Truman National Security Project

Writing for TIME’s Battleland Blog, Truman Fellow Brandon Friedman challenges the conventional media narrative surrounding military suicides. On January 14, immediately after the release of the military’s 2012 suicide data, many in the media repeatedly aimed at a single target. According to the Associated Press, the number of active-duty suicides in 2012 reached an all-time [...]

In a recent study, James Bartis of the RAND Corporation claimed that “DoD and the services have only one effective option to deal with high petroleum prices: to reduce use of petroleum fuels overall.” The RAND report dismisses research into alternative fuels as a waste of money. Will petroleum prices continue to increase? Probably. Does [...]

Truman Vice President Mike Breen quoted in National Defense Magazine: Navy leaders have endured a barrage of criticism from lawmakers in recent months for pouring millions of dollars into alternative fuels for a “great green fleet.” Both House and the Senate amendments to the fiscal year 2013 defense authorization bill are seeking to curtail what [...]

Afghanistan suffered a wave of coordinated terrorist attacks on April 15-16, 2012. Kabul was the principal target – with three attacks alone within the city limits. These attacks made international headlines and rattled veteran Afghanistan watchers. A noteworthy and unforeseen result of the attacks was an outpouring of support for the Afghan National Security Forces [...]