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geopolitical · geopolitical

Missiles, drones, and maritime disruptions do not stop at national borders. Gulf defense architecture still too often waits for national permission to act. The Gulf Cooperation Council has spent decades building defense institutions, diplomatic forums, and a language of indivisible Gulf security. Recent crises in the Red Sea, the Strait of Hormuz, and the airspace above the Gulf have exposed a harder test: whether those institutions can move at crisis speed when a missile salvo, drone attack, or maritime disruption gives the region minutes or hours, not days, to respond.The Gulf has no shortage of capability. The region has advanced The post The Gulf Arab States Need a Shield Built for Limited Trust appeared first on War on the Rocks .

military · geopolitical

In late May 2026, South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back unveiled a roadmap to achieving one of Seoul’s top military acquisition goals: nuclear-powered submarines. This roadmap is heading in the wrong direction.During last month’s inaugural meeting of the Future Defense Strategy Committee, South Korea published its Basic Plan for the Development of Nuclear-Powered Submarines. Chaired by President Lee Jae Myung, the committee was formed to help South Korea build robust, self-reliant defense capabilities. During the event, Lee’s opening remarks underscored the symbolic significance of the nuclear submarine capability and stressed the program’s role in “strengthening the Republic of Korea’s defense The post South Korea Could Build Nuclear Submarines, But It Shouldn’t appeared first on War on the Rocks .

economic · economic

America’s defense industrial base cannot build the Navy out of the threat it faces. Decades of industry consolidation, persistent resource shortages, and inconsistent demand signals have delayed the production of critical vessels and munitions. With production bottlenecks stacking up, the Navy may have no choice but to let its allies do some of the building.Both the National Defense Strategy and Navy Warfighting Instructions highlight how mobilizing allies can field more forces to the mutual benefit of the United States and its strategic partners. Likewise, the latest U.S. Navy Shipbuilding Plan stresses the importance of allied investment and production.The Trump administration The post How Japan Could Co-Produce the Navy’s Future Fleet appeared first on War on the Rocks .

geopolitical · geopolitical

Welcome to The Ukraine Compass, a weekly digest of Ukrainian commentary and analysis from across the political spectrum only for War on the Rocks members. Each Monday, we bring you a curated selection of articles from Ukrainian media offering insight into how Ukrainians themselves debate the issues shaping their country.American coverage often narrows the view to the battlefield — these pieces widen it, revealing the texture of daily life, politics, and public argument in a nation at war. The perspectives gathered here are varied, candid, and often surprising, together forming a more complete picture of Ukraine as it really is.Frontline and StrategyОбозреватель — The post Can Bankova Muster Political Will to Make Institutional Reforms During War? appeared first on War on the Rocks .

social demographic · culture

Editor’s note: This is part of a running series of essays by Iskander Rehman, entitled “Applied History,” which seeks, through the study of the history of strategy and military operations, to better illuminate contemporary defense challenges.The fall of Singapore on February 15 stupefied the Prime Minister. How came 100,000 men … to hold up their hands to inferior numbers of Japanese? Though his mind had been gradually prepared for its fall, the surrender of the fortress stunned him. He felt it was a disgrace. It left a scar on his mind. One evening, months later, when he was sitting in The post The Fall of Fortress Singapore: Three Lessons from the Collapse of Britain’s Great Asian Bastion appeared first on War on the Rocks .

geopolitical · geopolitical

Editor’s Note: This is a new occasional series brought to you by War on the Rocks. If you would like to pitch your own version, please refer to the contact information and guidance on our submissions page.Every war, it seems, produces its famous novel, a book that captures not merely the tactics and the terrain but the moral weather of its time. The American Civil War gave us The Red Badge of Courage. World War I gave us All Quiet on the Western Front. World War II offered more competitors, as if the scale of the catastrophe demanded more witnesses; The post Three Short Tales on War Brad Carson Wants You to Read appeared first on War on the Rocks .

geopolitical · geopolitical

In early March, French President Emmanuel Macron stood at a windswept submarine base on the Breton coast and quietly buried four decades of French nuclear orthodoxy. The arsenal would grow. The numbers would be hidden. And for the first time, nuclear weapons that France built to defend Paris might one day be deployed to protect Berlin.Three simultaneous shifts — an increase of nuclear warheads; an end to transparency over the size of the force de frappe; and the launch of “advanced deterrence,” a framework offering European partners strategic dialogues, invitations to French nuclear exercises, and the potential forward basing of The post Macron’s Nuclear Gamble: Building a European Deterrent Faster Than French Politics Can Tear Down appeared first on War on the Rocks .

