Defense sector

Author’s note: Alistair Hanna, Michael Reopel, and Stuart Flack, all of McKinsey & Company, contributed to this article. The U.S. defense industry is struggling to reorganize itself for growth, if not for survival. The disappearance of the communist threat and the desperate need to revive the U.S. economy have taken the defense industry for a […]

Corporate America and the U.S. Navy share one big problem: employee retention. Today's knowledge workers hop from start-up to start-up. And 40% of the...

With cyberattacks soaring, corporations must step up efforts to protect their IT networks. Most firms could learn from the U.S. military, which has been...

Leadership is often presented as an abstract undertaking, a matter of vision and values rather than practical details. But in the author's world, the...

In recent months, which radical, tree-hugging group has upped the volume on pushing for action on climate change? I bet you wouldn't have guessed American...

Leadership is often presented as an abstract undertaking, a matter of vision and values rather than practical details. But in the author's world, the...

Ash Carter on why it takes a strong communication plan and a transparent culture.

The battle plan for Operation Iraqi Freedom called for a rapid, responsive force capable of identifying and removing threats immediately. Commercial supply...

As a young woman, Bachelet was tortured and exiled by the Chilean government. She went on to become the country's first female president. Here's a look...

Cumbersome old Pentagon procurement processes are falling away, and VCs are paying attention.

The U.S. Army's Opposing Force (OPFOR) is a 2,500-member brigade whose job is to help prepare soldiers for combat. Created to be the meanest, toughest...

Six ways to get started.

The world economy has entered a new era of industrial competition. Every major advanced industrial nation—and a growing number of developing ones—are all competing in the same crucial technologies. A 1989 “Critical Technologies Plan” published by the Department of Defense identified 22 technologies essential to future military security, but the technologies are also indicators of […]

When responding to a complex, fast-moving crisis, leaders must constantly adapt their mental models and create a "unity of effort," argues Allen, a retired...

Corporate America and the U.S. Navy share one big problem: employee retention. Today's knowledge workers hop from start-up to start-up. And 40% of the...

Charles-Edouard Bouee, COO at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, applies "light footprint" military doctrine to management.

CEOs and other senior executives these days must manage countless complex, high-stakes conversations across functional areas and divisions, with alliance...

A $200 billion market has appeared on your business horizon, but you may not have noticed it. It's the new U.S. military. Virtually all aspects of the...

The game has changed in military leadership. Earlier this week, The Washington Post published a fascinating account of the recent firing of Gen. David...

Although the first ship he ever commanded crashed into a buoy, Mullen rose through the ranks to serve two presidents as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of...