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ANALYSIS/OPINION: It has become instinctual to say, “I remember where I was” on that Tuesday morning 20 years ago that shook our nation. The words “Never Forget” continue to ring out as a somber reminder of the fragility of our national security and a commitment always to honor those lives lost. The attacks on 9/11 fundamentally altered the security posture of the United States and the way we engage the world. For the first time since the Cold War, America, as a unipolar power, found itself taking the lead in a global fight against stateless and fanatical actors bent on the destruction of freedom and democracy. It was a task the United States executed with the full might and power of the wealthiest nation on earth. As a New Yorker and a public servant, I will always be proud of the way tha...

The post-9/11 era brought permanent changes to U.S. military strategy. For defense contractors, it also sparked a significant cash windfall as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and conflicts in other hot spots in the Middle East and beyond, funneled trillions of dollars away from the rank-and-file military and toward profit-driven companies. That reality has fueled questions about whether the Pentagon has become too reliant on private industry for critical missions, potentially opening holes in national security and even compromising the world’s greatest military, some critics say. As defense spending exploded in the 2000s, so too did the profits of defense firms. Of the $14 trillion in total Defense Department spending since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, at least one-t...

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned on Saturday that President Biden is making “dangerous moves” on North Korea and  his lack of a coherent response to Pyongyang’s provocations jeopardizes American credibility with allies who want “leadership from the United States.” “I’m concerned that the United States is returning to an Obama-era policy of ‘Strategic Patience 2.0,’” Mr. Pompeo told an audience of dignitaries from South Korea and Japan at a virtual gathering that included remarks from other former high-level U.S. diplomats and lawmakers. Mr. Pompeo referred to years of waffling by the Bush and Obama administrations before an escalation of sanctions and other pressure on Pyongyang led to historic denuclearization summits between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jo...

Self-inflicted crises are piling up for President Biden. His leadership suffered severe blows foreign and domestic in rapid succession Friday, including an acknowledgment of a misguided and deadly U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan and mounting chaos on America’s southern border. “Joe Biden has completely lost control only 8 months in,” tweeted Rep. Andy Biggs, Arizona Republican. The Pentagon admitted that a drone strike in Afghanistan accidentally killed 10 civilians instead of terrorist militants, as the administration initially claimed. The Food and Drug Administration rejected plans for widespread COVID-19 booster shots, though Mr. Biden announced plans days earlier for “every adult to get a booster shot” starting Monday. The FDA said it needs more data before approving a third shot. Th...

Democrats face beastly headwinds as they prepare for next year’s congressional elections, but they believe they have a silver bullet or two: mounting rage against COVID-19 vaccine refuseniks and smoldering scorn for former President Donald Trump. Analysts say anger at vaccine resisters helped propel California Gov. Gavin Newsom to a surprisingly decisive victory last week in a recall election. In Virginia, gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe is trying to harness the same anger as early voting begins there. “The Newsom campaign was very effective in using the rage against the unvaccinated and the specter of Trumpism to get out Democratic voters,” said Stephen J. Farnsworth, a professor of politics at the University of Mary Washington. “All indications are that McAuliffe is using the sam...