Stacie L. Pettyjohn

2 weeks ago | cnas.org | Stacie L. Pettyjohn |Hamzeh Hadad |Rachel Ziemba |Adham Sahloul

The stars and stripes now fly over the reopened United States ambassador’s residence in Damascus, Syria. Lebanon’s new, technocratic president and prime minister have a historic opportunity, in curbing a weakened and decapitated Hezbollah, to restore the state’s monopoly on weapons for the first time since the end of the civil war nearly 35 years ago. Yemen’s Houthis have cut a deal with the US to cease their attacks on American ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

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.

Mar 10, 2025 | foreignaffairs.com | Oscar Berry |Michael Froman |Stacie L. Pettyjohn |Edward Alden

For more than 80 years, a cornerstone of the United States’ military strength has been its unparalleled ability to project power through the air. Washington has the most sophisticated fleet of combat aircraft in the world. Because these planes can be refueled by the country’s many tankers, they have global reach. From domestic bases, stealthy bombers can fly through heavily defended airspace unmolested and destroy multiple targets in one mission.

Jan 16, 2025 | cnas.org | Franz-Stefan Gady |Franz-stefan Gady |Stacie L. Pettyjohn

Commentary War on the Rocks January 15, 2025 The United States Can’t Afford to Not Harden Its Air Bases The United States can continue to largely ignore this menace and watch as risk levels increase, or it can face the reality and shape its forces and infrastructure to prevail.... By Tom Shugart & Timothy A. Walton Commentary Foreign Policy December 20, 2024 Will Europe Send Combat Forces to Ukraine?

Nov 26, 2024 | cnas.org | Stacie L. Pettyjohn |Jake Epstein

Just weeks after President-elect Donald Trump tasked Elon Musk with cutting government spending, the SpaceX CEO criticized the Pentagon's most expensive weapons program: the F-35. Musk called the jet's design "shit" and derided the "idiots" making the fifth-generation stealth fighter, which is widely considered a cornerstone of US airpower. His comments suggest he could be eyeing the $2 trillion F-35 program, and possibly other fighter jets, for potential spending cuts. ...