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Dr. Andrew A. Michta: Geostrategy

Dr. Andrew A. Michta: Geostrategy

Putin’s Next Target May Be NATO Itself

Sabotage at Leipzig, Swindon, and Skarżysko-Kamienna. A curfew across the river from Narva. New garrisons at Petrozavodsk, Lupche-Savino, and Pechenga pointing at Finland's 830-mile...

September 28, 2026
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) summit at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia May 16, 2022. Sputnik/Sergei Guneev/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY./File Photo Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) summit at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia May 16, 2022. Sputnik/Sergei Guneev/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY./File Photo

Dr. Andrew A. Michta: Geostrategy

Why the Witkoff-Kushner Mission Failed: Washington Still Misreads the Stakes in Ukraine

The Witkoff-Kushner shuttle between Moscow and Kyiv ended, predictably, without a breakthrough — and Andrew Michta argues the failure reveals something deeper than bad...

September 9, 2026
T-72 Tank from Poland - Creative Commons Image T-72 Tank from Poland - Creative Commons Image

Dr. Andrew A. Michta: Geostrategy

Germany Is Becoming Ukraine’s Most Important Ally in Europe — and Poland Is Paying the Price

German Foreign Minister Wadephul's fourth Kyiv visit — two days before Ukraine's Independence Day — capped an accelerating shift: Berlin is becoming Ukraine's principal...

August 24, 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

NATO’s Answer to the Pentagon’s Europe Review Already Exists: The Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative

The Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative emerged from US Army Europe and Africa and NATO's Allied Land Command as a concept for restoring deterrence by...

August 13, 2026

Aerospace & Defense
A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II, assigned to the F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team, performs precision aerial maneuvers during the Columbus Air Show at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Columbus, Ohio, June 21, 2026. The F-35A Demonstration Team showcases the unique aerodynamic capabilities, advanced avionics, and combat readiness of the military's premier fifth-generation fighter to inspire the next generation of Airmen and demonstrate American air power. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman 1st Class Samir Harris)

Aerospace & Defense

‘You Cannot Clone People’: A Former NORAD Deputy Commander Says Canada Does Not Have the Pilots or Technicians to Run F-35s and Gripens at the Same Time. Its Fighter Force Is at Two-Thirds Strength

Retired Lt. Gen. Alain Pelletier, NORAD’s deputy commander from 2020 to 2023, told the National Post that the Royal Canadian Air Force can’t stand...

9 hours ago
Chinese J-20 Stealth Fighter. Image Credit: Chinese Internet. Chinese J-20 Stealth Fighter. Image Credit: Chinese Internet.

Aerospace & Defense

China Says Its 2-Seat J-20S Stealth Fighter Is Now Meant to Strike Ships at Sea. It Has Not Named a Single Anti-Ship Missile for the Jet or Said Whether One Fits Inside Its Weapons Bays

China marked the 15th anniversary of the J-20’s maiden flight on January 11, 2026, by announcing that the two-seat J-20S Mighty Dragon is meant...

9 hours ago
U.S. Navy Super Hornet Fighter U.S. Navy Super Hornet Fighter

Aerospace & Defense

The Navy Picks Only 3 New Blue Angels Jet Pilots a Year. Each Trains for 18 Months to 3 Years to Fly a Super Hornet as Low as 50 Feet and Cross Another Jet at 400 Knots on Its Side

Seventeen officers, about 100 enlisted sailors and Marines, and a 2026 Maneuvers Manual that sorts 105 stunts into High, Low and Flat Shows: that’s...

10 hours ago
SR-71 Blackbird at Night SR-71 Blackbird at Night

Aerospace & Defense

‘I Am Certain That I Have Never Said That to Anyone’: The SR-71 Blackbird Pilot Who Set the Coast-to-Coast Record on Its Final Flight Says He Cruised at Mach 3.3, Past the Official Limit

Lockheed never flight-tested the SR-71 past Mach 3.2, yet Ed Yeilding and J.T. Vida cruised at Mach 3.3 for most of the Blackbird’s final...

10 hours ago

Trillions
Aircraft Carrier

Trillions - 19FortyFive

‘Effectively Closed’: The Strait of Hormuz Oil and Gas Crisis Is Going from Bad to Even Worse

Four ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz Thursday against a 10-day average of 16. Iran said it hit tanker Trend on Friday. Brent is...

September 19, 2026
Steve Jobs Creative Commons Photo with iPhone Apple Steve Jobs Creative Commons Photo with iPhone Apple

Trillions - 19FortyFive

21 Years Ago, Apple Founder Steve Jobs Advice on Time and ‘Living Someone Else’s Life’ Is the Truth Serum That Still Shapes Our World

Jobs dropped out of Reed College and stayed on as what he called a "drop-in," sitting in on classes that interested him. One was...

September 14, 2026
Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin

Trillions - 19FortyFive

“Money Never Made a Man Happy Yet, Nor Will It. The More a Man Has, the More He Wants.” Benjamin Franklin Was the 8th of 17 Children, Got 2 Years of Schooling Because His Family Could Not Afford More, and His Face Is on the $100 Bill.

"Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. There is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more a man has,...

September 9, 2026
A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress aircraft, assigned to the 96th Bomb Squadron from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, flies over spectators at the Dubai Airshow 2025, Nov. 17, 2025, at the Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The B-52 flew from Rota, Spain, to participate in the event, showcasing U.S. airpower on a global stage. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Tylin Rust) A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress aircraft, assigned to the 96th Bomb Squadron from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, flies over spectators at the Dubai Airshow 2025, Nov. 17, 2025, at the Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The B-52 flew from Rota, Spain, to participate in the event, showcasing U.S. airpower on a global stage. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Tylin Rust)

Trillions - 19FortyFive

Iran’s Economy Is Buckling. That Is Not the Same as Iran Being Ready to Sign a Deal

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has unveiled Operation Economic Outcast: secondary sanctions across five sectors and more than sixty targets, with no relief attached. Iran's...

