Defense
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Brennan Linsley / AP Ten Questions Trump's CIA Director Nominee Should Answer
Gina Haspel’s upcoming confirmation hearings will be a rare opportunity to ask about some of the agency’s most secretive and controversial methods.
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Eduardo Munoz / Reuters The Case for a Big, Beautiful Military Parade
Few of the troops serving today have experienced the adulation and respect that can come from a major, national-level parade.
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Joshua Roberts / Reuters 'An Assault on the Body of the Church’
Catholic parishes have been hit hard by President Trump’s decision to suspend Temporary Protected Status for Salvadorans.
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George Frey / Reuters The NSA Should Delete Its Trove of Data on Americans
It cannot reliably protect even its most closely guarded secrets from adversaries. There is no reason to trust it to store years of details about private citizens’ communications, too.
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Stephen Yang / Reuters Will Trump Direct FEMA to Fund Churches Hit by Hurricanes?
The president weighs in on a long-standing debate over using public money to support religious organizations.
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Andrew Kelly / Reuters How Al-Qaeda Benefits From America's Political Divisions
If the United States wishes to defeat Osama bin Laden's heirs and the toxic potency of their message, it needs to recommit to its most basic values.
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Aaron Bernstein / Reuters How Mattis May Get Himself in Trouble With Trump
The secretary of defense could run afoul of his boss if his review of the policy on transgender troops follows the facts to their conclusion.
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U.S. Air Force Does the U.S. Military Need a Space Corps?
A proposal in Congress would create the first new uniformed service in 70 years, but it faces opposition from the Pentagon.
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Tom Williams / CQ Roll Call / Getty The U.S. Government's Fight Against Violent Extremism Loses Its Leader
The resignation of George Selim, a key Homeland Security official, may signal a shift away from treating the American Muslim community as partners in the struggle against radicalization.
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Jeff Roberson / AP Lawmakers Grill Defense Officials on Equipment-Transfer Program
Members of a House committee expressed their concerns over a recent report revealing holes in how the agency turns over unused military gear to law enforcement.
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Jonathan Ernst / Reuters Trump’s Transgender Ban Could Force Out Thousands of Service Members
The president’s announcement reverses the Obama-era plan to phase in the open participation of these Americans.
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Charles Dharapak / AP The Pentagon Is Almost Ready for Its Close-Up
The Trump administration is pledging to audit the Department of Defense for the first time in its history while simultaneously demanding a record spending increase. Can it do both?
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How Two Mississippi College Students Fell in Love and Decided to Join a Terrorist Group
In three short months, Jaelyn Young and Muhammad Dakhlalla found themselves at the center of America’s debate over radicalization.
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U.S. Navy / AP A Soldier's Dilemma
In 2016, Captain Nathan Smith sued President Obama for issuing an order to engage in the battle against ISIS without congressional approval. Can his case clarify the debate over President Trump’s strikes in Syria?
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Joshua Roberts / Reuters What Lies Ahead for Obama's Countering Violent Extremism Program?
A new report confirms the skepticism of civil libertarians. But if the initiative is discontinued, will its replacement be any better?
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Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP President Trump's 'Hard Power' Budget
Allocating more money for defense and a lot less for diplomacy, the White House is unveiling a spending proposal that’s meant to reflect campaign promises more than it’s meant to get through Congress.
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Getty / Chip Somodevilla / Zak Bickel / ... How the FBI Is Hobbled by Religious Illiteracy
The Bureau has long defended “Judeo-Christianity.” Minority groups have not fared as well.
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Mike Segar / Reuters Why Flynn's Resignation Matters
A senior American official was compromised by his relationship with a foreign government. Who else has ties to the Russian state?
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Kate Munsch / Reuters Will the Courts Find Trump's Ban Unconstitutional?
The outcome of the battle over Trump’s travel ban focused on seven mostly Muslim nations is hard to predict.
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Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP Don't Politicize the Failed Yemen Raid
America cannot punish its elected officials for allowing its military, diplomatic corps, and intelligence services to take risks necessary to pursue its interests.
