Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security
As the historic location of Japan’s surrender in World War II, the USS Missouri battleship needs little introduction. That defining moment and the ship...
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The diplomatic center of gravity in the Middle East has decisively shifted to Riyadh. On June 23, 2026, talks between Iranian Majlis Speaker Mohammed...
The United States already stores nuclear bombs in five NATO countries, weapons European allies could deliver in wartime but cannot arm without Washington's permission....
Canada is just weeks from a decision that could become the most expensive procurement in its history: choosing the submarines that will guard its...
The Air Force recently announced it will keep the beloved A-10 Warthog flying until 2030, seeming to end years of retirement fights. But a...
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...
The U.S. Air Force is seeking a new Air Force Long Range Weapon, or AFLRW, with a planned reach of 1,000 nautical miles. Details...
In April the U.S. Army pivoted away from Lockheed Martin's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon, the "Dark Eagle," whose $35–40 million-per-missile cost made it nearly impossible...
Every other navy gave up on the nuclear-powered surface warship. Russia kept one. After a refit lasting more than two decades and costing billions,...
Whenever U.S.-Europe tensions flare, talk of an F-35 "kill switch" resurfaces, the idea that Washington could remotely disable allied jets. There is no such...
My best friend in the U.S. Army was a Special Forces officer with service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Once, we had a conversation about...
A few days ago I learned my 2024 Jeep Gladiator is one of more than a million Wranglers and Gladiators that federal regulators say...
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...
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...
As the historic location of Japan’s surrender in World War II, the USS Missouri battleship needs little introduction. That defining moment and the ship...
The Republican party seems to be fractured into two distinct sects: those who continue to stand by Donald Trump no matter what the costs,...
![Image: Creative Commons - M1917 Revolver issued by US Army during WWI to Charles H. Houston - left DATE: January 1918 Colt Model 1917 Revolver .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) No 22-883 issued by the United States Army to Charles Hamilton Houston during World War I. The gun is comprised of metal with wood applied to the handle. The revolver has a six-round cylinder that is semi-removable so bullets can be loaded. There are multiple manufacturer's notes throughout the barrel and frame. On the left of the barrel, text reads [COLT D.A. 45]. On top of the barrel is the manufacture's information, [COLT’S PT FA MFG CO. HARTFORD, CT U.S.A. / PAT’D AUG. 5, 1884 JUNE 6 1900 JULY 4 1905]. On the left side of the frame, at the top next to the hammer are the letters [GHS] in a circle. Below the hammer on the frame is a horse standing on its hind legs with two spears. The bottom of the grip has a circular hinge with a cylinder shaped metal. Surrounding the hinge are the words, [U.S. / ARMY / MODEL / 1917 / N° / 22 / 883]. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Charles Hamilton Houston, Jr. and Dr. Rosemary Jagus Object number: 2018.59.3](https://www.19fortyfive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/M1917-Revolver-600x337.jpg)
![Image: Creative Commons - M1917 Revolver issued by US Army during WWI to Charles H. Houston - left DATE: January 1918 Colt Model 1917 Revolver .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) No 22-883 issued by the United States Army to Charles Hamilton Houston during World War I. The gun is comprised of metal with wood applied to the handle. The revolver has a six-round cylinder that is semi-removable so bullets can be loaded. There are multiple manufacturer's notes throughout the barrel and frame. On the left of the barrel, text reads [COLT D.A. 45]. On top of the barrel is the manufacture's information, [COLT’S PT FA MFG CO. HARTFORD, CT U.S.A. / PAT’D AUG. 5, 1884 JUNE 6 1900 JULY 4 1905]. On the left side of the frame, at the top next to the hammer are the letters [GHS] in a circle. Below the hammer on the frame is a horse standing on its hind legs with two spears. The bottom of the grip has a circular hinge with a cylinder shaped metal. Surrounding the hinge are the words, [U.S. / ARMY / MODEL / 1917 / N° / 22 / 883]. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Charles Hamilton Houston, Jr. and Dr. Rosemary Jagus Object number: 2018.59.3](https://www.19fortyfive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/M1917-Revolver-100x100.jpg)
Colt’s version of the M1917 was basically an updated version – to accommodate the .45 ACP cartridge, that is – of their already-extant (since...
Ending the war based on a neutral Ukraine without express security guarantees from NATO would clearly be an unpleasant outcome for Kyiv’s leaders, but...
Last September, this reporter wrote an article on the unfortunate story of the WWII British battleship HMS Prince of Wales, whose 10 December 1941...
