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military · geopolitical

The Lebanese state’s lack of effective sovereignty is a crucial problem in efforts to negotiate with Israel and disarm Hizballah. In response to intensified fighting between Israel and Hizballah, the United States began hosting talks between Israel and the Lebanese government in April. However, fighting has continued, and Hizballah recently rejected a proposed ceasefire deal.In 2025, in a historic move, the Lebanese government made plans for the Lebanese Armed Forces to disarm Hizballah. However, the military made slow progress, partly due to fears that more aggressive moves might splinter the Lebanese forces. Meanwhile, Israeli attacks have killed dozens of members The post How Can Lebanon’s Partners Help Strengthen the Lebanese Armed Forces? appeared first on War on the Rocks .

military · geopolitical

Winter Storm Uri ripped through Texas in January 2021. The frigid temperatures froze pipes, which then burst and caused flooding in aging barracks at Fort Hood, many of which were overdue for renovations and had vulnerable mechanical and utility systems. The burst pipes, damaged sprinkler systems, and frozen heating, ventilation, and air conditioning coils affected over 30 barracks, forcing soldiers to relocate and causing nearly $50 million in damage.According to the Department of Defense’s reporting, the United States owns and operates more than 700,000 facilities across nearly 5,000 sites at home and abroad. Much of this infrastructure is aging. Nearly The post Dusting a Dirt Road: How The United States Can Break the Cycle of Failing Military Infrastructure appeared first on War on the Rocks .

military · geopolitical

Washington is littered with the corpses of grand plans to restore the Merchant Marine. The Trump administration’s Maritime Action Plan is the latest attempt, and to its credit, the most comprehensive since World War II.The plan is the government’s blueprint to resurrect America’s commercial shipping and domestic shipbuilding industry. The goal is straightforward: build enough merchant ships and train enough civilian mariners to sustain the military through war, while cutting reliance on foreign supply chains in peace. With a $1.5 billion Maritime Security Trust Fund, Maritime Prosperity Zones, and fees on foreign-built vessels, it treats over a half-century of decline The post The Maritime Action Plan Needs a Yardstick: Enter the Mahan Ratio appeared first on War on the Rocks .

military · geopolitical

In 2022, Scott Sweetow wrote, “Of Roadside Bombs and Drones: Putin’s Looming Insurgency Problem,” where he argued Ukraine’s fight against Russia would rely on a combination of conventional and asymmetrical insurgent tactics. Four years of combat later, we asked Scott to revisit his arguments.Image: National Information Warfare Center PacificIn your 2022 article, you argued that Ukraine’s tech-driven resistance could rapidly evolve into an insurgency-style force. Four years in, how have those assessments held up? Could one argue that Ukraine today operates more like an insurgency in some respects than a conventional state military? Classic insurgencies pit asymmetric or guerrilla forces against organized, The post The Evolution of Ukraine’s Asymmetrical Combat Tactics 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 .

military · geopolitical

A single bribe nearly ruined a defense partnership most people didn’t know even existed. It took India and Italy almost a decade to recover.The story of how that rupture happened — and what it exposed about Italy’s quiet but deep role in India’s military — is essential to understanding why both countries now treat their renewed ties as something too valuable to lose again.When Indian authorities cancelled the AgustaWestland helicopter contract in 2014, the fallout went far beyond the headlines. Torpedo supplies to the Indian Navy’s Scorpène-class submarines froze, upgrades to over 20 Sea King helicopters stalled, and a naval The post Too Big To Break Again: India, Italy, and the Defense Partnership That Almost Wasn’t appeared first on War on the Rocks .

military · geopolitical

In the public perception, it seems like a big deal for Germany to publish a military strategy for the first time. But let me pour a little cold water on that. A form of military strategy has always existed. Where today we have a National Security Strategy paired with a military strategy and Plan for the Armed Forces, the past offered the White Paper, Defence Policy Guidelines, and the Bundeswehr concept, which spelled out the armed forces’ structure in more concrete terms. Yet even the new military strategy, released in late April, reads more as analysis than as a clear The post A Claim to Lead, a Hesitation to Act: Germany’s New Military Strategy appeared first on War on the Rocks .

