Paul McLeary

About Paul McLeary

Paul McLeary has written about national security issues for Foreign Policy, Defense News, The New Republic, Columbia Journalism Review and elsewhere. He lives in Washington, D.C.


Recent Posts By the Author


Some Clues Emerge On New Pentagon Ballistic Missile Defense Review

Some Clues Emerge On New Pentagon Ballistic Missile Defense Review

U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD), and U.S. Navy Sailors aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53) successfully conducted a flight test Feb. 3 2017. MDA Photo

In a year packed full of new strategic reviews being pushed out by the Pentagon, yet another new document is on the way.

While the Ballistic Missile Defense Review — expected to be released in the coming days — is the last of several reviews to emerge from the Pentagon over the past two months, in many ways it might have the most immediate effect, analysts say. Read More

New $1.4T Congressional Defense Deal Will Curtail Spending Caps For Now

New $1.4T Congressional Defense Deal Will Curtail Spending Caps For Now

Moon over U.S. Capitol on Nov. 13, 2016. NASA Photo

Both houses of Congress will vote Thursday on a bill that will fund the Pentagon to the tune of $1.4 trillion for this year and next, giving the Pentagon a boost in cash flow not seen in over a decade, while ditching controversial budget caps, at least for the time being. Read More

Mattis Wants Sub-Launched Nuclear Cruise Missile to Curb Russia  

Mattis Wants Sub-Launched Nuclear Cruise Missile to Curb Russia  

Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Paul J. Selva testify on the National Defense Strategy and the Nuclear Posture Review to the House Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill, Feb. 6, 2018. DoD Photo

The Pentagon’s plan to deploy a new sea-launched nuclear cruise missile is envisioned as a way to force Russia back into compliance with a decades-old arms control treaty, Defense Secretary James Mattis said Tuesday. Read More

New Russia-Focused Nuclear Review Calls for More Sub, Ship-Launched Missiles

New Russia-Focused Nuclear Review Calls for More Sub, Ship-Launched Missiles

An unarmed Trident II D5 missile launches from the Ohio-class fleet ballistic-missile submarine USS Maryland (SSBN 738) off the coast of Florida on Aug. 31, 2016. US Navy photo.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Pentagon released a muscular new nuclear review on Friday, doubling down on Obama-era efforts to modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal while launching initiatives officials say are designed to deter Russia, China, North Korea and Iran from going nuclear. Read More

NSA Chief Adm. Mike Rogers Expected to Retire this Spring; Leaves Complicated Legacy

NSA Chief Adm. Mike Rogers Expected to Retire this Spring; Leaves Complicated Legacy

Then-Secretary of Defense Ash Carter walks with Adm. Mike Rogers after landing at Fort Meade, Md., for a visit in March 2015. DoD photo.

The search is on for a replacement for Adm. Mike Rogers, the head of the National Security Agency and the last Obama intelligence appointee remaining in the Trump administration. Rogers is expected to retire this spring after an eventful – and often controversial – four years. Read More

Iranian Drone Missions on the Rise in the Persian Gulf as Small Boat Harassment Drops

Iranian Drone Missions on the Rise in the Persian Gulf as Small Boat Harassment Drops

An undated picture of an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy patrol craft.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Iranian drones have become increasingly active in the Persian Gulf and other critical waterways around the Middle East, regularly conducting surveillance flights close to U.S. warships crossing the Strait of Hormuz and operating around the region, a defense official told USNI News on Friday. Read More

SECDEF Mattis Unveils New 'Lethal' National Defense Strategy Focused on Great Power Competition

SECDEF Mattis Unveils New ‘Lethal’ National Defense Strategy Focused on Great Power Competition

Defense Secretary James N. Mattis speaks to Airmen during a town hall at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, Jan. 16, 2018. US Air Force Photo

THE PENTAGON — During Friday morning’s rollout of his new National Defense Strategy, Defense Secretary James Mattis summed up the document succinctly. “Everything we do must contribute to the lethality of our military. We cannot expect success fighting tomorrow’s conflicts with yesterday’s weapons or equipment.” Read More