Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security
The U.S. is "pounding" Iran, but history says you can't drop a new government from a bomb bay. From the failed hunt for Saddam...
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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...
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...
Iran: A War at the Wrong Time and Place: As the war in Iran continues and analysts debate how long it will last and...
Strategic expert Andrew A. Michta explores how Russia is capitalizing on the Iran War to consolidate gains in Europe. With U.S. resources drained and...
Sweden didn't build the Gotland class to chase aircraft carriers across oceans. It built three small, quiet submarines for the Baltic — and in...
China's only training aircraft carrier spent 40 days in the Pacific, and Beijing came home furious — accusing Japanese fighters of simulated attack runs...
Taiwan just received the last of 108 American Abrams tanks, closing a $1.29 billion deal — and a growing chorus of analysts says the...
No one outside the Air Force knew the B-2 could do this. In a Pacific sinking exercise, the stealth bomber fired an LRASM anti-ship...
A film celebrating ten years of China's Y-20 transport slipped in something no other country has shown on official camera: a sixth-generation fighter refueling...
A decade after it surfaced, China's H-20 has no flying prototype and no production line. The reasons are industrial, not financial: an intercontinental flying...
A new 1.5-gigawatt project in Utah will use five 300-megawatt Holtec small modular reactors rather than two massive conventional ones, part of a broader...
A Belgian joint venture, BeHydro, has earned the world's first Type Approval Certificate from Lloyd's Register for a marine engine that runs on 100...
The diplomatic center of gravity in the Middle East has decisively shifted to Riyadh. On June 23, 2026, talks between Iranian Majlis Speaker Mohammed...
Germany still must address a readiness issue: large portions of the army are not considered fully combat-ready, with some readiness estimates for land forces...
Vice President JD Vance has hailed his Switzerland negotiations over Iran's nuclear program as diplomatic progress. Middle East Forum scholar Dr. Michael Rubin argues...
Ukraine hasn't moved the front — but its drones have broken the war's one-way character, reaching the Russian heartland Putin promised was safe. The...
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...
On May 21, 2025, a brand-new North Korean destroyer rolled over and partially capsized at its own launch ceremony — with Kim Jong Un...
Fake Russian IDs, Orders Never to Be Captured, and 50% Casualties: Inside North Korea’s Secret War in Ukraine The Russian Army has sustained nearly...
Summary and Key Points: Dr. Bruce E. Bechtol Jr., a political science professor and proliferation expert, evaluates the strategic partnership between Iran and North...
The U.S. is "pounding" Iran, but history says you can't drop a new government from a bomb bay. From the failed hunt for Saddam...
Summary and Key Points: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood, a defense analyst and former US Army Infantry officer, evaluates the critical delays affecting the USS...
Summary and Key Points: Dr. Andrew Latham, a professor of international relations and fellow at Defense Priorities, evaluates the strategic limitations of Operation Epic...
Trump’s Iran war traces back to the JCPOA exit and the post–October 7 spiral. A fragile order built by bombers now requires more bombers...
Summary and Key Points: Dr. Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon official, analyzes historical precedents for using airpower to facilitate regime change and their relevance...
