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Forward Defense quick reads

New Atlanticist Feb 9, 2023

Policymakers: Keep Ukrainian soldiers front of mind as this war of attrition continues

By Justin M. Conelli

As the war reaches the one-year mark, leaders concerned about grand strategy need to weigh the suffering and resilience of the soldiers at the front.
Conflict Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding
Forward Defense quick reads

New Atlanticist Oct 13, 2023

What needs to change about US nuclear weapons strategy?

By Atlantic Council experts

Our experts break down the 2023 Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States report.
China Indo-Pacific
Forward Defense quick reads

New Atlanticist Feb 15, 2024

Russian nuclear anti-satellite weapons would require a firm US response, not hysteria

By Clementine G. Starling-Daniels, Mark J. Massa

If fielded, such weapons would directly challenge norms of responsible behavior in space and present a serious risk to all nations’ satellites.
Arms Control Russia

All timely commentary & analysis

New Atlanticist

Jan 31, 2022

The US is unprepared to face the challenge in the Arctic. Here’s what it should do.

By Mir Sadat

It’s time for Washington to craft a truly cohesive National Arctic Strategy.

Defense Policy
Defense Technologies

Strategic Insights Memo

Nov 30, 2021

After Kabul: US and allied policy options in Afghanistan

By Atlantic Council and DT Institute

On September 1, 2021, the Atlantic Council and DT Institute ran an expert-driven matrix wargame to: (1) explore major policy dilemmas on the horizon after the US-led coalition withdrawal; and (2) forecast state behavior and assess emerging risks in the wake of the crisis. This Strategic Insights Memo captures the key takeaways from that wargame and the implications for great-power competition, regional security, and humanitarian issues in South Asia and the Middle East.

Afghanistan
Conflict

Article

Nov 1, 2021

The consequences of a US overreaction to the perceived threat of terrorism

By Christopher Preble

In the twenty years since 9/11, for example, favorable attitudes toward the United States have declined globally, with some of the sharpest declines in key US allies like Germany and the United Kingdom.

Nationalism
Politics & Diplomacy

Event Recap

Oct 18, 2021

Generals Jones and Major General Punaro discuss bureaucratic inefficiencies in the Department of Defense

By Jacob Mezey

Generals Jones and Punaro consider ways to respond to bureaucratic inefficiencies in the Department of Defense.

Defense Industry
Defense Policy
Photo: U.S. Air Force

Event Recap

Sep 17, 2021

Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff discusses the future of deterrence

By Jacob Mezey

Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen John E. Hyten discusses deterrence for the twenty-first century.

China
Defense Industry

Fast Thinking

Sep 16, 2021

FAST THINKING: Can Australian nuclear subs help corner China?

By Atlantic Council

What impact will this deal have on competition with China? What about the allies left high and dry? Our experts emerged from the deep with the answers.

Australia
China

Fast Thinking

Sep 15, 2021

FAST THINKING: Missiles are flying again on the Korean peninsula

By Atlantic Council

Is nuclear diplomacy with the North all but dead? How worried should we be about these missiles?

Arms Control
Crisis Management

New Atlanticist

Sep 10, 2021

Confronting the disaster left behind in Afghanistan

By Mir Sadat

The United States screwed up the endgame in Afghanistan once again, but working with allies and private rescue efforts, there’s time to make things right.

Afghanistan
Conflict

Article

Sep 7, 2021

Extremist communications: The future is corporate

By Jennifer A. Counter

Digital platforms have enabled white supremacists such as The Base to build out networks in North America, Europe, and Australia, and provide extremist groups with a low- to zero-cost means to disseminate their messages.

National Security
Security & Defense

Article

Sep 7, 2021

Does treating Syria as a State Sponsor of Terrorism advance or hold back US national security interests?

By Nate Rosenblatt

In 1979, the United States designated Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, putting it on its first-ever such list along with Libya, Iraq, and the former South Yemen.

Middle East
National Security

Article

Sep 7, 2021

Combating domestic extremism means combating the insider threat in law enforcement

By Mary McCord

Dozens of law enforcement officers have been investigated or charged for their participation in events culminating in the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol.

National Security
Nationalism

Article

Sep 7, 2021

Preparing for future concepts in terrorism: Non-kinetic acts and decentralization

By Arun Iyer

Twenty years ago, on September 11, 2001, the world saw a coordinated attack on the United States that struck us as “unimaginable” at the time.

National Security
Security & Defense

Article

Sep 7, 2021

Facing the future of bioterrorism

By Barry Pavel and Vikram Venkatram

Biotechnology has developed at an astounding rate over the first twenty years of the twenty-first century. Emerging biotechnological tools have become cheaper and more accessible than ever before, and less expertise is necessary to use those tools effectively.

Security & Defense
Terrorism

Article

Sep 7, 2021

OPINION: We are all responsible for 6/5

By Max Brooks

If there is any hope of preventing another 6/5, and defusing the smoldering rebellion behind it, we must first admit that we are all to blame.

Security & Defense
Terrorism

Article

Sep 7, 2021

The global war on terrorism wrecked relations with Iran

By Barbara Slavin

The most fundamental strategic error of the George W. Bush administration following the September 11, 2001, attacks was launching a “Global War on Terrorism” that failed to distinguish properly between those responsible for the 9/11 attacks and other US adversaries.

Iran
Middle East

Article

Sep 7, 2021

Counterterrorism and great-power competition

By Nathan Sales

For nearly two decades after the attacks of September 11, 2001, counterterrorism was the United States’ top national security and foreign policy priority. That is no longer the case, as resources and policy maker bandwidth are increasingly shifting to challenges associated with peer and near-peer rivals such as China and Russia.

China
Middle East

Article

Sep 7, 2021

An intellectual reckoning on counterterrorism

By LTG Michael Nagata

The time has come for the US counterterrorism community to undertake a difficult and probably painful review of whether the United States’ current practices and investments are sufficiently advancing its strategic interests and policy goals against terrorism.

Security & Defense
Terrorism

Article

Sep 7, 2021

The enduring threat of domestic terrorism

By Javed Ali

The Biden administration has rightly prioritized domestic terrorism as the number one counterterrorism concern in the United States.

National Security
Security & Defense

Article

Sep 7, 2021

Hyper-tribalism and the US domestic terrorism threat

By Christopher P. Costa

After the January 6, 2021, breach of the US Capitol, the consequences of polarization, disinformation, and hyper-tribalism make domestic political violence the most pressing terrorism challenge facing US counterterrorism.

Nationalism
Politics & Diplomacy

Article

Sep 7, 2021

We are in the interwar period

By Thomas S. Warrick

In September 2021, the United States is only in between major terrorist attacks. This prediction should not be controversial—but today this way of looking at counterterrorism is.

Middle East
National Security
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Forward Defense leads the Atlantic Council’s US and global defense programming, developing actionable recommendations for the United States and its allies and partners to compete, innovate, and navigate the rapidly evolving character of warfare. Through its work on US defense policy and force design, the military applications of advanced technology, space security, strategic deterrence, and defense industrial revitalization, it informs the strategies, policies, and capabilities that the United States will need to deter, and, if necessary, prevail in major-power conflict.

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