and a military option would most likely lead to disaster.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff are making clear that President Trump’s tweets are not official policy. At least not yet.

A step backward on civil rights from a President who claimed he would be a friend to the LGBT community.

More evidence the president does not understand his job.

More provocation from Pyongyang.

America’s longest war is still going on, and President Trump’s advisers want him to continue his predecessor’s policies of continuing to re-expand American forces in a war that has seemingly no end.

The North Koreans failed to successfully test a longer-range missile again yesterday, but tensions on the Korean Peninsula seem destined to increase in any case.

A warning to North Korea.

It’s not at all clear that there is a useful strategy at work here.

A new Pentagon proposal would place more discretion in the hands of field commanders, removing the need for Presidential approval.

Reports indicate that President Trump will seek to increase military spending. We don’t need to, and we can’t really afford it.

A military judge has rejected a motion to dismiss the case against Bowe Bergdahl based on comments made by Donald Trump when he was a candidate for President.

Could Donald Trump’s comments about Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl on the campaign trail lead to the case against Bergdahl being dismissed? A military judge will have to decide.

With two votes last night, President Trump’s Cabinet is coming together.

Three of the top four national security positions in Donald Trump’s Cabinet will be filled by retired Generals. This isn’t necessarily a good thing.

My latest for War on the Rocks.

President Obama will leave office as the first two term President who presided over eight years of war. It didn’t start with him and it won’t end with him.

The Dallas shooting spree ended with police killing the perpetrator with a drone. I’m okay with that.

American forces will continue to stay in Afghanistan well after Barack Obama leaves office thanks to a new policy announced today.

Marines, especially female Marines, will be allowed to be heavier in the new year.

My latest for The National Interest has posted.

Unlike previous civil rights changes, this one came without much fanfare, fight, or even discussion.

The Marine Corps has removed the word “man” from nineteen of its military occupation specialty titles, leaving only a handful of iconic instances intact.

The Senate has passed an amendment to a military spending bill that would require women to register for the draft.

A respected scholar has an interesting suggestion for fighting the Forever War.

Bowe Bergdahl’s Court Martial has been delayed until 2017, which raises the possibility that comments by Donald Trump could result in Bergdahl getting off scot-free.

My latest for War on The Rocks, “Professional Military Education and the Rigor Problem, has posted.

My latest for RealClearDefense, “The Forgotten Veterans of Desert Storm,” has posted. The headline belies the argument.