The destruction doesn't make for a photo-op like tearing down the East Wing of the White House or bulldozing the Rose Garden, but it's every bit as bad. Generations of American children learned to spell and count, learned the Preamble to the Constitution, from watching shows produced by the CPB.

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Trump 1.0 was mostly focused on withdrawing from the international order, Trump 2.0 seems to be taking the extra step of actively seeking to dismantle it. Threats against our neighbors, Greenland, and others should be taken much more seriously.

yep, here we doh again

A lot happened in 2025–from the deployment of National Guard in cities across the country to airstrikes in the Caribbean to DOGE's incursion into executive agencies to the weaponization of the Justice Department—and we covered it all. Lawfare contributors reflect back on the year that was:

On Lawfare Daily, @atabatabai.bsky.social, @sranderson.bsky.social, and Loren Voss discuss the NDAA for 2026, its key provisions, and what it says for how Congress is reasserting itself vis-a-vis the Trump administration on matters related to the national defense. youtu.be/1Iy2a26r31k

Lawfare Public Service Fellow Ariane Tabatabai reflects on what occurred in U.S. foreign policy in 2025 in Lawfare's The Year that Was. youtu.be/e_kgbelGiMI

This year, multiple former national security officials–including James Pearce, @michael-feinberg.bsky.social, and @atabatabai.bsky.social–joined Lawfare through our Public Service Fellowship. The fellowship is made possible by the generosity of our supporters.

On today's Lawfare Daily, Lawfare contributors look back on the national security news events of the year and their coverage of it. In this episode, you’ll hear from @nkorpett.bsky.social, @annabower.bsky.social, @rparloff.bsky.social, @mollyroberts.bsky.social,

U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford passes sixth month on deployment with no end in sight www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/u...

The Senate says "no!" to Trump's plan to begin withdrawing from NATO, adopting a $900 billion defense bill which would block the Trump administration from withdrawing US troops from Europe. It also provides for another $800 million in military aid for Ukraine that Trump doesn't want.

wrote this week about a topic there's surprisingly little coverage of in the United States even in think tanks focused on the Chinese military: the everyday lives of Chinese soldiers. foreignpolicy.com/2025/12/16/c...

Once again, focusing efforts and resources on all the wrong things, namely yet more futile and distracting reorgs (to say nothing of how bad all these plans are substantively).

Even absent an order to “kill everybody,” @sranderson.bsky.social and @nkorpett.bsky.social write that the Trump administration’s second Sept. 2 airstrike on alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean—like its broader military campaign—raise serious legal concerns that demand further scrutiny.

Friends, Romans, countrymen, I read a lot of comics this year and these were the best ones

NEW — I put together a list of independent journalism subscriptions that would make great holiday gifts. From music to politics, astronomy to alcohol, tech to social justice, there’s something for [almost] everyone. Support indie media *and* surprise and delight your loved ones! My guide:

Sorry for the mixed metaphor here, but this National Security Strategy puts the nail in the transatlantic coffin, and cedes the global floor to China.

On Dec. 3, the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction issued the final report conveying findings from 17 years of oversight into Afghan reconstruction which chronicled how agencies spent the $148.2 billion appropriated for the reconstruction. Read the report, from Isabel Arroyo.

On Lawfare Daily, @atabatabai.bsky.social spoke to John Drennan and Matthew Sharp about New START, the last bilateral nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia, the implications of its expiration in Feb. 2026, and where the arms control regime might go from here.

@tessbridgeman.bsky.social, @mikeschmitt.bsky.social, and @rgoodlaw.bsky.social on what you need to know about lethal strikes against suspected drug trafficking boats in their new expert Q&A. With a note to readers to email other Qs on your mind. www.justsecurity.org/126156/exper...

I’m biased because I am benefiting from this fellowship post-government, but it’s a deeply important one—especially in this environment where the very notion of public service is threatened. So please support this initiative by @benjaminwittes.lawfaremedia.org and @lawfaremedia.org.

Absolutely devastating.

