Security and Democracy Forum

The Security and Democracy Forum was founded on a simple belief: national security and democratic institutions are not competing priorities. They are mutually reinforcing. Our national security institutions protect the freedoms that allow democracy to flourish, while our democratic institutions provide the accountability, legitimacy, and resilience that make us more secure. Advancing that conversation requires more than policy advocacy. It requires creating a forum where scholars,...

In the summer of 2024, a Major in the Air Force received "career-enhancing" orders for a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) from a joint assignment in D.C. to a remote installation in the Midwest. For his spouse—a licensed pediatric nurse with a decade of seniority—the move was a professional derailment. Within ninety days, she had resigned her position, navigated a gap in pay, and hit a wall of state licensing delays that kept her out of the workforce for six months. When that Major hits his...

In 2026, the United States will mark the 250th anniversary of its founding, a milestone that invites both celebration and reflection. Amid the festivities, Congress should revisit one of the most neglected provisions of the Constitution: the War Clause. For too long, the authority to decide when and how the nation goes to war has drifted from Congress to the executive branch. This erosion of legislative war powers undermines democratic accountability and threatens the integrity of our...