military · geopolitical

In 2024, Paul Scharre and Michael Depp wrote, “Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear Stability,” where they argued integrating artificial intelligence into the nuclear chain of command presents both opportunities and risks. Two years later, as AI becomes increasingly integrated into military systems and processes, we asked them to revisit their arguments. Image: Senior Airman Jason Wiese via Wikimedia CommonsIn 2024, you argued that integrating artificial intelligence into the nuclear chain of command presents both opportunities and risks. Where does that integration stand today? Is nuclear AI a priority for the Department of Defense, or does it currently take a back seat The post Nuclear Stability in the Age of AI appeared first on War on the Rocks .

military · geopolitical

To understand how close Myanmar’s pro-democracy resistance came to victory last year — and how far it has slipped since — there is no sharper microcosm than the story of a Gen Z sniper. In April 2025, a female teenager, Anina, enraptured the world, her youth-driven “Spring Revolution” a vivid foil to the sclerotic forces of military dictator Min Aung Hlaing (officially called the Tatmadaw). When her unit captured the town of Falam, fortune seemed on the resistance’s side. Yet, a year later, regime troops stormed Anina’s hometown, a stunning blow to the resistance.Many observers had predicted the junta’s impending The post Misreading Myanmar’s War: Why the Junta’s Recent Gains Don’t Mean Imminent Victory appeared first on War on the Rocks .

military · geopolitical

Nuclear policy debates are at their best when they force hard questions about risk, deterrence, and military necessity. They are at their worst when disagreement is recast as bad faith. In 2018, as an outgrowth of a rigorous policy review process, the Trump administration’s Nuclear Posture Review identified a need for supplemental low-yield nuclear capabilities to augment the U.S. nuclear arsenal. This was presented as an effort to raise the nuclear threshold of adversaries who may believe they could employ nuclear weapons in limited ways to escalate their way out of failed or failing conventional conflict.To address this concern, the The post Not Imaginary: The Deterrence Gap is Real and America Needs Low-Yield Nukes appeared first on War on the Rocks .

military · geopolitical

The extent of China’s drone dominance — and how to decouple from it — has long been a source of debate and anxiety in Washington. Last month, the Wall Street Journal reignited controversy by publishing a visual analysis of military quadcopter components, exploring China’s advantages in parts manufacturing and cost. The director of the Defense Innovation Unit objected to the report, stating on X that “By leaving out the dozens of U.S. companies that have plunged into drone component manufacturing, this article disappoints.”Underlying this debate is disagreement about how to measure drone supply chain security. At the very top of The post At a Glance: American Quadcopter Component Manufacturing 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 .

military · geopolitical

This week on The Break Out, former Pentagon official Mara Karlin shares what she learned during a recent trip to Ukraine.

military · geopolitical

The BBC's Katy Watson explains why troops are training in remote Australia - a country not at war, thousands of kilometres from today's major conflicts.

military · geopolitical

Pakistan's military says it shot down four rudimentary drones and will respond to any further provocation.

military · geopolitical

Israel's 'kill first' strategy is now aimed at Turkey. Will the region respond? he US administration has signed two mutually contradictory deals to end its war on Iran . The power Israel lost to dictate the terms of peace on Iran , it has sought to regain in Lebanon . It was helped, enormously, by the Lebanese government, which signed away both sovereignty over its land and its duty to seek legal redress for the war crimes Israel has committed . Under the deal that US President Donald Trump signed with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Washington accepted an explicit link between Iran and Lebanon by agreeing to an “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon”. That commitment, if implemented, makes the second deal signed in Washington on Friday between representatives of the Lebanese, Israeli and US governments obsolete. This “framework” gives Israeli forces, occupying large swathes of southern Lebanon, indefinite leave to remain. Read more: Israel's 'kill first' strategy is now aimed at Turkey. Will the region respond?

military · geopolitical

US lawmakers push bill to halt $3.3bn in military aid to Israel Palestinian-American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib says she will support a bill seeking to block about $3.3bn in US military aid to Israel, before a vote expected later this week. “We should not spend another cent arming a military that is committing genocide in Palestine, ethnically cleansing Lebanon, and committing war crimes in Iran,” she wrote on X. “A majority of Americans and a supermajority of Democrats support ending military aid to Israel. It’s time their representatives listened.” Tlaib joins several other Democratic lawmakers who have said they will vote for the measure, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Greg Casar and Ilhan Omar. Republican Congressman Thomas Massie introduced the bill. The Kentucky lawmaker, who opposes US military interventions abroad, has also spoken against the war on Iran. Massie has drawn the anger of US President Donald Trump and lost his Republican House primary in May to a Trump-backed challenger. That contest became the most expensive US House primary race in history.

