Defense and Security

Military Operations

  • Russia
    The Long War in Ukraine, With Michael Kofman
    Podcast
    Michael Kofman, director of the Russia Studies Program at the Center for Naval Analyses, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss Russian and Ukrainian military strategies, equipment, and the likely future course of the war.
  • Japan
    Fifty Years Later, Okinawa Is Still a Strategic Crossroads
    Japan’s Okinawa islands still have an outsize importance to U.S. military operations in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in deterring a Chinese attack against Taiwan.
  • China
    Miscalculating on China, With Aaron L. Friedberg
    Podcast
    Aaron L. Friedberg, professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton University, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the United States got China wrong and what the Biden administration can do to rectify its China strategy.
  • China
    The China Challenge to Taiwan, With David Sacks
    Podcast
    David Sacks, research fellow at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the Biden administration’s strategy toward Taiwan amid growing threats from China.
  • Military Operations
    How the Army Is Revamping Its Culture in the Wake of Tragedy
    A series of troubling incidents within the U.S. Army—including the killing of Specialist Vanessa Guillén in 2020—has prompted the military service to push for major changes to its culture. 
  • Europe and Eurasia
    Russia's War in Ukraine: How Does it End?
    Play
    Our panelists discussed the current situation in and regarding Ukraine, the goals of NATO, Russia, and Ukraine, and alternative futures.
  • Ukraine
    Ukraine Should Wait on Cease-Fire Talks With Russia. Here’s Why.
    Ukraine has rejected recent calls by the West for it to settle its war with Russia. Ukrainian leaders believe they have a chance to reclaim territory lost in the early fighting—and that they can do so before serious negotiations begin.
  • Military Operations
    A Conversation With Adam Smith
    Play
    U.S. Representative Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, discusses the future of U.S. foreign policy and defense priorities, congressional initiatives designed to strengthen U.S. national security, and the implications of Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s invasion.
  • Military Operations
    CFR Term Member Spotlight Series: Asha Castleberry-Hernandez
    Play
    Welcome to a new series that spotlights individuals within the Stephen M. Kellen Term Member Program. Drawing on the enormous amount of talent and expertise within the Council’s Term Member Program, this series features a term member in conversation with a fellow term member discussing their career path, how they got to where they are, the challenges they have faced along the way, and the current work they are doing. We hope this regular series will provide an opportunity for Council term members to better engage and learn from one another, draw upon shared experiences within the group, and connect across geographies. This installment in this series features third-year term member Asha Castleberry-Hernandez, senior advisor in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and major in the U.S. Army Reserve, in conversation with second-year term member Brian Mateo, associate dean of civic engagement for Bard College. For those of you who do not know her yet, Asha is a distinguished national security expert whose career includes serving as the Kuwait desk officer at U.S. Army Central, working on security cooperation with the Office of Military Cooperation and the Kuwait Ministry of Defense, and senior key leadership engagement officer for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq and Kuwait. During the Obama administration, Asha served at the U.S. Mission at the United Nations working peacekeeping operations in Africa. In 2020, Asha ran as a Democratic candidate for Congress in New York District 17. In addition to her work in government, she is a founder of Diversity in National Security Network, board member of Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security, and Conflict Transformation, and international strategy fellow with Schmidt Futures.