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A Polish tank fires during the Iron Spear exercise in Adazi, Latvia, Nov. 13, 2023. U.S. Army Soldiers with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment “Panther Battalion”, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division supporting NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group Poland, joined multinational troops from Canada, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom representing NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Groups from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Poland for the exercise. The 3rd Infantry Division’s mission in Europe is to engage in multinational training and exercises across the continent, working alongside NATO allies and regional security partners to provide combat-credible forces to V Corps, America’s forward deployed corps in Europe. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. H Howey) A Polish tank fires during the Iron Spear exercise in Adazi, Latvia, Nov. 13, 2023. U.S. Army Soldiers with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment “Panther Battalion”, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division supporting NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group Poland, joined multinational troops from Canada, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom representing NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Groups from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Poland for the exercise. The 3rd Infantry Division’s mission in Europe is to engage in multinational training and exercises across the continent, working alongside NATO allies and regional security partners to provide combat-credible forces to V Corps, America’s forward deployed corps in Europe. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. H Howey)

Aerospace & Defense

Russia Sees 65% of America’s Air Defense Missiles Gone from the Iran War and Putin Might Sense Weakness

US intelligence indicates Moscow now reads the Iran war as having depleted the United States, and sees that as an opening in Europe. CSIS...

1 day ago
A bow view of the ships composing the battleship USS MISSOURI (BB-63) battle group participating in the multinational Exercise RIMPAC '88. They are, front to back: the frigate USS COOK (FF-1083), the guided missile frigate USS MCCLUSKY (FFG-41), the destroyer USS JOHN YOUNG (DD-973) and the nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser USS LONG BEACH (CGN-9).

Aerospace & Defense

The US Navy Will Never Build the $18,000,000,000 Trump-Class Battleships

The logic of the capital ship is impeccable. The impediments are daunting for the Trump-class. The Congressional Budget Office puts each hull at $18...

3 days ago
J-20 Elephant Walk PLAAF Photo

Aerospace & Defense

China’s Military Was Stunned by Desert Storm. It Has Spent 35 Years Learning to Do It.

When the American military destroyed Saddam Hussein's army in Kuwait, Chinese planners were reportedly stunned by the ferocity and speed of it. For thirty-five...

3 days ago

Aerospace & Defense

295 Days at Sea: The US Navy Is Using Expensive Nuclear Aircraft Carriers and Destroyers to Do Its Cheapest Jobs

USS Abraham Lincoln will have logged 295 days on deployment by September 12, the second-longest carrier run since the Cold War, behind USS Gerald...

3 days ago

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

Aerospace & Defense
M249 Saw

Aerospace & Defense

I Am a Retired US Army Special Forces NCO: The M249 Light Machine Gun SAW Could Deliver a ‘Base of Fire’ Like Nothing Else

The M249 plastic ammunition box was the problem nobody writes about. In thick vegetation it announced the gunner long before anyone saw him.

15 minutes ago
SR-72 Artist Rendering. Image Credit: Creative Commons. SR-72 Artist Rendering. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Aerospace & Defense

The Lockheed Martin SR-72 ‘Son of Blackbird’: It Could Hit Mach 6 and 80,000 Feet But No One Really Knows If It Exists

The complete SR-72 Darkstar guide: the 2013 reveal, Lockheed's statements, the 2018 vanishing, the Top Gun mockup, and where the Mach 6 program stands...

1 hour ago
Belgorod Oscar II-Class Submarine Belgorod Oscar II-Class Submarine

Aerospace & Defense

Silent Anvil: The US Navy Wants a New Torpedo That Glides to the Target Before It Ever Touches the Water

The Navy released a request for information on August 25 for the Silent Anvil Air-Launched Torpedo. The idea is to release the weapon from...

1 hour ago
Dassault Mirage 2000-5 Dassault Mirage 2000-5

Aerospace & Defense

S-400: Russia’s Air Defense Shield That the Ukraine War Proves Has Quite a Few Holes

Satellite imagery in August showed four S-400 launchers destroyed at Gelendzhik. The next day Ukraine said boat-launched drones burned two more in Crimea. The...

4 hours ago

Trillions
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...

