Knowledge Without Barriers: Why the Sentinel Review Is Free—and How You Can Help Keep It That Way
From the moment we launched the Sentinel Review, one principle guided every decision about how we would deliver our research and ideas to the public: access should never be a barrier to understanding.
National security, counterintelligence, and strategic statecraft are not niche concerns reserved for cleared professionals or credentialed academics. These issues shape the safety of every American, the integrity of our democratic institutions, and the resilience of the nation’s cognitive and informational foundations. Rigorous, independent research on these topics deserves the widest possible audience—not a subscriber paywall.
That is why the Sentinel Review on Substack is, and will remain, free to every reader.
Our Commitment to Open Access
The Sentinel Research & Policy Institute was founded on the belief that independent scholarship—free from government direction and commercial interest—is essential to a healthy national security discourse. Our researchers, fellows, and directors contribute their expertise because they believe in that mission. It follows naturally that the ideas they produce should be available to students, practitioners, policymakers, journalists, and curious citizens alike.
Locking our analysis behind a paid subscription would undermine the very purpose of doing this work in the first place. A Ph.D. candidate researching foreign influence operations, a community college student writing her first policy brief, a veteran trying to understand the evolving threat landscape—they all deserve the same access as a senior fellow at a well-funded think tank.
The Reality of Running an Independent Institute
Free to read does not mean free to produce. Maintaining SRPI as an independent, credible, and effective organization requires real resources—web infrastructure, editorial support, research tools, administrative operations, and the organizational capacity to grow our programs and partnerships over time.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, we do not accept advertising, and we operate independently of government funding. We depend on the generosity of readers, supporters, and donors who believe in what we are building. That is not a weakness—it is a feature. Our independence is precisely what makes our research trustworthy.
How You Can Support the Mission
If you value what the Sentinel Review publishes—and if you are in a position to help—we would be grateful for your support. Beginning with this editorial, we will include a voluntary donation link at the bottom of every article we publish. There is no pressure, no membership tier, and no premium content held back. A contribution of any size goes directly toward sustaining the Institute and expanding the reach of our work.
You can make a tax-deductible donation to SRPI at any time through our GiveButter page:
givebutter.com/sentinel-research-and-policy-institute
If you are unable to donate, please know that simply reading, sharing, and engaging with our work is a meaningful contribution to the mission. Every reader who encounters these ideas and carries them into a classroom, a policy discussion, or a conversation with a colleague extends our reach in ways that no dollar figure can fully capture.
A Note of Gratitude
We are grateful to everyone who has followed us since our founding and who has found value in what we publish. Building an independent research institute from the ground up is an ambitious undertaking, and the interest and encouragement of our readers is one of the most important resources we have.
The Sentinel Review will remain free—because the ideas within it belong to everyone.
The Editors
Sentinel Research & Policy Institute
Washington, D.C.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURE
Sentinel Research is an independent academic research organization. Several researchers and directors are federal employees. All publications represent the academic opinions of contributing researchers and directors and do not reflect the views, policies, or positions of the U.S. government, the Department of Defense, the intelligence community, or any federal agency. All research is conducted exclusively using publicly available, open-source materials.