Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security
Synopsis: The B-52J bomber is meant to modernize America’s aging Stratofortress fleet with updated capabilities for standoff strikes, hypersonic weapons, and even “mothership” concepts...
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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...
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...
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...
The United States and Iran can probably keep the shooting stopped for 60 days — but only if neither side mistakes the pause for...
Iran: A War at the Wrong Time and Place: As the war in Iran continues and analysts debate how long it will last and...
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...
Key Points and Summary – The recent NATO summit in The Hague, where European allies agreed to a new 5% of GDP defense spending...
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...
Everyone remembers the F-86 and the MiG-15. Almost nobody remembers the Saab 29 Tunnan — the "Flying Barrel," a stocky Swedish fighter that, despite...
A missile bolted to a wing is a radar reflector that wrecks the F-35's stealth, so the jet carries its weapons in an internal...
In the 1960s France built Israel's air force and sold it the Mirage that won the Six-Day War. Then France embargoed Israel and kept...
Israel built the Merkava after Britain cut off its tanks, determined never to depend on a foreign supplier again. It became the symbol of...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
When Trump's Iran war ends with a signed settlement, the verdicts will come fast — and most will be premature. The questions that actually...
On May 21, 2025, a brand-new North Korean destroyer rolled over and partially capsized at its own launch ceremony — with Kim Jong Un...
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...
Summary and Key Points: Dr. Bruce E. Bechtol Jr., a political science professor and proliferation expert, evaluates the strategic partnership between Iran and North...
Summary and Key Points: Reuben F. Johnson, a veteran defense technology analyst and Casimir Pulaski Foundation fellow, scrutinizes the Ninth Congress of the Workers’...
Synopsis: The B-52J bomber is meant to modernize America’s aging Stratofortress fleet with updated capabilities for standoff strikes, hypersonic weapons, and even “mothership” concepts...
Summary and Key Points: The Montana-class was designed as the final and most powerful expression of U.S. battleship thinking: heavier armor, greater survivability, and...
Summary and Key Points: Canada’s long-paused F-35 plan may be shifting as Ottawa boosts defense spending and the Royal Canadian Air Force faces a...
Summary and Key Points: USS John F. Kennedy’s sea trials mark progress for the Navy’s Ford-class—but also spotlight how long new carriers take to...
Summary and Key Points: Russia’s Aerospace Forces are absorbing punishing losses of two premium combat aircraft—the Su-34 fighter-bomber and the Su-35 “Super Flanker”—raising questions...
