After Mosul: Iraq’s Arab Neighbors Must Help Rebuild

After Mosul: Iraq’s Arab Neighbors Must Help Rebuild
After Mosul: Iraq’s Arab Neighbors Must Help Rebuild

On July 10, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, pulling on the same black uniform and jacket that Iraq’s elite counterterrorism forces wore throughout the battle for Mosul, declared the final liberation of the city from Daesh’s (aka ISIL) control. “I announce from here the end and the failure and the collapse of the terrorist state…

Abort The Space Corps On The Launchpad

Abort The Space Corps On The Launchpad
Abort The Space Corps On The Launchpad

Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson and Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein really don’t like it. Congress appears split, with the House Armed Services Committee pushing hard for it and the Senate Armed Services Committee essentially going, really?! And Defense Secretary Jim Mattis came out yesterday against the idea, a specific provision in the House…

US Should Stand Off In Syria; Not A Core Interest

US Should Stand Off In Syria; Not A Core Interest
US Should Stand Off In Syria; Not A Core Interest

After a U.S. F-18 shot down a Syrian fighter-bomber last week, Assad’s ally, Russia, declared that it would consider shooting down any U.S. aircraft west of the Euphrates river. The White House defiantly declared the US would defend itself if attacked. Risking a war with a nuclear power over a Syrian policy that does not advance core…

CJCS Dunford Talks Turkey, Iran, Afghan Troop Numbers & Daesh

CJCS Dunford Talks Turkey, Iran, Afghan Troop Numbers & Daesh
CJCS Dunford Talks Turkey, Iran, Afghan Troop Numbers & Daesh

Breaking Defense contributor James Kitfield spoke with Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during Dunford’s swing through Japan, Singapore, Australia, Wake Island, and Hawaii. BD readers know that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis promised Sen. John McCain yesterday that America would get a new Afghan strategy by mid-July. In this second part of Kitfield’s interview,…

Iraq: Proving Ground For Multi-Domain Battle

Iraq: Proving Ground For Multi-Domain Battle
Iraq: Proving Ground For Multi-Domain Battle

ARMY WAR COLLEGE: The brutal ground war in Iraq holds vital lessons for sophisticated future operations in the Pacific, Australian Maj. Gen. Roger Noble said today. Military pundits often draw a sharp distinction between what they consider low-tech warfare against irregular forces, as in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria, and high-tech war against states like China…

The Tennessean: SecArmy Nominee Green’s Outsider Status Makes Him Vulnerable

The Tennessean: SecArmy Nominee Green’s Outsider Status Makes Him Vulnerable
The Tennessean: SecArmy Nominee Green’s Outsider Status Makes Him Vulnerable

WASHINGTON: Who is Mark Green, really? Donald Trump‘s new nominee for Army Secretary has much more experience in uniform and in government than Trump’s first try, West Point-educated billionaire Vincent Viola. Even some Democrats I talked with noted his “impressive resume.” But that doesn’t mean Green’s confirmation will be easy. Yes, Green knows the Army. He…

Syria: Just Say No (To Regime Change)

Syria: Just Say No (To Regime Change)
Syria: Just Say No (To Regime Change)

  Sen. John McCain said in early February that, it “is time for the international community to abandon the absurd fiction of a political solution that leaves Assad in power (in Syria).” McCain, who was reacting to Amnesty International’s report about mass executions by Bashar al Assad’s regime, argued: “Bashar Assad does not belong in a…

Army Builds Advisor Brigades: Counterinsurgency Is Here To Stay

Army Builds Advisor Brigades: Counterinsurgency Is Here To Stay
Army Builds Advisor Brigades: Counterinsurgency Is Here To Stay

WASHINGTON: After a decade of debate, the US Army is finally creating permanent units dedicated to advising foreign forces. The six new Security Force Assistance Brigades will be a marked departure from the ad hoc training teams used throughout the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. They would also be well suited to build up local…

Is Trump, Information Warrior, Key To Defeating Daesh (ISIL)?

Is Trump, Information Warrior, Key To Defeating Daesh (ISIL)?
Is Trump, Information Warrior, Key To Defeating Daesh (ISIL)?

President-elect Trump has promised to destroy Daesh. If Trump wants to avoid being the third Administration in succession to sink into the morass of the Middle East, it is essential to first ask what declaring victory would look like. Part of the West’s challenge is rooted in that Daesh is a brand inside a religion and…

2017 Forecast: What Does Trump Want The Army To Do? ISIS, Russia, Or China?

2017 Forecast: What Does Trump Want The Army To Do? ISIS, Russia, Or China?
2017 Forecast: What Does Trump Want The Army To Do? ISIS, Russia, Or China?

WASHINGTON: More than any other service, the Army’s future is uncertain under Trump. On the upside, the President-Elect has promised to boost the Army‘s budget and grow its ranks by almost 15 percent. On the downside, Trump seems deeply skeptical of what has become the service’s driving mission: deterring Russian aggression in Europe. [We rolled…

Trump’s Generals, Part 3: Mike Flynn vs. Al-Qaeda

Trump’s Generals, Part 3: Mike Flynn vs. Al-Qaeda
Trump’s Generals, Part 3: Mike Flynn vs. Al-Qaeda

Who are Trump’s generals? Earlier this week, James Kitfield showed us the common crucible that shaped as a group and then profiled James Mattis, the prospective Secretary of Defense. Today, Kitfield tackles Trump’s most controversial general, intelligence officer turned political firebrand Michael Flynn. “Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will not be defeated in…

Trump’s Generals, Part 2: Jim Mattis vs. Iran

Trump’s Generals, Part 2: Jim Mattis vs. Iran
Trump’s Generals, Part 2: Jim Mattis vs. Iran

Who are Trump’s generals? Yesterday, James Kitfield told us what these retired soldiers have in common as products of our post-9/11 wars. Now we’ll go deep into the formative experiences and geopolitical worldview of each man, starting today with the prospective Secretary of Defense, Gen. Jim Mattis. He’s been nicknamed both “Mad Dog” and “Warrior…

Trump’s Generals: How Wartime Service Shaped Mattis, Kelly, & Flynn

Trump’s Generals: How Wartime Service Shaped Mattis, Kelly, & Flynn
Trump’s Generals: How Wartime Service Shaped Mattis, Kelly, & Flynn

Among the many anxieties inspired by the rise of Trump, one of the most profound is his fondness for generals. Does naming so many retired military men to top positions undermine the principal of civilian control? How might their shared experiences in our post-9/11 conflicts shape the way they govern? This week, award-winning defense reporter…

Everybody Loves ‘Mad Dog’: Mattis Pick Reassures Allies

Everybody Loves ‘Mad Dog’: Mattis Pick Reassures Allies
Everybody Loves ‘Mad Dog’: Mattis Pick Reassures Allies

SIMI VALLEY, CALIF.: You might not think a man nicknamed “Mad Dog” would put America’s allies at ease. But that’s the buzz here at the Reagan Library’s annual defense conference, where Donald Trump‘s choice of Gen. James Mattis to run the Pentagon met with enthusiastic praise from the right, from the left, and from overseas.…