Lying about honors is costly and wrong
The Stolen Valor Act, which criminalizes making false claims about receiving military honors, should be upheld by the Supreme Court because such claims do cause harm, say Linsdsay Windsor and Arthur...
View ArticleVideo game reveals a loss of soul
The military video game Modern Warfare 3 provides an illuminating glimpse into contemporary American culture, says Michael Vlahos in The Atlantic. Years of continual war by a professional military have...
View ArticleRangel may be right on mandatory draft
Charlie Rangel may be right that we need to reinstate the draft, says Michael Smerconish in The Huffington Post. A draft would compel all Americans would share the responsibility of defense, and might...
View ArticleAmerica plagued by militarist mindset
Despite a less than stellar record of military intervention, America continues to rely on a “military-first response to global problems, operating on some kind of militarized autopilot,” says Tom...
View ArticleNavy should rethink fleet’s deployment
The Navy remains vitally important to the United States, but it needs to find “more innovative and efficient ways to operate,” says Michael O’Hanlon in USA Today. Rather than increasing its budget, the...
View ArticleNew rules needed for modern warfare
New high-tech military weaponry is destabilizing the “established laws of war,” say Brad Allenby and Carolyn Mattick in Slate. We need new laws that reflect changes in conflict, combatants and the...
View ArticleIn combat, women aren’t equal to men
Female Marines are “physically, mentally, and morally capable of leading and executing combat-type operations,” but it’s questionable whether they can “endure the physical and physiological rigors of...
View ArticleSexual attraction has no place in combat
“The high rate of pregnancy among female soldiers is one of the best-kept secrets in the military,” says Linda Chavez in the New York Post. We can’t dismiss the impact of sexual attraction and its...
View ArticleDraft would bolster value of citizenship
The military draft strengthened our sense of citizenship, says William Dickinson in the Clifton Institute. A volunteer military force weakens the democratic experience by putting the burden of...
View ArticleTreatment unbecoming
Our opinion: Congress needs to make clear that if an epidemic of sexual assault and harassment of victims who complain about it isn’t addressed internally, the handling of cases will be done by...
View ArticleA message to the (Aussie) troops
Has an American military leader delivered a message like this? Something more than the obligatory piece of paper stating a policy on sexual harassment?
View ArticleU.S. military leadership mixed on Syria strategy
Both serving and retired Defense Department officers have varying points of view of how President Barack Obama is handling the Syria crisis, according to Michael O’Hanlon, senior fellow of the...
View ArticleJustice for the military
Our opinion: Testimony from an Obama administration defense nominee only underscores the need to remove sexual assault cases from the military’s chain of command. Six months ago, the San Antonio...
View ArticleA bad message to women
Our opinion: Congress’ failure to press for a strong military policy and process on sexual assault is a disservice to women. With 1.4 million people, the New York City borough of the Bronx has about as...
View ArticleWill the military get it?
Our opinion: The debate over how to deal with sexual assault in the military isn’t over if recent reforms don’t dramatically improve the situation. The failure of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s long crusade...
View ArticleWhat is this country about?
“Our military service personnel risk their lives to save and protect the freedoms of our country and this land, but when we need help there isn’t enough?” writes college-educated veteran Mark in Center...
View ArticleLet reservists care for refugees
The refugee children are being trafficked, raped and murdered. Their little dead bodies are being found along the shores of the bodies of water they have to cross to enter the United States. It’s said...
View ArticlePolice response too heavy-handed
While the militarization of police departments is potentially problematic, we should examine the whole problem – namely, that the perception of police in communities of color like Ferguson is...
View ArticleResponse to ISIS likely problematic
There are calls from both left and right for a strong military response to ISIS’ unimaginable cruelty and inhumanity. The United States, with the most powerful military on the planet, could easily push...
View ArticleIsrael must be wary of Hamas
Some recent letters have been very critical of Israel’s military actions against Hamas in Gaza. In general, these letters have ignored the fact that Hamas is an Islamic militant group similar to...
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