August 25, 2026

The Embassy
U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 65th Field Artillery Brigade fire a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) during a joint live-fire exercise with the Kuwait Land Forces, Jan. 8, 2019, near Camp Buehring, Kuwait. The U.S. and Kuwaiti forces train together frequently to maintain a high level of combat readiness and to maintain effective communication between the two forces. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Bill Boecker)

The Embassy

How the Ukraine War Ends: A Partial Ceasefire That Settles Into Another Frozen Conflict

Signing the largest Russia sanctions package to date and then floating a diesel arrangement looks contradictory only if one assumes the two acts are...

13 hours ago
Vladimir Putin 2023-02-21 Creative Commons Photo Vladimir Putin 2023-02-21 Creative Commons Photo

The Embassy

Putin Cannot Afford to End the Ukraine War 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio calls Ukraine a “dangerous stalemate,” and the Kremlin agrees. Russia netted 104 square kilometers from January to late May,...

2 days ago
U.S. Air Force Maj. Kristin "BEO" Wolfe, F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team commander and pilot, assigned to Hill Air Force Base, Utah, prepares to demonstrate the capabilities of the F-35 during Aero India 23 at Air Force Station Yelahanka, Bengaluru, India, Feb. 14, 2023. Aero India is an opportunity to demonstrate U.S. presence in and commitment to the region. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Emily Saxton) U.S. Air Force Maj. Kristin "BEO" Wolfe, F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team commander and pilot, assigned to Hill Air Force Base, Utah, prepares to demonstrate the capabilities of the F-35 during Aero India 23 at Air Force Station Yelahanka, Bengaluru, India, Feb. 14, 2023. Aero India is an opportunity to demonstrate U.S. presence in and commitment to the region. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Emily Saxton)

The Embassy

A Warning to the US Military: Iran Is Fortifying Its Nuclear Sites and Borders and Signaling It Will Hit Back Across the Region

Iran is reinforcing its borders and nuclear sites, piling dirt mounds around Natanz and Pickaxe Mountain, and urging civilians to take free weapons training...

2 days ago
F-15 Aircraft #2 on Tarmac at Sunset with Weapons in Saudi Arabia. Image Credit: Boeing. F-15 Aircraft #2 on Tarmac at Sunset with Weapons in Saudi Arabia. Image Credit: Boeing.

The Embassy

Saudi Arabia’s Worst-Case Iran Scenario Hasn’t Even Begun

Nine months after Riyadh gutted Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council, the Houthis took the port of Mokha on the Bab el-Mandeb, then struck King Khalid...

4 days ago

Hermit Kingdom
North Korea ICBM

Hermit Kingdom

The Case for Another Donald Trump-North Korea Summit

President Trump says he gets along with Kim Jong Un and wants a new summit before the end of 2026, along with smaller US-South...

6 days ago
North Korea North Korea

Hermit Kingdom

Donald Trump Needs to Bring Concessions if He Wants a Deal with North Korea

Trump is reportedly considering another meeting with Kim Jong Un. The last round produced Singapore, Hanoi, and the DMZ, and by 2020 the status...

September 15, 2026
A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit conducts an integrated maritime strike training exercise with U.S. Navy F-35C Lightning II and F/A-18E Super Hornets from Carrier Air Wing Eleven (CVW-11) off the coast of California, on Feb. 10-11, 2026. Practicing innovative methods to employ and integrate strategic bombers like the B-2 with Navy carrier strike groups enhances combat capabilities through synchronized, integrated power projection. (U.S. Navy photo by Katie Archibald) A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit conducts an integrated maritime strike training exercise with U.S. Navy F-35C Lightning II and F/A-18E Super Hornets from Carrier Air Wing Eleven (CVW-11) off the coast of California, on Feb. 10-11, 2026. Practicing innovative methods to employ and integrate strategic bombers like the B-2 with Navy carrier strike groups enhances combat capabilities through synchronized, integrated power projection. (U.S. Navy photo by Katie Archibald)

Hermit Kingdom

What the Iran War Proved About America’s Nuclear Weapons Threat to North Korea

American doctrine promises that any North Korean nuclear attack will end the Kim regime. The Iran war has just tested that assumption. The United...

September 4, 2026
B-2 Spirit stealth bombers assigned to Whiteman Air Force Base taxi and take-off during exercise Spirit Vigilance on Whiteman Air Force Base on November 7th, 2022. Routine exercises like Spirit Vigilance assure our allies and partners that Whiteman Air Force Base is ready to execute nuclear operations and global strike anytime, anywhere. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Bryson Britt) B-2 Spirit stealth bombers assigned to Whiteman Air Force Base taxi and take-off during exercise Spirit Vigilance on Whiteman Air Force Base on November 7th, 2022. Routine exercises like Spirit Vigilance assure our allies and partners that Whiteman Air Force Base is ready to execute nuclear operations and global strike anytime, anywhere. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Bryson Britt)

Hermit Kingdom

The North Korea Deal Donald Trump Should Actually Want

Trump ordered Ulchi Freedom Shield cut from eleven days to five before Kim Jong-un had agreed to anything in return. Kim Yo-jong dismissed the...

August 21, 2026
M1A1 Tank M1A1 Tank

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

Did You Know: The U.S. Marine Corps Has No Tanks

Force Design is the Marine Corps’ most consequential doctrinal shift in a generation, moving away from heavy, land-focused warfighting toward naval expeditionary operations built...

January 22, 2026