geopolitical · geopolitical

War is a brutal driver of medical innovation. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has forced clinicians and commanders alike to confront a hard truth: Survival depends not only on tactics and technology, but on the ability to deliver advanced care under fire, evacuate and resuscitate the wounded, and preserve fighting strength despite repeated attacks on healthcare systems.Ukraine’s experience has reshaped combat medicine through necessity, resilience, and improvisation. The central question is no longer whether NATO can observe these lessons, but whether it can build a system bold enough to capture, test, scale, and field them at wartime speed. The NATO The post Good Medicine Is Combat Power: Clinical Innovation and the Lessons of the Russo-Ukrainian War appeared first on War on the Rocks .

geopolitical · geopolitical

In 2024, Emilian Kavalski and Claris Diaz argued in “Beyond TikTok – The National Security Risks of Chinese Agricultural Drones” that the national debate over foreign social media platforms risked becoming too narrow, potentially causing Washington to overlook other foreign technologies embedded in critical systems. Two years later, we asked them to revisit their arguments.Image: MB-one via Wikimedia CommonsIn your 2024 article, you argued that TikTok’s data collection risks were overhyped and that fixating on them distracted the United States from more serious Chinese technology threats, like agricultural drones. Two years and several TikTok ban cycles later, has your view The post China’s Farm Drones: A Trojan Horse Washington Overlooks appeared first on War on the Rocks .

social demographic · sports

The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup is now well underway, bringing 48 countries’ teams to compete in a soccer tournament co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. With teams from every continent except Antarctica, the 2026 tournament is a truly global event. The World Cup is often hailed as an opportunity for the world to come together and celebrate a shared passion for “the beautiful game” — creating an opportunity every four years for countries to gain attention, shape their reputation, and build influence.Although the joint U.S.-Mexican-Canadian bid intended to demonstrate North American connections, relations have deteriorated since the The post The World Cup: Players Vie for Goals and Countries for Influence appeared first on War on the Rocks .

geopolitical · geopolitical

The Trump administration has not been kind to India. Nevertheless, India has responded with far greater equanimity than most observers expected. Predictions that President Donald Trump’s behavior will hurt U.S.-Indian relations have not come to pass, with the leaders of the two countries remaining in frequent and friendly conversation. Instead of retaliating, India has responded calmly, though the Indian government faces considerable domestic criticism. Despite continuing irritation with American behavior, India can be expected to maintain its two-decade course of seeking good relations with the United States.The reason is a simple one that is ignored by critics and analysts: India The post Why India Will Stick with America appeared first on War on the Rocks .

military · geopolitical

The amphibious invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, remains the largest and most complex amphibious operation in history. On the first day alone, Allied forces landed eight divisions, including five amphibious assault and three airborne, totaling roughly 160,000 personnel. That force more than doubled within days.Normandy was unprecedented in scale but not in kind. A Taiwan invasion would present the reverse problem: Taiwan’s size is not the unprecedented part — the operational challenges are. Analysis of a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan typically emphasizes the People’s Liberation Army’s rapid modernization and the possibility of strategic surprise. Far less attention The post The Three Nevers: To Invade Taiwan, China Would Have to Make Military History Thrice appeared first on War on the Rocks .

geopolitical · geopolitical

What can leaders do about a transnational organization that is a militia, a political party, a social services network, and a smuggling operation at the same time — and one that has resisted various dialogues and survived repeated attacks?American, Lebanese, and other leaders should recognize Hizballah’s hybrid, transnational nature and grapple with the unique challenges the organization creates. Otherwise, they will fail to resolve the Hizballah predicament while creating conditions for ineffective agreements, new wars, and squandered opportunities in the Levant.Meeting openly for the first time in decades, Lebanese and Israeli representatives have negotiated on security and political tracks while The post The Hizballah Predicament: Why An Integrated Approach Is Necessary appeared first on War on the Rocks .

