'Most Americans have never heard of the Office of Net Assessment'

A general view of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

The Pentagon is seen in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 8, 2025

(Image credit: J. David Ake/Getty Images)

published 17 March 2025

'The office that won the Cold War, RIP'

The Wall Street Journal editorial board

There is a "brief word on the dismantling of a little-known Pentagon office that helped America win the Cold War," says The Wall Street Journal editorial board. The Office of Net Assessment "exists to ponder threats lurking over the horizon and stress-test military planning assumptions." America is "more vulnerable than at any point since at least the Cold War." The Trump administration is "making no sustained argument about how it plans to deter — or win — a future conflict."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

When "done correctly, warning labels are important — not necessarily as a transformative public health intervention but as public recognition of a product's harms and catalyst for further action," says Simar Bajaj. Even "calling for updated labels offers a useful spotlight, regardless of whether it alters drinking habits," but "changing behaviors demands much more." These "warnings, alongside a larger suite of regulations, such as higher alcohol taxes, will likely be the most evidence-based, cost-effective way to save lives."

The Red Cross "recently announced that Azerbaijan ordered it to leave the country. The United States and the rest of the international community must not sit idly by," says Thomas Becker. The Red Cross is the "latest casualty in Azerbaijan's purge of international non-governmental and media organizations that has sparked concern." Donald Trump "condemned the persecution and displacement of ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh," and he "should prove his words were more than an empty campaign promise."

Covid-19 "wasn't only about these beginnings, it's about the horrors we still experience today," says Laura Weiss. People "say 'during the pandemic' when they mean 'during lockdown,'" and this is the "product of ignorance and misinformation, coming from the top down." This is "about the health of a nation, and the world, and the lessons we could have learned." There "was a moment of solidarity, somewhere within the trauma." But "now, things couldn't feel more different."

Explore More

Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.