military · geopolitical

Trump administration yet to accept Iran school strike findings The Trump administration has not accepted direct responsibility for a strike on a school in Iran, The Associated Press reports. AP, citing a US official familiar with the matter, said Washington has also not formally accepted the findings of a Pentagon investigation into the bombing. The official said the US military has evidence showing that the school site was hit.

military · geopolitical

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukrainian weapons have struck an oil refinery in Russia's Ufa for the second time, referring to the strikes as "long-range sanctions". The refinery lies 1,300 km from the front line. He also said a Russian military-industrial complex facility in Penza Oblast has been hit.

military · geopolitical

Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba has urged the International Maritime Organization to recognise Russian vessels supporting Moscow's war effort as legitimate military targets.

military · geopolitical

A restored portrait has given a 93-year-old woman in central China an emotional reunion with the young husband she lost to war decades ago. Zhao Cuifen, from Liuyang in Hunan province, reportedly married Zhang Zhixin in the 1950s. Soon afterwards, Zhang enlisted in the army. In July 1953, as Korean war armistice talks were deadlocked, Kuomintang forces launched a major assault on Dongshan Island off southeastern China. People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops training in nearby cities were rushed...

military · geopolitical

It was the deadliest reported strike in the US-Israeli war against Iran, and most of the victims were children. Yet over four months since a US missile struck an Iranian primary school, there is no final accounting of what happened. The Trump administration has not directly accepted the blame, though the military possessed evidence almost immediately that the site had been struck, a US official with knowledge of the situation told Associated Press. Drawing from interviews with US officials,...

military · geopolitical

Fable and Mythos are coming back online. Leading US AI company Anthropic says the US Commerce Department has lifted export controls on the AI models, less than three weeks after the company was ordered to suspend access to them over national security risks. Washington has stepped up oversight of new ​model releases to identify potential ‌threats amid concerns that advanced AI models could be misused by military intelligence in China, Russia or other countries of ⁠concern.

military · geopolitical

Konstantin Kosachev emphasized that Russia and Belarus were part of the Union State and military allies

military · geopolitical

Trump could be confident his war in Iran would not touch the daily lives of most voters.

military · geopolitical

Besides “restoration of various Russian-made military equipment,” the Taliban regime may be keen on “Russian air defense systems” and “attack and surveillance drones” for use in conflicts with Pakistan.

military · geopolitical

Amid a simmering conflict with Pakistan, Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada approved the creation of a new 4,000-member military formation known as the Hebati Unit.

military · geopolitical

Su Mon Thant from ACLED talks about the military's mounting atrocities, and the Arakan Army's recent abuses against the Rohingya.

military · geopolitical

The right’s verdict is in: white, heterosexual, Christian men face the most discrimination in the US. The Giants don’t want to push back On 19 June, the New York Times published an article on the hostility toward minority members of the military at the Department of Defense and the blocking of several promotions of minority, non-male officers despite their decorations and accomplishments. The Times attributed the ideological climate to defense secretary Pete Hegseth, who, according to the newspaper, is waging a “war on diversity” . Four days earlier, California governor Gavin Newsom said that the Department of Justice was investigating him and his wife for alleged financial irregularities, adding to the speculation long held that Donald Trump’s administration would spend its second term weaponizing the government to settle scores. As Hegseth attacks race, gender and “diversity” through the military with the aim of restoring an unchallenged and unquestioned white, Christian leadership , and the justice department harasses Trump’s political opponents, the DoJ used the San Francisco Giants’ honoring of pride month to open yet another front in what the president sees as a culture war against white men. The Giants incurred additional damage, all of it embarrassingly self-inflicted. Their milky, cowardly response betrayed their own city, a large part of their fanbase and the organization’s history. Howard Bryant is the author of 11 books, including The Heritage: Black Athletes, A Divided America, and the Politics of Patriotism and Kings and Pawns: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America. Continue reading...

military · geopolitical

The Israeli military said on Sunday that it had killed a Hamas naval police commander and two other operatives in a strike in central Gaza over the weekend.