Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security
Synopsis: New long-distance video posted January 30 shows a fourth J-36 prototype in flight—another signal the program is cycling through prototypes at an unusually...
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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...
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...
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...
America won the Moon race in 1969, then mothballed the rockets that got it there, leaving only disassembled Saturn Vs in museums. Now it...
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...
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...
For the first time, China has released footage of its DF-17 hypersonic missile launching, filmed during a desert exercise simulating waves of strikes. Flying...
Commissioned in 2009, the USS George H.W. Bush was the last Nimitz-class carrier the United States ever built, and she isn't quite like the...
Newly revealed footage shows the damage from a fire that tore through the USS Gerald R. Ford, the most expensive warship ever built. What...
After two decades of upgrade packages, the M1 Abrams had ballooned to nearly 80 tons, so heavy it strained bridges and logistics, and so...
SpaceX exists to put humans on Mars, so its shift toward the Moon looks like an admission that the Mars dream has stalled. It...
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...
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...
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...
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: New long-distance video posted January 30 shows a fourth J-36 prototype in flight—another signal the program is cycling through prototypes at an unusually...
Synopsis: The U.S. Navy faces a critical misalignment: it remains organized around the supercarrier—a massive, highly visible platform designed for presence—despite modern maritime warfare...
Summary and Key Points: In May 2005, the US Navy conducted a controversial “SINKEX” operation, intentionally sinking the decommissioned USS America (CV-66) off the...
Synopsis: The Imperial Japanese Navy battleship Musashi—sister ship to Yamato—was among the largest warships ever built, displacing about 73,000 tons and mounting 18.1-inch guns...
Synopsis: Russia’s post-Soviet arms exports to China were a pragmatic bargain: Moscow needed hard currency and industrial survival, while Beijing needed a rapid modernization...
