Print · Television · Opinion

Analysis
& commentary.

Selected writing, interviews, and public commentary on national security, the defense workforce, and the intersection of technology and public policy.

SINCE 2017
◆ FEATURED · ISSUE PAPER · THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL

Winning Through People:

The human capital advantage in great power competition.

An argument that the 2026 National Defense Strategy must treat military human capital — recruiting, resilience, and quality of life — as a core strategic priority, not a footnote to platforms and technology.

National Defense Strategy Series [ READ THE ANALYSIS → ]
On the record

Selected Writing

Bylined op-eds & essays
12.2025 The Atlantic The origin of Hegseth’s anti-beard obsession Essay Defense policyRead at The Atlantic → 09.2025 The National Interest How to fill NATO’s manpower gap Op-Ed NATO · WorkforceRead at The National Interest → 07.2025 The Hill Democrats: Don’t retreat from the flag, march with it Op-Ed PoliticsRead at The Hill → 03.2025 Defense One Heads must roll for Signal chat debacle Op-Ed National securityRead at Defense One → 03.2025 The Hill Loyalty over merit: Pete Hegseth’s dangerous military makeover Op-Ed Defense policyRead at The Hill → 01.2025 The Washington Post Actually, there’s not much DEI in the DOD Op-Ed WorkforceRead at The Washington Post → 11.2024 Breaking Defense US Air Force hit 2024 recruiting goal by meeting Americans where they are, not lowering standards Op-Ed WorkforceRead at Breaking Defense → 09.2017 Defense One Winter is here, but the US is not ready for cyber war Op-Ed CybersecurityRead at Defense One → 06.2017 Defense One Why Congress and the Pentagon should bypass Trump’s defense spending bill Op-Ed Defense budgetRead at Defense One →

On Air

Television, radio & panels
C-SPAN Atlantic Council discussion on national security resilience 07.2025 · Panelist AlJazeera America Yemen chat leak: What does it tell us about Trump’s administration? 04.2025 · Interview MSNBC Fmr. DoD official explains why the Signal group chat was classified the moment it was created 03.2025 · Interview NPR's AirTalk on KPCC Making sense of President Trump’s tweets banning transgender people from serving in the U.S. military 07.2017 · Interview

In the Press

Quoted commentary
09.2025 USA Today Trump creates DC Guard public safety unit, wants national ‘quick reaction force’ Quoted Civil-militaryRead at USA Today → 08.2025 Task & Purpose What the commander of the National Guard in DC wants the public to know Quoted Civil-militaryRead at Task & Purpose → 08.2025 Military.com Air Force Chief's sudden retirement raises question of 'Who Is Next' in leadership shake-up Quoted WorkforceRead at Military.com → 08.2025 Associated Press National Guard troops on DC streets for Trump’s crackdown will start carrying guns Quoted Civil-militaryRead at the Associated Press → 07.2025 Military.com Outgoing Air Force recruiting commander says service is on ‘solid ground’ after pandemic slump Quoted WorkforceRead at Military.com → 07.2025 The Atlantic The backdoor way that Pete Hegseth could keep women out of combat Quoted Defense policyRead at The Atlantic → 07.2025 Clearance Jobs Australian officer loses security clearance over Israel ties: a warning for the US military Quoted National securityRead at ClearanceJobs → 06.2025 The Hill Hegseth brings warfighter mentality to media relations Quoted Defense policyRead at The Hill → 06.2025 Newsweek Harvey Milk navy ship to be renamed — vets call it ‘insult to LGBTQ troops’ Quoted Defense policyRead at Newsweek → 04.2025 Politico Pentagon leadership vacuum overwhelms Hegseth’s office: ‘It’s a free-for-all’ Quoted Defense policyRead at Politico → 04.2025 USA Today Air Force backtracks Hegseth pronoun ban after realizing it violates Biden law Quoted Defense policyRead at USA Today → 03.2025 ABC NEWS Military officials say recruiting off to strong start in 2025, building on recent trends Quoted WorkforceRead at ABC News →