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A KC-46 Pegasus assigned to the 418th Flight Test Squadron, Global Reach Combined Test Force, refuels an F-22 Raptor assigned to the 411th Flight Test Squadron, Air Dominance Combined Test Force while an F-16 assigned to the 416th Flight Test Squadron, Airpower Foundations Combined Test Force, awaits a turn over the Mojave Desert on March 3, 2026. Partnerships between the Combined Test Forces at Edwards helps expedite critical capability for the warfighter by leveraging multiple program portfolios in tandem. In this scenario, the F-16 aircraft was operating as a target for key F-22 Raptor test points while the KC-46 was able to collect additional data for aerial refueling efforts. (Courtesy photo) A KC-46 Pegasus assigned to the 418th Flight Test Squadron, Global Reach Combined Test Force, refuels an F-22 Raptor assigned to the 411th Flight Test Squadron, Air Dominance Combined Test Force while an F-16 assigned to the 416th Flight Test Squadron, Airpower Foundations Combined Test Force, awaits a turn over the Mojave Desert on March 3, 2026. Partnerships between the Combined Test Forces at Edwards helps expedite critical capability for the warfighter by leveraging multiple program portfolios in tandem. In this scenario, the F-16 aircraft was operating as a target for key F-22 Raptor test points while the KC-46 was able to collect additional data for aerial refueling efforts. (Courtesy photo)

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The U.S. Air Force’s KC-46A Tanker Headache Might Finally Be Over

A new GAO report finds Boeing's KC-46A Pegasus has missed its availability and capability standards every year since 2019, leaving the Air Force dependent...

2 hours ago
Astute-Class Submarine

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

All Five of Britain’s Astute-Class Attack Submarines Are Stuck in Port at Once — While Russia Probes Its Waters

All five of Britain's Astute-class nuclear attack submarines are sidelined in port at once, awaiting maintenance the Royal Navy lacks the dry docks and...

2 days ago
PAK DA Russian Stealth Bomber

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

Russia’s PAK DA Was Supposed to Match the B-21 Raider. Leaked Documents Show It’s Still Not Even a Flying Prototype

Ukrainian-linked hackers obtained internal documents on Russia's PAK DA stealth bomber, Moscow's answer to the B-21 Raider. The files reveal a program still assembling...

2 days ago
J-20

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

China’s J-20 Mighty Dragon Stealth Fighter Can Carry 14 Missiles — and It Isn’t Hunting the F-22, It’s Hunting Tankers and AWACS

American analysts keep mirror-imaging China's J-20 as a rival dogfighter to the F-22. That's the wrong lens. The Mighty Dragon is evolving into a...

3 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
T-7 Red Hawk

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

Boeing Pulled Its T-7A Out of a U.S. Navy Jet-Trainer Contract — the Second Prime Contractor to Walk Away From the Program

Boeing has pulled its T-7A Red Hawk from the U.S. Navy's competition to replace the aging T-45 Goshawk trainer — the second prime contractor...

2 hours ago
A B-21 Raider is unveiled at Northrop Grumman’s manufacturing facility on Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, Dec. 2, 2022. The B-21 will be a long-range, highly survivable, penetrating strike stealth bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joshua M. Carroll) A B-21 Raider is unveiled at Northrop Grumman’s manufacturing facility on Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, Dec. 2, 2022. The B-21 will be a long-range, highly survivable, penetrating strike stealth bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joshua M. Carroll)

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The B-21 Raider Is Being Tested for Combat Before It’s Even Totally Finished — a Break From How America Builds Warplanes

The B-21 Just Cleared Another Major Milestone The B-21 Raider program continues to progress rapidly, and on June 11, Edwards Air Force Base confirmed...

11 hours ago
Iowa-Class U.S. Navy Battleships Flag Iowa-Class U.S. Navy Battleships Flag

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The U.S. Navy Wants 15 Nuclear-Powered Trump-Class Battleships by 2055. Congress Just Asked Whether It Can Build a Single One

The Navy wants 15 nuclear-powered Trump-class battleships — 40,000-ton arsenal ships armed with hypersonic missiles — with the first, USS Defiant, due by 2036....

12 hours ago
150903-N-SS390-354 FALLON, Nev. (Sept. 3, 2015) F-35C Lightning IIs, assigned to the Grim Reapers of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101, and an F/A-18E/F Super Hornets assigned to the Naval Aviation Warfighter Development Center (NAWDC) fly over Naval Air Station Fallon's (NASF) Range Training Complex. VFA 101, based out of Eglin Air Force Base, is conducting an F-35C cross-country visit to NASF. The purpose is to begin integration of F-35C with the Fallon Range Training Complex and work with NAWDC to refine tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) of F-35C as it integrates into the carrier air wing. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Cmdr. Darin Russell/Released) 150903-N-SS390-354 FALLON, Nev. (Sept. 3, 2015) F-35C Lightning IIs, assigned to the Grim Reapers of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101, and an F/A-18E/F Super Hornets assigned to the Naval Aviation Warfighter Development Center (NAWDC) fly over Naval Air Station Fallon's (NASF) Range Training Complex. VFA 101, based out of Eglin Air Force Base, is conducting an F-35C cross-country visit to NASF. The purpose is to begin integration of F-35C with the Fallon Range Training Complex and work with NAWDC to refine tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) of F-35C as it integrates into the carrier air wing. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Cmdr. Darin Russell/Released)

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The F-35C’s Engine Exhaust Totals 3,600°F — USS Gerald R. Ford’s Aircraft Carrier Flight Deck Would Melt Under Such Stress

The F-35C's engine exhaust reportedly hits 3,600°F — far hotter than the Ford's flight deck was built to take. So the $13 billion supercarrier...