In October, French President Emmanuel Macron's approval rating dropped to just 19 percent. @atabatabai.bsky.social explains what has led to Macron's political troubles at home and how it has impacted his attempts to flex his country’s diplomatic muscle on the international stage.

@atabatabai.bsky.social compares Moscow's increasing gray-zone campaign against NATO allies to Beijing's pressure on Taiwan and looks at the implications of this enhanced adversary cooperation for the United States and its allies. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/russ...

Every winter since Russia launched its full scale invasion, it has tried–and mostly failed–to plunge Ukraine into darkness. @lapatina.bsky.social explains why this upcoming winter may be different with Russia deploying new tactics as Kyiv launches its own strikes against Moscow’s energy sites.

At @lawfaremedia.org, we spent a month tracking down public info on domestic deployments of National Guard, Reserve, and Active-Duty troops. What we found—and what we didn't—revealed a disturbing lack of transparency on how and why military forces are being used on U.S. soil.

Happy to have made my Rational Security debut with @tylermcbrien.com and @sranderson.bsky.social -- and the first of my (hopefully many) contributions to @lawfaremedia.org as the new Public Service Fellow!

I think it would be a huge public service if major media outlets interviewed people given RIF notices and let them explain in detail what their jobs are so that people can judge for themselves whether these positions are wasteful like Trump and Vought claim or whether they help the country prosper.

The key here is to understand what Hegseth means by "facility." At first glance, this framing makes it sound unusual and rather alarming. But it could be rather routine (we host allies and partners frequently, which is an important component of our cooperation with them).

Are furloughed federal employees entitled to backpay? The short answer is yes furloughed federal employees are entitled to backpay, but the mechanism a little complicated. And, importantly, it means the House GOP CR is insufficient for reopening the govt & needs to be amended. Thread explaining:

This really is a shame, and an own goal: - Removes important source of US higher ed funding; - Deprives American students of a more enriching learning experience; - Hurts our ability to attract talent to America and competitive edge; - And, overall, limits a core element of U.S. soft power globally.

The admin consistent message re military service is this: If you're a white man, serving your country is your right. It's the country's privilege to have you serve regardless of your flaws. For the rest of us, serving our country is a privilege that should be taken away regardless of our strengths.

9 months on the job, and this is the extent of what the Secretary has to say about the day-to-day work of the Department he leads. And this is fundamentally the issue: If you think all DoD does is break things & kill, you don’t appreciate the range of skills required outside of physical strength.

Here it is. This is what it’s all about: Reshaping the military. Out: Anyone who disagrees with them on anything from climate to fitness standards, women, & Black people. In: Anyone accused of toxic behavior, sexual misconduct, etc This is not about readiness, it’s about loyalty to this admin.

Trump’s tariffs, sanctions, and attacks on the rule of law are putting the dollar’s dominance at risk, write Edward Fishman, @gautamjain.bsky.social, and @richardmnephew.bsky.social. “The true result of a declining dollar will be the demise of the very economic power Trump is attempting to wield.”

Americans flocked to Xiaohongshu (RedNote) in January due to the TikTok ban. But what's the difference between Xiaohongshu, TikTok, & Douyin? What narratives proliferate on it? What are tradeoffs between propaganda wins & information control for the CCP? Ryan DeVries & I explain: shorturl.at/UjRJE

This is an important element of the ongoing crackdown on the government career workforce: Beyond the direct and immediate negative impact on the lives of our Service members and their families, there are recruitment and retention implications here that shouldn’t be overlooked.

For my 1st piece since leaving government, I partnered w/ @richardmnephew.bsky.social on a piece for @warontherocks.bsky.social. We take stock of where we are on Iran, and where we should go, including steps to prevent a nuke & reconstitution of the proxy network. warontherocks.com/2025/02/trum...

I have no love lost for John Bolton and Mike Pompeo—whose attacks against me for 4 years have been relentless. But revoking their security detail is a mistake: It puts them at risk, and sends the wrong message to Iran and increasingly other bad actors targeting Americans on U.S. soil.

The Schedule F implementation guidance from OPM is (in addition to illegal) astonishingly reckless in its breadth and its utter disregard for the role of govt in health, safety and security.