Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security
In military terminology, a vanguard is the foremost part of an advancing army or naval force – and it is thus a fitting name...
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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...
China's J-20 "Mighty Dragon" is the only fifth-generation fighter in service built without a gun, a deliberate bet that stealth and long-range missiles have...
Iran's first danger after sanctions relief isn't the first Russian jet or Chinese radar it buys, argues scholar Andrew Latham. It's the workshop that...
Most people don't know Italy operates an aircraft carrier at all. The Cavour, flagship of the Italian Navy, is a fraction the size of...
On paper, the Navy's Wasp-class ships are amphibious assault ships, built to land Marines, helicopters, and vehicles on a hostile shore. But load one...
Iran keeps returning to the Strait of Hormuz because it works. As Andrew Latham argues, Tehran doesn't need to close the waterway, or even...
SpaceX exists to put humans on Mars, so its shift toward the Moon looks like an admission that the Mars dream has stalled. It...
America won the Moon race in 1969, then mothballed the rockets that got it there, leaving only disassembled Saturn Vs in museums. Now it...
Germany spent decades as a reluctant military power, its Cold War army allowed to atrophy and a deep pacifism running through its politics. Russia's...
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 terms of the Memorandum of Understanding ending the U.S.-Iran war are now public. This analysis argues the deal is worth supporting as an...
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...
In military terminology, a vanguard is the foremost part of an advancing army or naval force – and it is thus a fitting name...
Over at Reuters and several other outlets, there seems to be a letter circulating in the U.S. Senate that offers wide-ranging support for the...
“Cognitive warfare”? Yes, please—and more of it! Over at the South China Morning Post, reporter Minnie Chan has the story of how the U.S....
Hope is once again triumphing over experience in European policymaking circles. This time it is the European Recovery Fund that it is hoped will...
A well-maintained firearm can be usable for decades after it was first made. Even antique firearms that have been hard used over the years...
