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Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

Iran’s Next Military Arsenal Comes From China, Russia, and North Korea

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...

1 day ago
Leopard 2 Tank

The Embassy

Germany’s Army Is Rebooting for What Was Once Unthinkable: A War with Russia

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...

2 days ago
The Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) transit the Atlantic Ocean June 4, 2020, marking the first time a Ford-class and a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier operated together underway. Ford is underway conducting integrated air wing operations, and the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group remains at sea in the Atlantic as a certified carrier strike group force ready for tasking in order to protect the crew from the risks posed by COVID-19, following their successful deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Riley McDowell)

Trillions - 19FortyFive

Iran Doesn’t Need to Close the Strait of Hormuz. The Threat Is the Weapon

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...

2 days ago
Iran

The Embassy

The Flaw in JD Vance’s Iran Deal: The IAEA Only Inspects Declared Nuclear Sites

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...

3 days ago

Dr. Andrew A. Michta: Geostrategy
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

The Case for NATO: Leaving Europe Would Be a Serious Strategic Mistake for America

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...

3 days ago
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...

6 days ago
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) 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

Smart Bombs
Lavi Fighter and J-10 Fighter from China

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

Israel Built a Fighter to Rival the F-16. Then America, Which Had Paid for Most of It, Pressured Israel to Kill Its Own Jet

In the 1980s Israel built a fighter to rival the American F-16, the Lavi, and it flew beautifully. It never entered service. Washington had...

14 hours ago
KF-21 ROK Fighter Jet KF-21 ROK Fighter Jet

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

America Refused to Give South Korea Four Key Fighter Technologies. So Korea Built Them Itself, and Just Rolled Out the Jet to Prove It

When South Korea set out to build its first homegrown fighter, the United States refused to transfer four of the technologies it needed most,...

14 hours ago
NGAD Fighter via Lockheed Martin. NGAD Fighter via Lockheed Martin.

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

America’s $300,000,000 F-47 NGAD Fighter Has 1 Problem China Is Counting On: It May Not Be Able to Reach the Fight

America's sixth-generation F-47 may be the most advanced fighter ever built, and could cost up to $300 million each. But in a war over...

16 hours ago
F-8 Crusader U.S. Navy F-8 Crusader U.S. Navy

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

A U.S. Navy Pilot Was So Scared Landing on an Aircraft Carrier at Night That He Broke the Rules and Radioed “Talk to Me, I’m Scared.” The Reply Took 10 Years

Landing a jet on an aircraft carrier at night, on a pitching deck in bad weather, is something many Navy pilots say frightens them...

18 hours ago

Trillions
Army paratroopers assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Army Alaska, fire the M3 Multi-Role Anti-Armor Anti-Personnel Weapon System (MAAWS) during live-fire training at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Sept. 15, 2021. The MAAWS, also known as the Carl Gustaf, is a man-portable, reusable, breech-loading, 84 mm recoilless rifle capable of destroying armored targets up to 700 meters away. (U.S. Air Force photo by Alejandro Peña)

Trillions - 19FortyFive

The U.S. Spent $43,000,000 on a Single Gas Station in Afghanistan. It Should Have Cost $500,000

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...

15 hours ago
2024 Jeep Gladiator in Davenport, Florida. Photo taken by Harry J. Kazianis. 2024 Jeep Gladiator in Davenport, Florida. Photo taken by Harry J. Kazianis.

Trillions - 19FortyFive

My Wife and I Bought a 2024 Jeep Gladiator We Can’t Park in the Garage, Because It Might Catch Fire, and There’s No Fix Yet

A few days ago I learned my 2024 Jeep Gladiator is one of more than a million Wranglers and Gladiators that federal regulators say...

23 hours ago
SpaceX Launch SpaceX Image Handout SpaceX Launch SpaceX Image Handout

Trillions - 19FortyFive

SpaceX Was Built to Colonize Mars. Now It’s Going to the Moon Instead, and That May Be the Smarter Path to the Red Planet

SpaceX exists to put humans on Mars, so its shift toward the Moon looks like an admission that the Mars dream has stalled. It...

3 days ago
Artemis II Artemis II

Trillions - 19FortyFive

Artemis III: America Already Went to the Moon. It Has to Relearn Almost Everything to Go Back, and China Is Right Behind

America won the Moon race in 1969, then mothballed the rockets that got it there, leaving only disassembled Saturn Vs in museums. Now it...

3 days ago

The Embassy
Vladimir Putin 2017 New Year Address to the Nation. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The Embassy

Target Moscow: The Ukraine War Has Come Right to Putin’s Doorstep

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...

3 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) 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...

June 17, 2026
Putin Russia 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...

June 17, 2026
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...

June 17, 2026

Hermit Kingdom
KN-23 North Korean Missile Being Used in Ukraine War

Hermit Kingdom

KN-23: Russia Is Using North Korean Ballistic Missiles in the Ukraine War That Keep Getting Deadlier Every Passing Day

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...

24 hours ago
Choe Hyon class from North Korea 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...

6 days 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