social demographic · culture

In 1990, the idea that deployed commanders could access the latest intelligence from three-letter agencies in the middle of nowhere was radical. But the Army was starting to make this idea real through a program called Trojan Spirit, so they could address a major strategic barrier: There were too many systems and databases for intelligence collection and analysis, some centralized and some forward deployed, and little access to practical insights. During Operation Desert Storm, the early Trojan system transitioned out of development and into operational deployment. Trojan Spirit’s first introduction to warfighters during the Gulf War fundamentally changed the battlefield. The post Trojan Spirit, the Army’s Intelligence Backbone, Needs a Successor appeared first on War on the Rocks .

geopolitical · geopolitical

Last fall, the U.S. Marine Corps had virtually no first-person view attack drones. That’s changed quickly. This episode is about how a team of marines at Weapons Training Battalion at Quantico went from a cold start to building a Marine Corps-wide first-person view drone training system. Ryan was pleased to welcome some great marines onto the show: Col. Scott Cuomo, CWO5 Steve Pearsoll, CWO3 (Gunner) Troy Hotaling, GySgt Jude Stewart, GySgt Justin Creasman, and Sgt Timothy Brockup.Since we recorded this episode, Cuomo has changed command and is off to his next assignment.This episode was brought to you by Onebrief. Learn The post How a Team of Marines Built the Corps’ FPV Drone Training Program from a Cold Start appeared first on War on the Rocks .

geopolitical · geopolitical

Editor’s Note: Rewind and Reconnoiter is one of our weekly members-only newsletters. To access the full archive of Rewind and Reconnoiter as well as our other members-only content, including podcasts, newsletters, and exclusive access to the War on the Rocks app, sign up using the link in the graphic below.In 2025, Ofek Riemer, Daniel Wajner, and Ehud Eiran wrote, “Populists vs. Spies in Israel and Beyond,” where they argued that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s relationship with Israel’s intelligence agencies could have grave consequences for Israel’s democracy. A year later, we asked them to revisit their arguments.Image: U.S. Department of State via Wikimedia The post From Shin Bet to Mossad, Netanyahu Reshapes Israeli Intelligence appeared first on War on the Rocks .

military · geopolitical

During a recent conference on the People’s Liberation Army, I heard the same question posed to attendees and paper writers: “How would China react to U.S. force posture change X, Y, or Z?” or “How would the Chinese military respond to U.S. strikes in certain locations?” Having participated in dozens of unclassified wargames at the RAND Corporation and elsewhere, I hear a similar refrain when playing the “red team.”This is a reasonable and legitimate question. Policymakers and war planners should understand likely Chinese responses in studying and preparing for possible contingencies between China and the United States.To make well-grounded assessments The post The Blind Spots in Chinese Military Studies appeared first on War on the Rocks .

military · geopolitical

For many observers, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s speech on the future of NATO, delivered in Brussels on June 18, 2026, constituted a perfect example of how the Trump administration is angrily abandoning the longstanding U.S. commitment to European security. The prevailing picture is that the administration is eager to shift the burden of Europe’s defense and is thus moving to withdraw U.S. forces from the continent, even though Europe is moving to do more militarily. Hegseth stated, “we’re doubling down on our effort to make NATO what it always was supposed to be, a balanced alliance with Europe in The post Misguided and Misunderstood: Trump’s Approach to U.S. Troops in Europe appeared first on War on the Rocks .

geopolitical · geopolitical

Editor’s Note: Few rivalries in American history have been as consequential — or as personal — as the one between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. The two men could hardly have been more different. Adams, the stocky and combative Massachusetts lawyer, was blunt to a fault and quick to suspicion. Jefferson, the tall, elegant Virginia planter, was reserved and idealistic. The two held diverging political philosophies as well. Adams preferred a strong, central government while Jefferson favored states’ rights and limited government. This rift eventually led to an epic falling out, culminating in the presidential election of 1800, as Jefferson The post Happy 250th Birthday, America! appeared first on War on the Rocks .

military · geopolitical

What do you do when two identities that make up your deepest self find themselves on opposite sides of a moral and spiritual battlefield?I am Catholic. I have been one for over 20 years since I made the life-altering decision to join a friend for Mass one day. My faith became a spiritual and ethical foundation at a time I sorely needed it, so much so that for a time, I contemplated entering the priesthood, which replaced my previous career goal of entering the CIA. I eventually realized that teaching was my true calling and decided to pursue that path The post A Catholic Security Scholar’s Case for Responsible Military AI appeared first on War on the Rocks .

