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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...

9 hours 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...

12 hours 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...

1 day ago
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...

1 day 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...

2 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...

5 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
USS Wasp

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The U.S. Marine Corps Has a Fleet of ‘Secret’ Aircraft Carrier

On paper, the Navy's Wasp-class ships are amphibious assault ships, built to land Marines, helicopters, and vehicles on a hostile shore. But load one...

14 minutes ago
Soviet Union Buran Space Shuttle Soviet Union Buran Space Shuttle

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

In November 1988 the Soviet Union flew its own space shuttle, Buran, into orbit and landed it completely on autopilot with no crew aboard — something NASA’s shuttle never did — and then flew it exactly once, because within three years the country that built it no longer existed.

In November 1988 the Soviet Union flew its own space shuttle. Buran reached orbit, circled the Earth twice, and landed itself completely on autopilot,...

34 minutes ago
USS Nimitz Aircraft Carrier Artist Rendering USS Nimitz Aircraft Carrier Artist Rendering

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The U.S. Navy’s USS Nimitz Nuclear Aircraft Carrier Might Have a Nuclear Fuel ‘Problem’ It Can’t Solve

Last week, the tried-and-true USS Nimitz aircraft carrier completed an important mission. The historic flat-top had been assigned to the Southern Command area of...

1 hour ago
DF-17 hypersonic missile from China. DF-17 hypersonic missile from China.

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

China Just Showed Off Its DF-17 Carrier-Killer Mach 10 Hypersonic Missile for the First Time, and the Message to America Was Clear

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...

4 hours ago

Trillions
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...

1 day ago
A German Air Force pilot, assigned to the German Air Force Weapons School, conducts strafing runs with an Eurofighter Typhoon in conjunction with U.S. Air Force Joint Terminal Attack Controller assigned to 2d Air Support Operations Squadron identifying targets on the ground at the 7th Army Training Command’s Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, June 9, 2021. (U.S. Army photo by Kevin Sterling Payne) A German Air Force pilot, assigned to the German Air Force Weapons School, conducts strafing runs with an Eurofighter Typhoon in conjunction with U.S. Air Force Joint Terminal Attack Controller assigned to 2d Air Support Operations Squadron identifying targets on the ground at the 7th Army Training Command’s Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, June 9, 2021. (U.S. Army photo by Kevin Sterling Payne)

Trillions - 19FortyFive

Germany Let Its Army Wither for 30 Years — Now It Wants to Become Europe’s Arsenal

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...

4 days ago
Dassault Rafale Fighter on the Tarmac Dassault Rafale Fighter on the Tarmac

Trillions - 19FortyFive

France Left Europe’s Joint Fighter Program to Build the Dassault Rafale Alone — and the Export Numbers Suggest It Was Right

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...

5 days ago
KC-390 Creative Commons Photo KC-390 Creative Commons Photo

Trillions - 19FortyFive

One Country at a Time, Embraer’s C-390 Is Displacing Lockheed’s C-130 — and It Just Won Greece

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...

June 15, 2026

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...

1 day 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...

6 days ago
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...

6 days ago
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...

6 days ago

Hermit Kingdom
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...

4 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
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
NATO F-35 Fighter

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

NATO Is Dead

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s disastrous Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance marks an inflection point for international security...

March 1, 2025