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Dr. Andrew A. Michta: Geostrategy
British Challenger 2 Tank.

Dr. Andrew A. Michta: Geostrategy

The Eastern Flank Comes First: Inside NATO’s Post-Ankara Turn Toward Forward Defense and Industrial Muscle

For all the talk of spending targets, the Ankara NATO summit's real work happened elsewhere. Europe is being handed responsibility for NATO's conventional defense...

July 9, 2026
MLRS like those used in Ukraine. Image Credit: Creative Commons. MLRS like those used in Ukraine. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Dr. Andrew A. Michta: Geostrategy

The Decisive Theater: North Korea and the Problem of Simultaneous War

Western analysts fixate on North Korea's missiles. The real danger is speed — a mass artillery-and-missile salvo in the war's first hours, backed by...

July 6, 2026
A B-1B Lancer assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron takes off at RAF Fairford, United Kingdom, to participate in a Bomber Task Force Europe mission, Oct. 27, 2021. “Bombers enhance our ability to address dynamic threats and counter adversary actions in the region as an effective joint force,” said Gen. Jeff Harrigian, U.S. Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa commander. Operations and engagements with NATO allies and global partners demonstrate the shared commitment to global security and stability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Colin Hollowell) A B-1B Lancer assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron takes off at RAF Fairford, United Kingdom, to participate in a Bomber Task Force Europe mission, Oct. 27, 2021. “Bombers enhance our ability to address dynamic threats and counter adversary actions in the region as an effective joint force,” said Gen. Jeff Harrigian, U.S. Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa commander. Operations and engagements with NATO allies and global partners demonstrate the shared commitment to global security and stability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Colin Hollowell)

Dr. Andrew A. Michta: Geostrategy

The Case for NATO: Leaving Europe Would Be a Serious Strategic Mistake for America

The second Trump administration is reviewing America's military footprint in Europe, and the worst-case outcome is a full withdrawal. Andrew Michta argues that would...

June 22, 2026
A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor assigned to the 154th Wing, Hawaii Air National Guard, takes part in a multi-ship formation off the coast of Hawaii, Jan. 5, 2026. The aircraft participated in a comprehensive training sortie designed to integrate the 154th Operations Group’s distinct mission sets, including air superiority and aerial refueling, to ensure peak mission readiness in the Indo-Pacific theater. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Mysti Bicoy) A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor assigned to the 154th Wing, Hawaii Air National Guard, takes part in a multi-ship formation off the coast of Hawaii, Jan. 5, 2026. The aircraft participated in a comprehensive training sortie designed to integrate the 154th Operations Group’s distinct mission sets, including air superiority and aerial refueling, to ensure peak mission readiness in the Indo-Pacific theater. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Mysti Bicoy)

Dr. Andrew A. Michta: Geostrategy

The Iran Deal Doesn’t Stop at Iran: Russia, China, and North Korea are Watching

The US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding is being judged on whether it cools tensions in the Persian Gulf. Strategic-studies scholar Andrew Michta argues that's the...

June 19, 2026

Aerospace & Defense
Neptune Anti-Ship Missile. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Aerospace & Defense

Ukraine Has Declared War on Russia’s Shadow Fleet and Smashed 13 Vessels in the Last Two Days

Ukraine says it struck thirteen more vessels from Russia's sanctions-dodging shadow fleet across the Azov and Black Seas in forty-eight hours, part of a...

1 hour ago
A starboard bow view of the battleship USS MISSOURI (BB 63) in dry dock for reactivation/modernization work prior to recommissioning. A starboard bow view of the battleship USS MISSOURI (BB 63) in dry dock for reactivation/modernization work prior to recommissioning.

Aerospace & Defense

The U.S. Navy Laid Down the Iowa-Class Battleship USS Kentucky in 1942 and Never Finished Her

The Navy spent fourteen years trying to turn its last unfinished Iowa-class battleship into a carrier, an anti-aircraft ship, then the missile ship BBG-1,...

