Today, Jacquelyn Schneider and coauthor Julia Macdonald call for strategic innovation in American drone warfare doctrine; Chris Herhalt speaks with two former Hoover Veteran Fellows about their experiences in the Veteran Fellowship Program and how it supports consequential public service projects; and in a new Department of Energy report, Steven E. Koonin and coauthors critically examine the role of greenhouse gasses in climate change.
Determining America’s Role in the World
Writing at Foreign Affairs, Hoover Fellow Jacquelyn Schneider and coauthor Julia Macdonald argue that the United States—once the leader in unmanned combat systems—has fallen behind in drone warfare. The authors stress that the American military lags nations including Ukraine, Russia, and Israel not only in the technological development of drones but also in the updating of doctrines concerning their use. Schneider and Macdonald trace the development of American drone warfare over the latter half of the 20th century to show how beliefs about the nature of future conflict have resulted in a drone force that is not prepared for the realities of contemporary combat. As the authors conclude, “Without reevaluating the American way of war, no amount of new drones will be able to defend the United States against wars it doesn’t want to fight.”
Schneider and Macdonald co-hosted a limited Hoover podcast series, The Hand Behind Unmanned, exploring key themes in the history of autonomous weaponry from their 2025 book of the same name. Read more here. [Subscription required]
Veteran Fellowship Program
In a new Q&A at Defining Ideas, former Hoover Veteran Fellows Donnie Hasseltine and Dave Winnacker spoke to Chris Herhalt about how their service in the Marine Corps, their year at Hoover, and their partnership together allowed them to build new tools to help communities prepare for the threat of wildfires. The pair built XyloPlan and Zonehaven, applications that generate strategies, predictions, cost estimates, and other data for fire chiefs and town officials looking to harden their neighborhoods against forest fires. Hasseltine and Winnacker discuss the ways their year at Hoover helped them find solutions, connect with stakeholders, and cut through the noise that often characterizes debates about wildfire policy. They also address common misconceptions associated with fire preparedness. Read more here.
Energy and the Environment
Senior Fellow Steven E. Koonin and fellow members of the Department of Energy Climate Working Group have released a new report examining the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on America’s climate, extreme weather events, and societal well-being. The report challenges the classification of carbon dioxide as a pollutant and critiques certain projections of future greenhouse gas emissions on which climate change models are often based. The authors argue that the “combination of overly sensitive models and implausible extreme scenarios for future emissions yields exaggerated projections of future warming.” The report also examines trends in extreme weather and sea level rise over time, in support of the argument that recent weather events and ocean measurements fit within broader historical patterns. The closing chapters of the report make the case that US policies intended to curb greenhouse gas emissions can come at a high societal cost yet “have undetectably small direct impacts on the global climate.” Read more here.
Confronting and Competing with China
In recent years, young activists across Asia have forged creative alliances to confront authoritarianism and oppression. Despite the distinct political contexts of Burma, Thailand, and Hong Kong, these movements have found common ground in their shared resistance to autocracy and in many cases also to Beijing’s growing influence in the region and the world. The Milk Tea Alliance, a loosely defined and largely online constellation named for the iconic drinks of their respective cultures, symbolizes this transnational solidarity. In this book talk on his new volume Milk Tea Alliance: Inside Asia's Struggle Against Autocracy and Beijing, author and history professor Jeffrey Wasserstrom explores this transnational phenomenon and examines the diverse tactics and strategies employed by young activists united in their fight against authoritarianism. Distinguished Research Fellow Glenn Tiffert moderated the event, hosted by Hoover’s program on the US, China, and the World. Watch here.
British Politics and Institutions
In a new piece for Defining Ideas, Senior Fellow David L. Leal analyzes a measure working its way through the British Parliament intended “to weaken the capacity of Parliament’s second chamber, the House of Lords” by expelling from that chamber the last of its hereditary members. Leal, a professor of government who teaches courses on British politics, places this move in historical context. Opponents of “the remaining aristocrats” participating in the upper chamber of Parliament have been active for at least a hundred years, says Leal. But now the move to expel the final 86 hereditary peers from the House of Lords is poised to succeed, in what Leal terms an “own goal” for British governance. Leal argues that “homogenizing” the House of Lords “will unfortunately reduce the collective experience, knowledge, and wisdom of the chamber while providing no meaningful benefits.” Read more here.
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