6 days ago
U.S. Navy Carrier Air Wing 8 aircraft fly in formation over the world’s largest aircraft carrier, Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), during Carrier Air Wing 8’s aerial change of command ceremony while underway in the Caribbean Sea, Jan. 19, 2026. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. (U.S. Navy photo) U.S. Navy Carrier Air Wing 8 aircraft fly in formation over the world’s largest aircraft carrier, Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), during Carrier Air Wing 8’s aerial change of command ceremony while underway in the Caribbean Sea, Jan. 19, 2026. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. (U.S. Navy photo)

Trillions - 19FortyFive

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Says Any Escalation Brings Consequences and That Its Own Hands Are Not Tied Here

Rezaei's threat goes beyond the strait: no oil leaving the Gulf by any route if neighbors cooperate. In practice that would mean strikes on...

7 days ago
Oil Refinery Oil Refinery

Trillions - 19FortyFive

Saudi Aramco’s Chief Says the World Has Now Lost 2.6 Billion Barrels, the Worst Oil Disruption Since 1979

Of the 1.5 billion barrels in emergency stocks, the IEA cannot order the commercial half released, leaving governments under a billion. The American reserve...

August 14, 2026
(Jan. 16, 2010) Waves crash over the bow of the guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64). Carney is part of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group and is deployed as part of an on-going rotation of forward-deployed forces to support maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Master at Arms Chief Chief Anthony J. Sganga/Released) (Jan. 16, 2010) Waves crash over the bow of the guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64). Carney is part of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group and is deployed as part of an on-going rotation of forward-deployed forces to support maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Master at Arms Chief Chief Anthony J. Sganga/Released)

Trillions - 19FortyFive

Saudi Arabia’s Only Way Around the Strait of Hormuz Runs Straight Through the One the Houthis Have Just Closed

The Houthis have no warships. It doesn't need any. A blockade holds if shipowners and insurers decide the passage is not worth the risk,...

August 12, 2026

The Embassy
President of the United States Donald Trump speaking at the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland. Image Credit: Gage Skidmore.

The Embassy

Yes, Trump Is Right: The Strait of Hormuz Is Open and Iran Is in Trouble

Analysts dismissed American control of the Strait of Hormuz as a near-impossible task. The US government now says it has been helping tankers move...

August 20, 2026
Neptune Anti-Ship Missile. Image Credit: Creative Commons. Neptune Anti-Ship Missile. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The Embassy

Ukraine Can Already Reach Moscow With Drones, and a Ballistic Missile Would Change the Warning Time Dramatically

Drones reached Moscow on three of the last five nights. A ballistic missile would not extend Ukraine's reach so much as compress Russia's warning...

August 20, 2026
Former President of the United States Donald Trump speaking with attendees at the 2022 Student Action Summit at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida. Former President of the United States Donald Trump speaking with attendees at the 2022 Student Action Summit at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida.

The Embassy

Something Changed in a Single Day: Trump Claimed Backchannel Talks With the IRGC, Then Said No Talks Were Happening at All

Georgia Gilholy reports on Trump's map post declaring Hormuz 'New U.S. Territory,' a vessel struck off Oman hours earlier per UK Maritime Trade Operations,...

August 18, 2026
Former President of the United States Donald Trump speaking with attendees at the 2023 Turning Point Action Conference at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. Former President of the United States Donald Trump speaking with attendees at the 2023 Turning Point Action Conference at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The Embassy

Trump Has All the Cards to Shatter Iran from the Inside

When it comes to severe economic pressure, Washington has massive options between everything and nothing. Something in the middle that hurts Iran a lot...

August 18, 2026

Hermit Kingdom
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
Image of North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un. Image Credit: North Korean State Media. Image of North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un. Image Credit: North Korean State Media.

Hermit Kingdom

North Korea’s Fingerprints Are All Over Iran’s War Against America

As President Trump downsizes the Ulchi Freedom Shield war games after South Korea declined to help with Iran, one uncomfortable fact goes almost completely...

August 20, 2026
Hwasong-12 IRBM. Image Credit: North Korea State Media. Hwasong-12 IRBM. Image Credit: North Korea State Media.

Hermit Kingdom

The War in Ukraine Have Transformed North Korea’s Missile Arsenal Into a Truly Dangerous Military Force

Russia has used North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine since late 2023. The early shots missed by kilometers. Later ones did not. That combat...

August 18, 2026
Hwasong-12 IRBM. Image Credit: North Korea State Media. Hwasong-12 IRBM. Image Credit: North Korea State Media.

Hermit Kingdom

Iran’s Missile Forces Have North Korean ‘DNA’

Iran's Shahab-1 came from the Scud-B and reached 300km. The Khorramshahr, derived from North Korea's Musudan, reaches 2,000km — a 6.7-fold increase in reach.

August 11, 2026
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