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USS Wisconsin Battleship US Navy Photo Creative Commons USS Wisconsin Battleship US Navy Photo Creative Commons

Aerospace & Defense

‘It Was an Industrial Site’: I Served Aboard 57,500-Ton Iowa-Class Battleship USS Wisconsin and She Is a Floating History Lesson for the US Navy in 2026

Dr. James Holmes, the last gunnery officer to fire a battleship's guns in anger, recalls USS Wisconsin's 1988 return from mothballs: parts scavenged from...

2 days ago
A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer assigned to the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., descends after conducting aerial refueling with a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 506th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron in support of Bomber Task Force 25-1 over the Pacific Ocean, Mar. 4, 2025. Bomber Task Force enhances readiness, to include joint and multilateral, to respond to any potential crisis or challenge in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Alec Carlberg)

Aerospace & Defense

What Iran and Ukraine Both Proved: A Middling Power Can Fight Forever and Gain Nothing

Iran and Russia have both demonstrated that a mediocre power can absorb enormous punishment without surrendering, and that doing so buys almost nothing strategically....

3 days ago
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Alexander Turner, 33rd Fighter Wing director of staff, soars over the flight line in an F-35A Lightning II at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, June 26, 2026. The F-35A Lightning II is a fifth-generation aircraft combining stealth and sensor fusion to increase combat capability for executing the mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Reagan Hardy)

Aerospace & Defense

Trump’s $24 Billion F-35 Stealth Fighter Sale to Saudi Arabia Won’t Solve the Houthi Problem

Reagan's AWACS package looked inflated in 1981 and nobody explained why. Nine years later, when Iraq invaded Kuwait, American forces flew into Saudi air...

3 days ago
The littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) arrives to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for a scheduled port visit. Fort Worth deployed for a scheduled 16-month rotational deployment to Singapore in support of the Navy's strategic rebalance to the Pacific. Fort Worth is the first littoral combat ship to deploy under the 3-2-1 manning concept, swapping fully trained crews roughly every four months and extending the littoral combat ship forward presence. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Diana Quinlan/Released)

Aerospace & Defense

The Littoral Combat Ship Should Serve as a Warning to the US Navy

The Navy commissioned USS Cleveland, the sixteenth and last Freedom-class littoral combat ship, on May 16. Ten weeks later it decommissioned USS Fort Worth...

5 days ago

Dr. Andrew A. Michta: Geostrategy
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
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

Aerospace & Defense
James Mattis US Marines Photo

Aerospace & Defense

23 Years Later, General James ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis and His Line on the Marines Is Still One of the Greatest Military Quotes in Armed Forces History

He was raised in Richland, Washington, in a house without a television, by a nuclear engineer who worked at the plant that supplied fissile...

9 hours ago
HMS Prince of Wales Royal Navy HMS Prince of Wales Royal Navy

Aerospace & Defense

The Royal Navy Has 2 65,000-Ton Queen Elizabeth-Class Aircraft Carriers That Crank Out 158,800 Horsepower Thanks to Rolls Royce Gas Turbines But Not All Is Well With These Warships

The Royal Navy's Queen-Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers do have some impressive states and can carry F-35B stealth fighters. But all is not well.

9 hours ago
M1 Abrams. Image Credit: Creative Commons. M1 Abrams. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Aerospace & Defense

The US Army’s M1 Abrams SEPv3 vs. Russia’s T-14 Armata: A Super Tank Showdown

Russia's T-14 Armata and the US Army's M1 Abrams SEPv3 are considered two of the best tanks on Earth in 2026. What does a...

10 hours ago
The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) leads a close formation of 42 ships and submarines from 15 international partner nations during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise 2014. Twenty-two nations, 49 ships, six submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC exercise from June 26 to Aug. 1, in and around the Hawaiian Islands. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2014 is the 24th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jacob Estes/Released) The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) leads a close formation of 42 ships and submarines from 15 international partner nations during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise 2014. Twenty-two nations, 49 ships, six submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC exercise from June 26 to Aug. 1, in and around the Hawaiian Islands. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2014 is the 24th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jacob Estes/Released)

Aerospace & Defense

100,000-Ton US Navy Nimitz-Class Nuclear Aircraft Carrier Returns to the Fleet, Critical Systems Upgraded to Boost Battle Readiness

The US Navy's Nimitz-class aircraft carriers are in big demand with the Iran war not exactly over and global tensions spiking. The fleet will...

13 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...

1 day ago
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...

7 days ago
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
Putin Russia

The Embassy

Putin Is Using Russia’s Election to Recruit for the War in Ukraine

The Duma is a rubber-stamp parliament and United Russia is not going to lose it. The election still matters to Putin, for two reasons...

4 days ago
Tu-160 Tu-160

The Embassy

‘They’re Playing With Fire’: A Russian Drone Struck 1.2 Miles From NATO’s Border, Beside a Train Carrying Former U.S. Intelligence Officials.

On the morning of September 14, a Russian drone exploded beside a train carrying delegates home from the Yalta European Strategy summit, about 1.2...

5 days ago
M109 Paladin M109 Paladin

The Embassy

Why Putin Still Believes He Is Winning in Ukraine: The Reporting Problem Inside Russia’s Command Structure

Russia's negotiating position has not shifted across eight visits to Moscow by Steve Witkoff, and Putin's precondition remains the whole of Donetsk oblast —...

6 days ago
President Zelensky of Ukraine. President Zelensky of Ukraine.

The Embassy

Ukraine’s Two Deficits: A $27 Billion Defense Shortfall and 140 Russian Ballistic Missiles a Month

Two shortfalls are converging on Ukraine before winter. The first is fiscal: a $27 billion defense funding gap, roughly $4 billion in European Union...

6 days ago

Hermit Kingdom
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...

6 days ago
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
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
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