DivergentOptions

An Assessment of North Korea’s Attempts to Destabilize South Korea

CPT Heo Jeongin is a Republic of Korea Army officer currently attending the Captain's Career Course (CCC) at the U.S. Army Intelligence School (Fort Huachuca) and wrote the following assessment as part of the Forging Leadership…

Options to Mitigate Effects from Houthi Attacks on International Trade

Benjamin Martell is a Military Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Army with previous experience as an active-duty Armor Officer. Divergent Options’ content does not contain information of an official nature, nor does the content…

An Assessment on State Sponsorship, Drones and the Expanded Capabilities of Non-State Armed Groups

Estelle Denton-Townshend has a PhD from the University of Waikato in New Zealand.  She currently works at the University of Waikato where she is a teaching fellow.  Divergent Options’ content does…

An Assessment of the Joint Warfighting Concept’s Limitations in Mexico’s Gray Zone

Travis L. Eddleman is a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army and currently assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. He earned his Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) in Civil Security Leadership, Management, and…

Options for Russia Following the Special Military Operation in Ukraine 2LT Ben Phocas is an active-duty Armor Officer in the US Army. He is a 2024 graduate of the United States Military Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Defense and Strategic Studies. Divergent Opt…

Check out Ben Phocas' latest article on Russia's options following a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine:

Call for Papers: Joint Warfighting Concept and Future Operating Concepts Background: Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that asse…

There's still time to for you to submit your original, un-published work on the Joint Warfighting Concept and Future Operating Concepts:

New this week: "It is imperative for the United States to address the risk of Iranian nuclear breakout to both quell proliferation and uphold regional stability." divergentoptions.org/2025/03/26/o...

Options to Respond to Nuclear Proliferation in the Middle East 2LT John Beattie is an active-duty field artillery officer in the US Army. He is currently serving with 3-319th AFAR, 82nd Airborne Division, at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. He is a 2024 graduate of …

New this week: Author John Beattie explores options to respond to Iranian nuclear breakout.

Arsonist, Killer, Saboteur, Spy While Trump courts him, Putin is escalating Russia’s hybrid war against the West.

Happy Friday! Anyone interested in a longer read on Russia's hybrid warfare against the West should check out Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan's article in Foreign Affairs:

New this week: A cross-border legal framework would limit traffickers’ ability to exploit inconsistencies between national laws, weakening their networks. divergentoptions.org/2025/03/19/o...

New this week: Brazil’s anti-trafficking policies have historically been driven by external pressures rather than proactive domestic initiatives. divergentoptions.org/2025/03/19/o...

Call for Papers: Joint Warfighting Concept and Future Operating Concepts Background: Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that asse…

We are still accepting papers on the Joint Warfighting Concept and Future Operating Concepts:

New this week: Brazilian officials either have a widespread misunderstanding of trafficking laws or, worse, are involved in official complicity. divergentoptions.org/2025/03/19/o...

Boeing wins contract for NGAD fighter jet, dubbed F-47 The Air Force said Boeing's F-47 will fly by the end of President Trump's administration.

The quiet part of foreign military sales out loud (from Defense News): Trump also left the door open to selling versions of NGAD to allies — though he said those might be “toned-down” versions. “Because someday, maybe they’re not our allies, right?” Trump said.

New this week: A major enforcement challenge lies in the blurred line between voluntary sex work and trafficking, exacerbated by inconsistencies in Brazil’s legal framework . divergentoptions.org/2025/03/19/o...

Write for Us Below you will see a 2025 Call for Papers Schedule. If you are not interested in writing on these topics, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security topic that you mig…

Thought about writing for Divergent Options? Start here:

New this week: Transnational Criminal Organizations exploit Brazil’s sex work laws to traffic children into its legal prostitution industry. divergentoptions.org/2025/03/19/o...

New this week: Author Victoria Maldonado presents options for combatting South American human trafficking networks. divergentoptions.org/2025/03/19/o...

New this week: The U.S. Department of Defense has repeatedly highlighted the urgency of securing supply chains for critical minerals, including rare-earth minerals. buff.ly/lCNs8ei

New this week: Trump’s focus on rare earth minerals is set against a backdrop of strategic competition with China, and the U.S. desire to spend less defending Ukraine against Russia. buff.ly/lCNs8ei

Call for Papers: Joint Warfighting Concept and Future Operating Concepts Background: Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that asse…

Thoughts about the future of warfare and the current menu of service-specific operating concepts? Send us your original work: submissions@divergentoptions.org

New this week: President Trump sought to finalize a deal that gave the U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, and he wanted this deal secured before a security guarantee was discussed. buff.ly/lCNs8ei

New this week: Critical minerals are essential for the prosperity and security of states in the emerging era of decarbonization and advanced AI. buff.ly/lCNs8ei

Call for papers: Assess the periodicity of developing and promulgating future operating concepts against programmatic timelines. buff.ly/vmZD8LQ

An Assessment of Critical Minerals, Strategic Competition, and Ukraine Estelle Denton-Townshend has a PhD from the University of Waikato in New Zealand. She currently works at the University of Waikato where she is a teaching fellow. Divergent Options’ content does no…

New this week, author Estelle Denton-Townshend explores the impact of critical minerals on strategic competition.

Call for papers: Provide options for novel approaches to test and evaluate future operating concepts. buff.ly/vmZD8LQ

Call for papers: Assess the impact of documents like the Joint Warfighting Concept and service-produced future operating concepts on military decision-making external to the United States. buff.ly/vmZD8LQ

Call for papers: Provide options on weighing service-produced future operating concepts against the Joint Warfighting Concept when developing acquisition plans. buff.ly/vmZD8LQ

Call for papers: Provide options to enable the adoption of service-specific concepts into future iterations of the Joint Warfighting Concept. buff.ly/vmZD8LQ

Call for papers: Assess the Joint Warfighting Concept’s impacts on sharpening the military’s competitive edge through adaptability and innovation. buff.ly/vmZD8LQ