13 hours ago
The aircraft carrier USS George Washington sails through calm seas near Guam at sunset while under way in the Pacific Ocean, Sept. 8, 2012. The George Washington is the centerpiece of Carrier Strike Group 5, the US Navy’s only continuously forward deployed carrier strike group, based out of Yokosuka, Japan. Carrier Strike Group 5 is currently on a routine Western Pacific patrol. Image Credit: Creative Commons. The aircraft carrier USS George Washington sails through calm seas near Guam at sunset while under way in the Pacific Ocean, Sept. 8, 2012. The George Washington is the centerpiece of Carrier Strike Group 5, the US Navy’s only continuously forward deployed carrier strike group, based out of Yokosuka, Japan. Carrier Strike Group 5 is currently on a routine Western Pacific patrol. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Aerospace & Defense

America’s $13 Billion Aircraft Carriers Keep Getting ‘Sunk’ by Cheap Diesel Submarines. China Is Building Dozens of Them

The U.S. Navy has known since 2005 that a quiet diesel submarine can slip past a carrier's defenses and score a kill, because a...

14 hours ago
ATLANTIC OCEAN (Oct. 29, 2019) USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) conducts high-speed turns in the Atlantic Ocean. Ford is at sea conducting sea trials following the in port portion of its 15 month post-shakedown availability. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Connor Loessin) ATLANTIC OCEAN (Oct. 29, 2019) USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) conducts high-speed turns in the Atlantic Ocean. Ford is at sea conducting sea trials following the in port portion of its 15 month post-shakedown availability. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Connor Loessin)

Aerospace & Defense

China’s Missiles Now Outrange America’s Aircraft Carriers. The U.S. Navy Is Spending Billions to Reverse It

For decades, strategists have warned that the aircraft carrier is going the way of the battleship — too big, too costly, too easy to...

14 hours ago

Trillions
Tu-160 Bomber from Russia.

Trillions - 19FortyFive

Russia’s Best Harvest in Years Is Grinding to a Halt — and Farmers Fear Kyiv’s Drones Could Cost It Ten Million Tons of Wheat

Ukraine's long-range drone strikes on Russian refineries have spread the fuel crisis into the countryside just as harvest begins, one analyst argues, with farmers...

1 day ago
Spruance-Class Destroyer Spruance-Class Destroyer

Trillions - 19FortyFive

Two Tankers Full of Saudi Oil Just Turned Around in the Red Sea — and the Houthis Didn’t Have to Fire a Single Shot

Two tankers loaded with Saudi crude reversed course in the Red Sea — without being fired on — after the Houthis threatened any ship...

1 day ago
Social Security Social Security

Trillions - 19FortyFive

Social Security’s Funding Gap Is Arithmetic — And Defense Will Pay

Social Security’s funding gap is not a forecast — it is arithmetic. The size of the shortfall is known, the levers that can close...

July 15, 2026
190907-N-UR565-0660NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY SOUDA BAY, Greece (Sept. 7, 2019) The Ohio-class cruise missile submarine USS Florida (SSGN 728) arrives in Souda Bay, Greece, for a scheduled port visit, Sept. 7, 2019. NSA Souda Bay is an operational ashore base that enables U.S., allied, and partner nation forces to be where they are needed and when they are needed to ensure security and stability in Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia. (Photo by Joel Diller/Released) 190907-N-UR565-0660NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY SOUDA BAY, Greece (Sept. 7, 2019) The Ohio-class cruise missile submarine USS Florida (SSGN 728) arrives in Souda Bay, Greece, for a scheduled port visit, Sept. 7, 2019. NSA Souda Bay is an operational ashore base that enables U.S., allied, and partner nation forces to be where they are needed and when they are needed to ensure security and stability in Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia. (Photo by Joel Diller/Released)

Trillions - 19FortyFive

Donald Trump Is Waiting for Iran to Fold. Iran Is Waiting for Trump to Cave

The Memorandum of Understanding that paused the fighting has collapsed, Farley writes, because it never settled the status of the Strait of Hormuz or...

