Military
701 Articles
To Undermine the ICC, Bolton’s Targets Extend Way Beyond the Court
If the U.S. pressures states to sign new bilateral agreements shielding American personnel from the ICC, officials and civil society in those countries have options other than…
Condolence Payments for Civilian Casualties: Lessons for Applying the New NDAA
The new National Defense Authorization Act can help improve the way the U.S. responds to civilian casualties. FOIA requests and interviews with DoD officials, U.S. soldiers, judge…
Letter to the Editor: Why Larger Defense Budgets Don’t Need to Come at the Expense of “Soft Power”
In his recent post (“The National Security Threat of Trump’s Defense Budget”) Bishop Garrison argues that the Trump administration’s proposed increases to the defense budget…
OLC’s Formal (and Remarkably Broad) Defense of the April Syria Strikes
This morning, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel posted a formal, 22-page opinion, concluding that the April 13 airstrikes on Syria were lawful.
The South China Sea’s Muddled and Increasingly Militarized Future
The Chinese Air Force recently landed a number of bombers on a heavily disputed “island” in the South China Sea. The military landings follow the placement of three anti-ship…
The National Security Threat of Trump’s Defense Budget
As a former military officer and national security appointee under President Barack Obama, I know firsthand the value of U.S. defense spending for securing the United States and…
My Least Favorite Day
A powerful Memorial Day essay and reflection.
Analysis of Israel’s Supreme Court Decision Allowing Lethal Force in Gaza
On May 25th 2018, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected, in a unanimous decision of a three judge panel, a petition by a group of NGOs which challenged the legality of the Rules of…
What the Law of Military Obedience Can (and Can’t) Do–What Happens if a President’s Orders are Unlawful?
A proposal to bring back waterboarding and a “hell of a lot worse.” The possible suggestion that members of the military should intentionally target terrorists’ civilian…
Losing Our Profession: The Dire Consequences of a More Partisan Military
“Do the generals have too much power?” That was the prompt I was originally asked to answer on a recent panel which discussed the relationship between civilian society and…
Legal Implications of the Defect in Pentagon’s Civilian Casualty Assessments
Goodman supplements his New York Times Op-ed by discussing two legal implications of a flaw in how the Pentagon counts civilian casualties.
John Bolton: A Threat At Home And Abroad?
On April 9th, General H.R. McMaster will vacate the National Security Advisor position for a man widely viewed as his temperamental and intellectual opposite: former U.N. ambassador…