Outside the Beltway

An important free speech case is coming up this week at the Supreme Court.

I’m in the New York Times’ “Room for Debate” with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Duke’s Peter Feaver.

Unlike previous civil rights changes, this one came without much fanfare, fight, or even discussion.

As with each previous committee that investigated the 2012 attack on the U.S outpost in Benghazi, the House Select Committee finds that mistakes were made but no evidence of wrongdoing or cover-ups.

A bad day for the Clinton campaign.

The Army Chief of Staff and Commandant of the Marine Corps told Congress that women should be required to register for the draft just like men are.

Another hopeful step forward, thanks to diplomacy.

Last night, SpaceX successfully launched a rocket to the edge of space, deployed cargo, and returned to Earth. A huge and potentially revolutionary accomplishment.

Disturbing reports over the weekend that American leaders may not be getting the kind of unbiased intelligence analysis about ISIS that they need to make decisions.

With little actual debate and despite Paul Ryan’s promise of a return to ‘regular order,’ the House has passed a hastily drafted bill in response to the largely fear-based response to Syrian refugees in the wake of the Paris attacks.

Another day, another military escalation in the Middle East.

In the wake of failure that could have been easily foreseen, the Obama Administration is ending a program to train so-called “moderate” Syrian rebels.

Lindsey Graham recently retired as a colonel in the Air Force Reserves after 33 years of service. He missed most of the last twenty.

The Defense Department is working to fully integrate transgender troops.

After 30 years in prison, Jonathan Pollard will be released later this year.

Reports are circulating that the Obama Administration is considering releasing Jonathan Pollard, and many are seeing it as an effort to placate Israel in the wake of the Iran deal.

The unqualified hack who led OPM while China stole 21 million sensitive personnel files has finally resigned.

President Obama is taking steps to reduce police militarization, but there’s much more that needs to be done.

Ray Mabus is trying to make serving in the Navy and Marine Corps more attractive to women.

The tributes to the troops you see during N.F.L. games were most likely bought and paid for with your tax dollars.

Fox News’ Catherine Herridge is creating a scandal where none exists.

The president is the commander-in-chief of the US armed forces. He’s not commander-in-chief of the United States.

My latest for War on The Rocks, “IS OBAMA REAL(IST) CONFUSED?”

The U.S. Government has formally charged North Korea with responsibility for the hacking attack on Sony. How to respond to that attack is a more complicated question.

The abrupt departure of Chuck Hagel says much more about Administration policy than it does about Chuck Hagel.

What have our efforts to improve the Afghan economy accomplished?

Mission creep.

America’s federal workforce is increasingly disenchanted.

A strong rebound for the economy from the downturn at the start of the year.

The war against ISIS continues to silently escalate, with little input from the people’s representatives in Congress.

The General Accounting Office confirmed what seems clear to anyone who can read a statute.

The South and Southwest have a much higher military enlistment rate than the Northeast.

Political irony, perhaps, but probably less than meets the eye.

The Army is sending a strong message on sexual assault. It picked the wrong poster boy.

Did sending some of its workforce home without pay impact the work environment at the Defense Department? Duh.

If someone had seen the signals, perhaps Bowe Bergdahl never would’ve wandered off base and gotten captured.

Good intentions aren’t an excuse for failure to follow the law.

James Oliphant asks, “Why Hasn’t the GOP Treated Fort Hood Like Benghazi?”

Could the upcoming House Select Committee on Benghazi actually accomplish something useful?