Menu Close

Articles on US national security

Displaying all articles

Solar engineering is designed to reflect some of the Sun’s ray back into space. John Crouch/Moment via Getty Imgaes

Climate engineering carries serious national security risks − countries facing extreme heat may try it anyway, and the world needs to be prepared

The big question: Would climate engineering like sending reflective particles into the stratosphere or brightening clouds help reduce the national security risks of climate change or make them worse?
Special counsel Jack Smith prepares to talk to reporters on June 9, 2023, after the indictment of former President Donald Trump. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trump indictment unsealed – a criminal law scholar explains what the charges mean, and what prosecutors will now need to prove

There are 38 felony charges against former President Donald Trump, and while it’s unlikely, he could potentially be sentenced to serve 400 years if found guilty on all of them.
Former President Donald Trump was on the campaign trail in early June 2023, as an investigation continued that led to his indictment on federal charges. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Trump charged under Espionage Act – which covers a lot more crimes than just spying

Spy cases are rare. More typically, as in the Trump indictment, the act applies to the unauthorized gathering, possessing or transmitting of certain sensitive government information.
Mar-a-Lago is shown on Aug. 16, 2022, a week after the FBI’s raid. Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Trump’s Mar-a-Lago lawsuit spotlights how difficult search warrants are to challenge – by a criminal suspect or an ex-president – until charges are brought

Trump’s lawsuit against the FBI has been criticized as baseless. But it spotlights a loophole in federal law that doesn’t protect people’s rights when they are subjected to a search warrant.
Commercial satellite companies provide views once reserved for governments, like this image of a Russian military training facility in Crimea. Satellite image (c) 2021 Maxar Technologies via Getty Images

Technology is revolutionizing how intelligence is gathered and analyzed – and opening a window onto Russian military activity around Ukraine

National security professionals and armchair sleuths alike are taking advantage of vast amounts of publicly available information and software tools to monitor geopolitical events around the world.
U.S. troops in Afghanistan had better equipment, training and funding than the Taliban. AP Photo/Rahmat Gul

Why did a military superpower fail in Afghanistan?

It may be attractive to think that promoting democracy in occupied foreign countries is an appropriate moral and effective path for restoring security and stability. But it’s not accurate.
Dan Coats, left, then director of national intelligence, told Congress in 2019 about the potential danger of a pandemic. Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Was the coronavirus outbreak an intelligence failure?

Warnings about major disease outbreaks are supposed to come from national and international medical intelligence and surveillance agencies that most Americans have never heard of.

Top contributors

More