geopolitical · geopolitical

Welcome to The Ukraine Compass, a weekly digest of Ukrainian commentary and analysis from across the political spectrum only for War on the Rocks members. Each Monday, we bring you a curated selection of articles from Ukrainian media offering insight into how Ukrainians themselves debate the issues shaping their country.American coverage often narrows the view to the battlefield — these pieces widen it, revealing the texture of daily life, politics, and public argument in a nation at war. The perspectives gathered here are varied, candid, and often surprising, together forming a more complete picture of Ukraine as it really is.Frontline and StrategyЕспресо — The post Ukrainian Writers Take Aim at Government Narratives appeared first on War on the Rocks .

social demographic · culture

To sustain future maritime operations, the U.S military will need to run supplies through an environment that spans thousands of miles of open ocean, denied ports, contested straits, and archipelagic chokepoints against adversaries that have spent decades studying how to target American logistics. That problem does not require one identical vessel for every mission. It does require a more common family of watercraft for the manned ships that carry cargo and vehicles inside a theater, built for scale, interoperability, and wartime replacement. Getting this right is arguably the most important acquisition problem the joint force faces in the next decade.So The post Sinews of War at Sea: The Armed Services Need a Common Watercraft Family appeared first on War on the Rocks .

military · geopolitical

The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have exposed a strategic reality that military planners are only beginning to confront: In a data-centric age, digital infrastructure has become part of the battlespace. Data centers and cloud regions are now the digital backbone of military power and economic prosperity. As such, they present attractive targets for rapidly proliferating long-range strike systems, drones, and cyber capabilities. As the protective value of physical distance erodes, strategic depth — once conceived in geographical terms — must now be measured in the resilience of data and compute.Alex Rough detailed the physical vulnerability of data The post Gathering Clouds: Building Digital Strategic Depth in the Compute Age appeared first on War on the Rocks .

geopolitical · geopolitical

Numerous recent pirate attacks, especially the hijacking of three merchant vessels off the Horn of Africa, are a stark reminder that the conditions for resurgence can return quickly.It took years of sustained, coordinated effort by multinational naval coalitions, the shipping industry, and international organizations to get rid of pirates in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden. Since 2016, many observers have viewed Somali piracy as yesterday’s problem. Shipping companies increasingly treated the threat as manageable, and Western navies no longer prioritized it. However, piracy did not disappear, it simply went dormant. Somali piracy is now re-emerging amid The post Somali Pirates Are Back — But the Coalition That Beat Them Isn’t Coming appeared first on War on the Rocks .

military · geopolitical

The most produced American military aircraft of World War II was not a small fighter, a trainer, or a simple utility airplane — it was a complex four-engine heavy bomber called the B-24 Liberator. Over the course of five years, American industry produced a staggering 18,482 of these bombers, and they served in every theater of the war.The B-24 was a workhorse with strategic impact, but it would not have had its utility — or possibly even existed — were it not for its wing.Of course, all airplanes need a wing to fly. But the B-24 Liberator’s wing was special: The post The Davis Wing, the B-24 Liberator, and the Self-Made Bet That Paid Off appeared first on War on the Rocks .

geopolitical · geopolitical

In 2024, Allison Minor wrote, “Solving the Houthi Threat to Freedom of Navigation,” where she argued the international response to Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea has so far been inadequate and proposed a U.N.-led solution. Two years later, with global attention once again focused on maritime shipping activity, we asked Allison to review her arguments. Image: Petty Officer 1st Class Jonathan Word via DVIDSWhen you wrote about the Houthi threat in 2024, the activities in the Red Sea commanded high global attention. Two years on, that attention has largely shifted to the Strait of Hormuz. What has been The post A Fresh Look at the Houthi Threat to Maritime Shipping appeared first on War on the Rocks .

geopolitical

geopolitical · geopolitical

Locals at an anti-migrant protest wielded sticks in an attempt to evict suspected undocumented residents of Alexandra.

social demographic · culture

Spain, aiming to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2010, face Belgium in Friday's contest in Los Angeles.

social demographic · sports

Morocco came to the quarterfinal with high hopes and revenge on their minds, only to be met with the in-form team.