Cocaine Codfish: Lessons from the War on Drugs for Fighting Illegal Fishing
In late 2022, the refrigerated carrier vessel Sun Flower 7 set off from its homeport, claiming a route to the Federated States of Micronesia to rendezvous with tuna-fishing vessels. However, fisheries surveillance officers in the Marshall Islands detected suspicious behavior—suggesting…
You Go to War With the Industrial Base You Have, Not the Industrial Base You Want
In 1924, the U.S. Army Industrial College opened its doors to tackle the lessons learned from World War I, where mobilizing the American economy for war proved a serious challenge. Seventeen years later, the U.S. found itself embroiled in World…
Lessons Learned or Lessons Observed: The U.S. Navy’s Blind Spot in Mine Warfare
Since 1945, mines have been responsible for sinking or severely damaging 15 of the 19 U.S. ships lost in combat. Despite this sobering statistic, mine warfare remains an underdeveloped and often overlooked area of focus for the U.S. Navy. Meanwhile,…
Prime Time for Software: Reimagining the Future of Defense Acquisition
It may surprise some to learn that the captains of the U.S. Navy’s most advanced and expensive combat ships — aircraft carriers — are not surface warfare officers with years of command experience on other naval vessels. Instead, they are…
How the Ukraine War Accelerates U.S. Defense Strategy
In the world of defense strategy, the wisdom of prioritization is often emphasized. Frederick the Great once said, “Little minds try to defend everything at once, but sensible people look at the main point only; they parry the worst blows…
The Somme in the Sky: Lessons from the Russo-Ukrainian Air War
The conflict over Ukraine’s skies is eerily reminiscent of World War I’s Battle of the Somme. In those early days, fighters scrambled in the skies above Kyiv, but today, the air war has become a stalemate. Neither Russia nor Ukraine…
Breaking the Mannerheim Line: The Soviet Adaptation in the Finnish-Soviet Winter War
The 60th birthday of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin on December 21, 1939, marked a low point for the Red Army’s invasion of Finland. Just weeks earlier, Andrei Zhdanov, the party head of Leningrad, had optimistically promised to deliver Finland’s surrender…
A Game-Changer for Iran: Russian Mi-28 Attack Helicopters Poised for Delivery to the Revolutionary Guard Corps?
As Russia strengthens its ties with Iran across multiple domains, particularly in defense, a new speculation has surfaced: Iran may soon acquire Russian attack helicopters, potentially the Mi-28, to modernize its aging rotary-wing fleet. This move comes after the announcement…
U.S. Expands Arctic Defense with F-35 Stealth Deployment at Greenland’s Thule Air Base
The U.S. Air Force has marked a significant milestone with its first-ever deployment of F-35 stealth fighters to Thule Air Base in Greenland. This strategically located facility, situated 1,200 km north of the Arctic Circle, serves as the Pentagon’s northernmost…
Ukraine and the New Two-War Construct: The Future of U.S. Defense Strategy
How much security is enough security? During the Cold War, the answer seemed straightforward. The U.S. had one adversary: the Soviet Union. The goal was clear — deter and, if necessary, defeat. But the last three decades have shown that…
South Korean Special Forces: The Rogue Fighters Joining the Frontlines in Ukraine
Since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian War in February, military veterans from across the globe have found their way to Ukraine, some operating within the confines of official international support, while others have gone rogue to lend their aid to…
From My Balcony in Gaza: The Wailings of War Return
It began on a quiet Friday morning. I awoke to my younger brother’s frantic screams: “Fire! It’s insane! Fire!” I rushed out of bed, groggy from a large meal the night before. It was noon in Gaza, and I had…