July 14, 2026

The Embassy
Sailors and Marines man the rail as three harbor tugs push the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) away from Pier 11 at Norfolk Naval Base on Oct. 3, 1997, for a scheduled six-month deployment. The George Washington will relieve the USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) to conduct operations in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Embassy

Iran Just Pulled Off a Strategic Master Stroke in the Strait of Hormuz and Now in the Red Sea — Trump Has a Problem

American forces struck Iran for an eleventh straight night as the Houthis pressed their blockade threat against Saudi shipping. Only three commodity vessels crossed...

5 hours ago
Tomahawk Missile Firing Tomahawk Missile Firing

The Embassy

Forget the Strait of Hormuz: The Red Sea Crisis Means Prices at the Pump Could Soon Pop

The Houthis have declared a maritime embargo on Saudi shipping through the Red Sea, and the threat alone is working: four tankers changed course...

6 hours ago
Army paratroopers assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Army Alaska, fire the M3 Multi-Role Anti-Armor Anti-Personnel Weapon System (MAAWS) during live-fire training at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Sept. 15, 2021. The MAAWS, also known as the Carl Gustaf, is a man-portable, reusable, breech-loading, 84 mm recoilless rifle capable of destroying armored targets up to 700 meters away. (U.S. Air Force photo by Alejandro Peña) Army paratroopers assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Army Alaska, fire the M3 Multi-Role Anti-Armor Anti-Personnel Weapon System (MAAWS) during live-fire training at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Sept. 15, 2021. The MAAWS, also known as the Carl Gustaf, is a man-portable, reusable, breech-loading, 84 mm recoilless rifle capable of destroying armored targets up to 700 meters away. (U.S. Air Force photo by Alejandro Peña)

The Embassy

The Only Way to Stop Iran at Sea Is Boots on the Ground

With Iran's foreign minister ruling out concessions or any reopening of Hormuz, one analyst argues the only way to stop Tehran's attacks on shipping...

1 day ago
ATLANTIC OCEAN (Oct. 29, 2019) USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) conducts high-speed turns in the Atlantic Ocean. Ford is at sea conducting sea trials following the in port portion of its 15 month post-shakedown availability. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Connor Loessin) ATLANTIC OCEAN (Oct. 29, 2019) USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) conducts high-speed turns in the Atlantic Ocean. Ford is at sea conducting sea trials following the in port portion of its 15 month post-shakedown availability. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Connor Loessin)

The Embassy

A Leading Scholar Says America Should Cut Its Losses in Iran Now and Pull Back From the Persian Gulf for Good

The US-Iran war has settled into a stalemate Trump can only break by sending in ground troops, argues Dr. Robert Kelly of Pusan National...

2 days ago

Hermit Kingdom
Hwasong-12 IRBM. Image Credit: North Korea State Media.

Hermit Kingdom

The Next Trump-North Korea Summit Starts on Kim’s Terms

Xi's first Pyongyang visit in seven years, a ratified Russia pact, and a declaration that the arsenal is permanent: Andrew Latham on why the...

2 days ago
North Korea New Destroyer KCNA Photo_State Media North Korea New Destroyer KCNA Photo_State Media

Hermit Kingdom

North Korea’s New Destroyer Capsized at Its Own Launch. A Year Later It’s Heading Into Service Anyway

Last year North Korea's newest destroyer rolled over at its own launch, and the world assumed the program was finished for years. Instead Pyongyang...

July 8, 2026
KN-23 North Korean Missile Being Used in Ukraine War KN-23 North Korean Missile Being Used in Ukraine War

Hermit Kingdom

KN-23: Russia Is Using North Korean Ballistic Missiles in the Ukraine War That Keep Getting Deadlier Every Passing Day

The KN-23, North Korea's version the Russian Iskander missile, showed up to fight in the Ukraine war. And it isn't the same platform as...

June 24, 2026
Choe Hyon class from North Korea Choe Hyon class from North Korea

Hermit Kingdom

North Korea Capsized Its New Destroyer on Live TV Before Kim Jong Un: Now It’s Building Warships Twice the Size

On May 21, 2025, a brand-new North Korean destroyer rolled over and partially capsized at its own launch ceremony — with Kim Jong Un...

June 19, 2026
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