12 hours ago

Trillions
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
An F-35 Lightning II assigned to the 62nd Fighter Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., sits in a hangar ahead of operations for the F-35 Lightning II TDY, Oct. 28, 2021, at Joint Base San Antonio-Kelly Field, Texas. The 62nd FS will be training with F-16s from the 149th Fighter Wing and the 301st Fighter Wing, along with T-38s from the 301st Fighter Wing. The multi-role capabilities of the F-35 allows them to perform missions which traditionally required numerous specialized aircraft. The complimentary air superiority capabilities of the F-35 will augment our air superiority fleet and ensure we continue to "own the skies" over future battlefields. (U.S. Air Force photo by Brian G. Rhodes) An F-35 Lightning II assigned to the 62nd Fighter Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., sits in a hangar ahead of operations for the F-35 Lightning II TDY, Oct. 28, 2021, at Joint Base San Antonio-Kelly Field, Texas. The 62nd FS will be training with F-16s from the 149th Fighter Wing and the 301st Fighter Wing, along with T-38s from the 301st Fighter Wing. The multi-role capabilities of the F-35 allows them to perform missions which traditionally required numerous specialized aircraft. The complimentary air superiority capabilities of the F-35 will augment our air superiority fleet and ensure we continue to "own the skies" over future battlefields. (U.S. Air Force photo by Brian G. Rhodes)

Trillions - 19FortyFive

Canada Was Going to Buy 88 F-35s — Today It’s Only Committed to 16 and Hedging on 14 More as Saab Pitches the Gripen Alternative

Canada committed in 2023 to buy 88 Lockheed Martin F-35A stealth fighters to replace its CF-18 fleet — today it has firmly committed to...

May 8, 2026
Russian Mobile ICBMs. Image Credit: Creative Commons. Russian Mobile ICBMs. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Trillions - 19FortyFive

Two Russian Military Satellites Just Maneuvered Within 10 Feet of Each Other in Orbit — at 17,000 MPH and Without Touching

Two classified Russian military satellites maintained a 10-foot gap in low Earth orbit on April 28, while traveling at 17,000 miles per hour. The...

May 7, 2026
A new study has uncovered a deeply troubling problem hidden in the world's network of undersea commercial tunnels: the rubber GINA gaskets that keep seawater from flooding through joints are degrading 35% faster than engineers originally predicted. Tested at Shijiazhuang Tiedao University, the gaskets lost a stunning 67.66% of their sealing force—raising urgent questions about the safety of vehicle and rail tunnels around the world. A new study has uncovered a deeply troubling problem hidden in the world's network of undersea commercial tunnels: the rubber GINA gaskets that keep seawater from flooding through joints are degrading 35% faster than engineers originally predicted. Tested at Shijiazhuang Tiedao University, the gaskets lost a stunning 67.66% of their sealing force—raising urgent questions about the safety of vehicle and rail tunnels around the world.

Trillions - 19FortyFive

‘Degrading 35 Percent Faster’: Special Rubber Used to Keep Undersea Tunnels Sealed Is Dissolving from Within Faster Than Engineers Predicted

A new study has uncovered a deeply troubling problem in the world’s network of undersea commercial tunnels: rubber GINA gaskets are degrading 35% faster...

May 5, 2026

The Embassy
Block IV Virginia-class Submarine. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The Embassy

The AUKUS Submarine Deal Just Changed, and Australia Is Getting Less Than It Was Promised — Because America Can’t Build Fast Enough

Under a revised AUKUS deal confirmed May 30, Australia will buy three secondhand Virginia-class submarines from the US Navy instead of the mix of...

11 hours ago
2/8/1982 President Reagan at a rally for Senator David Durenberger in Minneapolis Minnesota 2/8/1982 President Reagan at a rally for Senator David Durenberger in Minneapolis Minnesota

The Embassy

Quote of the Day By Ronald Reagan: ‘A Nuclear War Cannot Be Won, And Never Must Be Fought’

Summary and Key Points: At the 1985 Geneva Summit, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev issued a joint statement declaring that a...

May 26, 2026
Putin Russia Putin Russia

The Embassy

Putin’s Russia Looks Like It’s on Borrowed Time

On May 9, 2026, Russia held its annual Victory Day parade in Red Square. It was the shortest in the event’s history. Just 43...

May 11, 2026
USS Savannah (LCS 28) conducts a live-fire demonstration in the Eastern Pacific Ocean utilizing a containerized launching system that fired an SM-6 missile from the ship at a designated target. The exercise demonstrated the modularity and lethality of Littoral Combat Ships and the ability to successfully integrate a containerized weapons system to engage a surface target. The exercise will inform continued testing, evaluation and integration of containerized weapons systems on afloat platforms. USS Savannah (LCS 28) conducts a live-fire demonstration in the Eastern Pacific Ocean utilizing a containerized launching system that fired an SM-6 missile from the ship at a designated target. The exercise demonstrated the modularity and lethality of Littoral Combat Ships and the ability to successfully integrate a containerized weapons system to engage a surface target. The exercise will inform continued testing, evaluation and integration of containerized weapons systems on afloat platforms.

The Embassy

Every Missile Fired in Iran Is One the U.S. Can’t Use to Deter China

The U.S. war with Iran has now lasted more than two months. Pentagon munitions stockpiles are critically short. The Pentagon recently attempted to reclaim...

May 11, 2026

Hermit Kingdom
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
North Korean Military. Image Credit: Creative Commons. North Korean Military. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Hermit Kingdom

Korea Reunification Isn’t Coming—And Great-Power Politics Is Why

Korea’s Division Isn’t a Glitch Anymore. It’s a Feature of the New Order The division of Korea was always understood to be temporary. In...

February 2, 2026