Afghanistan
371 Articles
Pluses and Minuses of the Imminence Standard in Counterterrorism Strikes
Last month, I wrote on the revisions that the Trump Administration reportedly plans to make to President Obama’s drone policy. The piece set off a robust conversation with…
The Newly Relaxed Rules of Engagement in Afghanistan and Civilian Casualties
Military Times reported Monday that Secretary of Defense Mattis, appearing on Capitol Hill Tuesday alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joe Dunford told a pair…
Erik Prince’s ‘New Band of Flying Tigers’ is a Sequel We Don’t Need
It shouldn’t be too surprising that in his recent New York Times op-ed calling for an infusion of private contractors into Afghanistan, Erik Prince sidestepped any discussion…
Trump’s War–More Risk Than Reward for US Military Involvement in Afghanistan
Under the headline, “Former Special Forces Officer: If We Withdraw From Afghanistan, ISIS Will Move In,” Fox News identified a problem, but not the proper scale of that problem…
State Dept. Office of Global Criminal Justice on the Chopping Block–Time to Save It
Word out of Washington is that the Trump Administration has started to restructure the State Department and particularly the Under-Secretariat for Civilian Security, Democracy…
Pentagon Admits Major Investigation Flaw: They Rarely Talk to Air Strike Witnesses or Victims
In a transcript of a Pentagon Press Briefing, released this week by Airwars, Central Command’s Deputy Director for Operations made a striking admission about U.S. investigations…
A Clash in Syria Could Jeopardize the Iran Nuclear Deal and More
As the Trump administration enters its sixth month, fears that it would unilaterally rip up its predecessor’s landmark Iran nuclear agreement are beginning to fade. But the chances…
A Test Case for Guantánamo’s New Convening Authority
The latest Guantánamo military commission case to make headlines—the new charges against Encep Nurjamen (a.k.a. Hambali)—is shrouded in an unusual amount of secrecy. But when…
The Knives Are Out for Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster
This story is being cross-posted with Foreign Policy. Inside the White House, opponents of Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, President Donald Trump’s second national security adviser,…
U.S. Military Justice and “Operational Mishaps”: A Primer
As the tempo and intensity of United States military operations increases, the likelihood of operational mishaps increases as well. These mishaps – an anodyne term that cannot…
“The Mother of All Bombs”: Understanding the Massive Ordnance Air Blast Weapon
The Massive Ordnance Air Blast Weapon (MOAB, known informally as the “Mother of All Bombs” and formally as the Guided Bomb Unit, or GBU, 43/B) has attracted a great deal of…
What Military Actions Are Trump’s vs. Obama Holdovers?
President Donald Trump has been in office for 83 days, and almost everywhere you look, the US military is escalating its operations. US warships are steaming toward North Korea,…