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2 weeks ago | 
cnas.org | Samuel Bendett |Jim Townsend |Edward Fishman |Stacie L. Pettyjohn
With a single, coordinated attack, Ukraine has crippled at least a dozen Russian aircraft – including around 10 percent of Russia’s bomber fleet – using only small drones. This drone ambush should trigger alarm bells for the US military. Like Russia, the United States is unprepared to meet the growing threat of small commercial drones. This attack is wake-up call for US military: its counter-drone efforts are inadequate and are not keeping pace with the threat.
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3 weeks ago | 
cnas.org | Edward Fishman |Samuel Bendett |Jim Townsend
June 05, 2025 Trump will walk from the Ukraine-Russia negotiations as his lack of “patience” means its “just a matter of time”, says Jim Townsend, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. Watch the full interview on Times Radio. Commentary Foreign Affairs June 4, 2025 Putin’s Pressure Point Trump’s handling of Russia diverges sharply from his approach to every other country....
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3 weeks ago | 
cnas.org | Samuel Bendett |Jim Townsend |Edward Fishman
A new U.S. president enters office vowing to reach out a hand to a bitter enemy. He pledges to resolve a long-burning crisis through diplomacy, despite widespread skepticism that it’s possible. When his early efforts stall, Congress—including members of the president’s own party—loses patience and advances sweeping sanctions to break the impasse. European allies also grow frustrated and impose new penalties. This is the story of the opening months of Donald Trump’s second term on Russia.
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1 month ago | 
cnas.org | Hamzeh Hadad |Charles 'Chuckie' Horn |Jim Townsend |Andrea Kendall-Taylor
US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Syria’s transitional leader, Ahmed al-Shara, in Riyadh last week was accompanied by a landmark announcement: the United States will lift sanctions on Syria, paving the way for investment and reconstruction to help the country recover from 13 years of devastating civil war. This is a welcome development that will ease Syria’s re-entry into the global economy and bring much-needed relief for the millions of civilians reliant on humanitarian aid.
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1 month ago | 
cnas.org | Jim Townsend |Andrea Kendall-Taylor |Samuel Bendett
A volatile global security environment requires the United States and its allies to develop new tactics and capabilities to deal with novel global threats. On June 3, policymakers, industry leaders, and others will discuss how to face this challenge at the 2025 CNAS National Security Conference: America’s Edge. In this edition of Sharper, CNAS experts deepen the conversation about maintaining America’s edge in warfighting, economic security, technology leadership, and more.
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1 month ago | 
cnas.org | Jim Townsend |Samuel Bendett |Andrea Kendall-Taylor
A new article from Andrea Kendall-Taylor in The New York Times highlights the stakes of the war in Ukraine for the United States. Despite an apparent belief by the Trump administration that this war only matters to Europe, how it ends has implications for Americans. If the United States fails to stand up to Russia now, in Ukraine, it is likely to have to do so at a significantly higher cost in the future.
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Feb 27, 2025 | 
cnas.org | Jim Townsend |Nicholas Lokker |Andrea Kendall-Taylor |Kate Johnston
The last few weeks have seen dramatic developments in the transatlantic relationship between the United States and its European allies. President Trump’s phone call with Vladimir Putin was quickly followed by senior administration officials calling into doubt the U.S.’s decades-long role as the security guarantor of Europe.
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Feb 24, 2025 | 
cnas.org | Jim Townsend |Andrea Kendall-Taylor |Nicholas Lokker
President Trump is promising to end the now three-year long war in Ukraine. But with Ukraine and Europe sidelined in current negotiations – how far off really is peace? Nicholas Lokker, research associate for the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), weighs in on the discussion. Listen to the full episode on wbur. Podcast February 25, 2025 Can Ukraine and Europe Win Alone?
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Feb 24, 2025 | 
cnas.org | Nicholas Lokker |Andrea Kendall-Taylor |Jim Townsend
A group of leaders from Europe and Canada are in Ukraine's capital to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion. In Washington, President Donald Trump hosted French President Emmanuel Macron as the anniversary marked a dramatic shift in policies on Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Kyiv and the U.S. are working productively on an economic rare earth minerals deal at the center of an effort to end Russia's war on Ukraine.
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Feb 18, 2025 | 
cnas.org | Richard Fontaine |Jim Townsend |Andrea Kendall-Taylor
With the recent confirmations of Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – two of the most controversial of President Donald Trump’s high-level administration nominees – the president’s attempt to remake government as a home for political loyalists continues. Soon after coming to office for a second term, Trump aggressively sought to overhaul Washington and bring the federal government in line with his political agenda.
