National Security

The Atlantic’s coverage of national security, military intelligence, global conflict, and more

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National Security

Our writers make sense of America’s place in the world, reporting on rising authoritarianism, military technology, and geopolitical conflicts.

Illustration of a military plane in silhouette against a piece of torn notebook paper.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Christopher Furlong / Getty.

An Air-Campaign Primer

The United States has seldom waged the sort of campaign now under way in Iran.

photo of Pete Hegseth's head next to his text 'We are currently clean on OPSEC. Godspeed to our Warriors.' Photo of John Ratclilffe's head and his text: 'A good start.' Photo of Michael Waltz's head with text of fist, U.S. flag, and fire emoji.
Illustration by Erik Carter. Sources: Mandel Ngan / AFP / Getty; Tom Williams / CQ Roll Call / Getty; Andrew Harnik / AFP / Getty.

The Pete Hegseth Exception

Nearly a year after a national-security scandal erupted on my iPhone, no one in the Trump administration has faced consequences.

Black text in a white speech bubble on a red background that reads: The Big Story The Iran War
Drew Campbell / The Atlantic

The Big Story: The Iran War

In this virtual event, Atlantic reporters will discuss the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Trump administration’s response, the complicated history of regime changes, and what comes next.