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Articles by Micah Ables
There’s No Good Reason to Make a Spectacle of Nidal Hasan
And there are plenty of reasons not to stream his execution. First responders walk to where media are waiting to interview them about the shooting by U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan on November 6, 2009, in Killeen, Texas. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) First responders walk to where media are waiting to interview them about the shooting by U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan on November 6, 2009, in Killeen, Texas. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Turn any article into a podcast.
We Are Borrowing Our Way to a Fiscal Reckoning
The White House promised the One Big Beautiful Bill would reduce deficits and ‘slash’ debt. What happened? President Donald Trump bangs a gavel after signing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act at the White House on July 4, 2025. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images) President Donald Trump bangs a gavel after signing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act at the White House on July 4, 2025. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images) Turn any article into a podcast. Upgrade now to start listening.
Ukraine Has the Weapons That America Needs
In late March, at the height of active hostilities between the U.S. and Iran, an Iranian drone—likely using Russian targeting data—destroyed a U.S. Air Force E-3 AWACS radar aircraft in Saudi Arabia. The loss of the $500 million airplane is bad enough, but the loss of capability is even worse. This aircraft is a command-and-control node critical for tracking airborne enemy threats and attacks and coordinating friendly operations across different platforms.
The Iran Peace Talks Were Always Doomed
The much vaunted U.S.-Iran peace talks over the weekend ended with Vice President J.D. Vance announcing that “The Iranians were [not] willing to accept our terms” and no deal was reached. “It’s time for [America] to decide whether it can earn our trust or not,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf commented.
Trump repeats the mistakes of Afghanistan: Why are we funding the enemy, again? Original
Opinion>Opinions - National Security The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill by Micah Ables, opinion contributor - 03/25/26 9:00 AM ET by Micah Ables, opinion contributor - 03/25/26 9:00 AM ET Share LinkedIn Email Getty Images US President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn of the White House after arriving on Marine One in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, March 9, 2026.
Opinion - Trump repeats the mistakes of Afghanistan: Why are we funding the enemy, again?
Global oil supplies have been choked by Iranian forces closing down the Strait of Hormuz in response to President Trump’s war of choice in Iran. And so to increase oil supply and bring down the cost of gas, the Trump administration suspended tariffs on Iranian oil. But if this conflict with Iran isn’t worth enduring $5 gas, then it’s not a war worth fighting. In 2014, I was a young platoon leader with the 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan.
Our allies passed your test, Mr. President. Would we?
Insights & Reports President Donald Trump was dead wrong to say our foreign allies “stayed a little back, a little off the front lines” in Afghanistan. In 2014, I was an infantry platoon leader with the 101st Airborne Division, deployed to Kandahar, the hometown of the Taliban. Every Tuesday night, I would make a secure phone call to my Australian counterpart to coordinate security for Wednesday’s joint mission at the governor’s compound.
I have disagreed with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on many things. We’ve had different backgrounds, experiences and incentives that have shaped our very different perspectives. It’s no secret that I strongly opposed his earlier stance and comments against allowing women in combat arms. But I have to give credit where credit is due: His recent order that the military adopt a sex-neutral fitness standard for combat arms branches is not just reasonable — it’s the right policy. Read Full Article »
Credit where credit is due: Hegseth made the right call about women in combat
From the value of allies to the importance of keeping secret communications secret, I have disagreed with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on many things. We’ve had different backgrounds, experiences and incentives that have shaped our very different perspectives. It’s no secret that I strongly opposed his earlier stance and comments against allowing women in combat arms.
Opinion - Credit where credit is due: Hegseth made the right call about women in combat
From the value of allies to the importance of keeping secret communications secret, I have disagreed with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on many things. We’ve had different backgrounds, experiences and incentives that have shaped our very different perspectives. It’s no secret that I strongly opposed his earlier stance and comments against allowing women in combat arms.
Destroying Global Trade
The pandemic didn’t teach us anything. Published April 14, 2025 Ryan Peterson, CEO of Flexport, a platform for global logistics, joins Jamie Weinstein to discuss the effects of President Trump’s tariffs and how companies are being swallowed by the trade wars. The Agenda: —Understanding the executive orders —Businesses are devastated by losses —How brands like Walmart are coping —Dealmaking with China —What is the end game?
Real Friends Show Up Original
Firefighters and rescue divers, soldiers and pilots, civilian geologists and engineers came from all corners of Lithuania. They brought helicopters and sonar, water pumps and mud dredgers. Some even came from over the border. Polish engineers, recovery experts, and rescue crews arrived with recovery vehicles, fuel trucks, and mobile workshops, ready to help in any way they could.
Ally, Bad Guy, or Both? Thoughts on Reconciling American Values and Questionable Partners, Two Years after the Death of Abdul Raziq
Two years ago, a bodyguard for the provincial governor of Kandahar stormed into a meeting between the governor and several top NATO and Afghan security officials, including Gen. Scott Miller, commander of NATO forces in the country. In a few furious seconds, several people were wounded, including the governor and US Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Smiley, and Lt. Gen. Abdul Raziq, the chief of Afghan National Police in the province, and another senior Afghan official were dead.
Women Aren’t the Problem. Standards Are.
Changing culture takes time. It took the US infantry fifty-five years and thousands of deaths to abandon the idea of trench warfare. It took the US cavalry twenty-five years to accept that were better than horses against a machine gun. It took the US Supreme Court almost sixty years to decide that “separate but equal” was anything but equal and black Americans should attend school alongside white ones. It took America more than 130 years to declare that men and women should have equal voting rights.
Women Aren’t the Problem. Standards Are.
Changing culture takes time. It took the US infantry fifty-five years and thousands of deaths to abandon the idea of trench warfare. It took the US cavalry twenty-five years to accept that were better than horses against a machine gun. It took the US Supreme Court almost sixty years to decide that “separate but equal” was anything but equal and black Americans should attend school alongside white ones. It took America more than 130 years to declare that men and women should have equal voting rights.
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