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A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor assigned to the 154th Wing, Hawaii Air National Guard, takes part in a multi-ship formation off the coast of Hawaii, Jan. 5, 2026. The aircraft participated in a comprehensive training sortie designed to integrate the 154th Operations Group’s distinct mission sets, including air superiority and aerial refueling, to ensure peak mission readiness in the Indo-Pacific theater. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Mysti Bicoy) A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor assigned to the 154th Wing, Hawaii Air National Guard, takes part in a multi-ship formation off the coast of Hawaii, Jan. 5, 2026. The aircraft participated in a comprehensive training sortie designed to integrate the 154th Operations Group’s distinct mission sets, including air superiority and aerial refueling, to ensure peak mission readiness in the Indo-Pacific theater. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Mysti Bicoy)

Dr. Andrew A. Michta: Geostrategy

The Iran Deal Doesn’t Stop at Iran: Russia, China, and North Korea are Watching

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...

21 hours ago
Image Credit: Lockheed Martin of NGAD fighter.

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The F-47 Will Cost $300 Million Each and the B-21 Over $700 Million — but the Iran War Showed Mass and Munitions Win Wars, Not Exquisite Planes

The U.S. is pouring billions into a handful of exquisite warplanes — the $300-million F-47 and the $700-million-plus B-21 Raider. But this analysis argues...

2 days ago
U.S. Air Force Maj. Paul Lopez, F-22 Demo Team commander, performs an aerial demonstration during the Thunder over Georgia Air Show at Robins Air Force Base, Sept. 28, 2019. Founded in 2007, the F-22 Raptor Demo Team showcases the unique capabilities of the world's premier 5th-generation fighter aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by 2nd Lt. Sam Eckholm)

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

After the War: What a Workable U.S.-Iran Bargain Actually Looks Like

The United States and Iran can probably keep the shooting stopped for 60 days — but only if neither side mistakes the pause for...

2 days ago
A B-52H Stratofortress assigned to the 419th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base, California, departs for an evening test mission over the Mojave Desert. The B-52H test fleet is in high demand, testing a variety of advanced capabilities for the joint-force. The 412th Test Wing will soon begin developmental test work on new avionics, radar, and engines as part of the B-52J effort, allowing the Stratofortress to serve the warfighter into the 2050's. (Air Force photo by Todd Schannuth)

The Embassy

The U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding Is a Strategic Defeat for America

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...

2 days ago

Dr. Andrew A. Michta: Geostrategy
240105-N-LK647-1019 STRAIT OF GIBRALTAR (Jan. 5, 2024) A view from the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) of the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), as the Ford Carrier Strike Group passes through the Strait of Gibraltar, Jan. 5, 2024. Normandy is part of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group and is currently operating in the Mediterranean Sea, at the direction of the Secretary of Defense. The U.S. maintains forward-deployed, ready, and postured forces to deter aggression and support security and stability around the world. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Malachi Lakey)

Dr. Andrew A. Michta: Geostrategy

The Iran War Is Giving China Time, Russia Money, and North Korea an Opening

Iran: A War at the Wrong Time and Place: As the war in Iran continues and analysts debate how long it will last and...

April 14, 2026
M1 Abrams Tanks for Ukraine. Image: Creative Commons. M1 Abrams Tanks for Ukraine. Image: Creative Commons.

Dr. Andrew A. Michta: Geostrategy

Russia Is the Big Winner in the Iran War

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...

March 22, 2026
Baltic Air Policing is a peacetime mission in which NATO Allies deploy fighter jets to cover the airspace of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Baltic Air Policing is a peacetime mission in which NATO Allies deploy fighter jets to cover the airspace of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Dr. Andrew A. Michta: Geostrategy

NATO’s 5% Pledge: A Hollow Victory for a Dependent Europe?

Key Points and Summary – The recent NATO summit in The Hague, where European allies agreed to a new 5% of GDP defense spending...

June 29, 2025
Russian President Putin. Image Credit: Creative Commons. Russian President Putin. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Dr. Andrew A. Michta: Geostrategy

Why Putin Believes He Can Win His ‘Civilizational War’ Against the West

The Trump administration made the Russia-Ukraine ceasefire its priority foreign policy initiative shortly after the inauguration. Setting aside Donald Trump’s campaign rhetoric that he...

May 28, 2025

Smart Bombs
J-20 Fighters on the Tarmac

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

China Will Sell You Almost Any Weapon It Makes — But It Will Never Sell You the J-20 Mighty Dragon Stealth Fighter

China, despite aggressively exporting a wide variety of military hardware, is unlikely to ever export the J-20 Mighty Dragon stealth fighter. While international interest...

6 hours ago
Nimitz-Class Aircraft Carrier Attack Nimitz-Class Aircraft Carrier Attack

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

U.S. Navy Aircraft Carriers Have A Range Problem It May Not Be Able To Fix — And China Is Betting Everything On It

An aircraft carrier's reach is its air wing's combat radius — and China's missiles now outrange it. To strike, a carrier must sail into...

13 hours ago
B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber with Weapons Loud out B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber with Weapons Loud out

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

We Made a Mistake We Can’t Ever Fix: The U.S. Air Force’s B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber Shortage Makes Russia and China Smile

The B-2 Spirit is the most capable bomber ever built — and the only aircraft that can drop the 30,000-pound bunker-buster that struck Iran's...

