Department of Defense (DoD)
275 Articles
What Counts as a Win?: Battle Damage Assessments and Public Messaging
The White House's future BDA briefings on the Iran strikes will likely project certainty where analysis still urges caution.
Collection: Just Security’s Coverage of Trump Administration Executive Actions
Coverage of key developments, including in concise “What Just Happened” expert explainers, legal and policy analysis, and more. Check back frequently for updates.
The Pentagon’s AUKUS Review is an Opportunity — If Done Right
The success of AUKUS is important for validating and refining a kind of joint defense model that the United States can use to forge more productive partnerships.
Intelligence Implications of the Shifting Iran Strike Narrative
How the growing politicization of the U.S. intelligence community undermines the integrity of decision-making on Iran and national security more broadly.
Why War? Why Now? Assessing Iranian Intentions and Capabilities
Why did Israel, and then the United States, decide to attack Iran now, even as U.S.-Iranian negotiations sputtered along?
Trump’s Use of Federal Troops in Drug Raid Outside of Los Angeles: An Alarming Escalation
"An alarming escalation of the president's efforts to use the military as a domestic police force. Based on currently available information, it appears to be illegal, as well"
Posse Comitatus Act Meets the President’s “Protective Powers”: What’s Next in Newsom v. Trump
"Congress has been far more clear than is widely believed about what its view is..."
The “Unwilling or Unable” Test for Sending U.S. Military to Los Angeles
"The state of California, however, has not yet raised this point in the ongoing litigation. That is a missed opportunity ...."
If McDonald’s Can Fix Its Own Machines, Why Can’t the U.S. Military?
Congress should pass legislation to give U.S. service members the tools and the authority to repair their own equipment.
Hegseth Promises to Save the Pentagon Billions of Dollars. Here’s What Actually Could.
If the Trump administration wants to end wasteful Pentagon spending, it should reform the many faltering weapons programs and review its contractor ecosystem.
The New “National Defense Area” at the Southern Border: What You Need to Know
NSPM-4 creates a military area that is twice the size of Washington, D.C. and expands the military’s role in stopping cross-border migration.
Signal Gate: The Criminal Law Precedents That Are Most Relevant
A range of federal laws, including the Espionage Act and laws against the destruction of government records, could apply in this case.