14 hours ago
B-1B Lancer Bomber Artist Rendition B-1B Lancer Bomber Artist Rendition

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The U.S. Was Retiring Its B-1 and B-2 Bombers: Now It’s Paying $1.7 Billion to Fly Them Into the Late 2030s

The U.S. Air Force spent years planning to retire the B-1 and B-2. Now it's pouring $1.7 billion into keeping both airborne into the...

14 hours ago

Trillions
A German Air Force pilot, assigned to the German Air Force Weapons School, conducts strafing runs with an Eurofighter Typhoon in conjunction with U.S. Air Force Joint Terminal Attack Controller assigned to 2d Air Support Operations Squadron identifying targets on the ground at the 7th Army Training Command’s Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, June 9, 2021. (U.S. Army photo by Kevin Sterling Payne)

Trillions - 19FortyFive

Germany Let Its Army Wither for 30 Years — Now It Wants to Become Europe’s Arsenal

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...

18 hours ago
Dassault Rafale Fighter on the Tarmac Dassault Rafale Fighter on the Tarmac

Trillions - 19FortyFive

France Left Europe’s Joint Fighter Program to Build the Dassault Rafale Alone — and the Export Numbers Suggest It Was Right

Rafale Won Europe’s Fighter Competition–and the Eurofighter Typhoon Shows Why: For years, military aviation enthusiasts have debated which fighter is superior: the French-built Rafale...

1 day ago
KC-390 Creative Commons Photo KC-390 Creative Commons Photo

Trillions - 19FortyFive

One Country at a Time, Embraer’s C-390 Is Displacing Lockheed’s C-130 — and It Just Won Greece

Greece has selected Embraer's C-390 over a new Lockheed C-130 to replace its aging Hercules fleet, approving €600 million for three jets. It's the...

5 days ago
President Donald J. Trump signs an Executive Order creating an anti-fraud task force to be led by Vice President JD Vance, Monday, March 16, 2026, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley) President Donald J. Trump signs an Executive Order creating an anti-fraud task force to be led by Vice President JD Vance, Monday, March 16, 2026, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

Trillions - 19FortyFive

$2,000,000,000,000 Precedent: Trump In China With Nvidia, Apple, and Boeing CEOs + Elon Musk for the Xi Summit

President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for a 2-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump is the first sitting U.S. president...

May 13, 2026

The Embassy
Putin Russia

The Embassy

9 Days in a Row: Moscow Is Being Hit Night After Night With Drone Strikes Ukraine Calls ‘Long-Range Sanctions’

Ukrainian  “long-range sanctions” continue to hammer targets in Russia, with continued targeting of the Russian capital of Moscow with massive drone attacks. Tuesday’s drone...

3 days ago
M1 Abrams M1 Abrams

The Embassy

NATO Keeps Saying It’s United. Turkey Is the Reason That’s Getting Harder to Believe

NATO is not collapsing, but it is changing: some of its most important members want the alliance's protection while keeping a freer hand outside...

3 days ago
USS Kingsville (LCS 36) points its bow toward the harbor at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division in California on a recent morning as the ship arrives from its homeport of San Diego. The Independence-variant littoral combat ship features a trimaran hull design, which allows it to reach speeds much greater than destroyers and cruisers, as well as to operate in shallower waters closer to shore. (U.S. Navy photo by Eric Parsons) USS Kingsville (LCS 36) points its bow toward the harbor at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division in California on a recent morning as the ship arrives from its homeport of San Diego. The Independence-variant littoral combat ship features a trimaran hull design, which allows it to reach speeds much greater than destroyers and cruisers, as well as to operate in shallower waters closer to shore. (U.S. Navy photo by Eric Parsons)

The Embassy

Trump’s Iran War Won’t Be Judged at the Signing Table — It’ll Be Judged Five Years From Now, on Four Things

When Trump's Iran war ends with a signed settlement, the verdicts will come fast — and most will be premature. The questions that actually...

4 days ago
Israel's Merkava IV tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons. Israel's Merkava IV tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The Embassy

A Bad Iran Deal and the Price of Credibility

The Iran Deal Won’t Buy America Security. It Will Cost It: Proponents of the emerging nuclear agreement with Iran have settled on a convenient...

4 days ago

Hermit Kingdom
Choe Hyon class from North Korea

Hermit Kingdom

North Korea Capsized Its New Destroyer on Live TV Before Kim Jong Un: Now It’s Building Warships Twice the Size

On May 21, 2025, a brand-new North Korean destroyer rolled over and partially capsized at its own launch ceremony — with Kim Jong Un...

16 hours ago
North Korean Military. Image Credit: Creative Commons. North Korean Military. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Hermit Kingdom

6,000 North Korean Soldiers Are Dead in Ukraine: Kim Jong Un Keeps Sending More

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...

March 27, 2026
Hwasong-17 North Korea ICBM. Image Credit: Creative Commons. Hwasong-17 North Korea ICBM. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Hermit Kingdom

Iran Has An ICBM Program: They Got it From North Korea

Summary and Key Points: Dr. Bruce E. Bechtol Jr., a political science professor and proliferation expert, evaluates the strategic partnership between Iran and North...

March 4, 2026
North Korea North Korea

Hermit Kingdom

North Korea’s Demand: Kim Jong Un Wants Trump To Recognize the Hermit Kingdom as a Nuclear Weapons State

Summary and Key Points: Reuben F. Johnson, a veteran defense technology analyst and Casimir Pulaski Foundation fellow, scrutinizes the Ninth Congress of the Workers’...

February 26, 2026