The D Brief: US hits 70 ISIS targets; Another tanker seized; Army seeks common C-UAS controller; More firms cleared for Golden Dome work; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• December 22, 2025

The D Brief: 3 Americans killed in Syria; Ukraine peace talks; Germany on Russian sabotage; Scharre on AI in war; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• December 15, 2025

The D Brief: US strikes in Somalia; UAE seeks DOGE’d DOD workers; Trump-Putin talks fall flat; Genius Machines on Thursday; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Patrick Tucker
• May 20, 2025

The D Brief: Strikes in Yemen; Border destroyer; DOGE vs. nuclear-security agency; ‘Buy Europe’ campaign; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• March 17, 2025

The D Brief: Congress, DOGE seek DOD cuts; US, Russia warm ties in talks; US drones over Mexico; Nuke-stockpile workers fired, rehired; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson, Bradley Peniston and Meghann Myers
• February 18, 2025

The D Brief: Anti-ISIS ops continue; How sanctioned oil flows; DOD red-teams AI; Protecting undersea cables; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• January 7, 2025

Lone-wolf attacks have become a hallmark of post-caliphate ISIS

The group's propaganda inspired the New Orleans attack, which proceeded without direct operational support.

• Sara Harmouch, The Conversation
• January 3, 2025

The D Brief: NOLA attacker acted alone, FBI says; China’s new jets; Cyber breaches hint at what’s next; US Steel sale blocked; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson, Bradley Peniston and Audrey Decker
• January 3, 2025

The D Brief: New Orleans attack; US, Israeli strikes in Yemen; Africa’s ‘new era of war’; What drove Afghanistan lies?; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson, Bradley Peniston and Meghann Myers
• January 2, 2025

The D Brief: Troops’ pay in jeopardy; CENTCOM’s Syria surge; Army to cut 5% of generals; USAF may trim F-35 buy; And a bit more.

• Bradley Peniston and Ben Watson
• December 20, 2024

The D Brief: Russian general slain in Moscow; Ukraine engages N. Korean troops; China’s wartime lessons; First Okinawa Marines move to Guam; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• December 17, 2024

The D Brief: What’s next for Syria?; Defense-policy bill unveiled; New counter-UAV strategy; Some GOPers unsold on Hegseth; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• December 9, 2024

US strikes ISIS in Syria as Assad regime falls

“The future here will be written by Syrians,” a White House official told reporters.

• Patrick Tucker
• December 8, 2024

The D Brief: Ceasefire pact in Lebanon; US strike in Syria; New SecNav tapped; Space execs’ pleas to NATO; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• November 27, 2024

Defense One Radio, Ep. 166: The Second Battle of Fallujah, 20 years later

A decorated Marine veteran and a videogame maker revisit the bloodiest battle of the Iraq War.

• Ben Watson
• November 7, 2024

The D Brief: A shipyard death; Another F-35 delay?; US troops wounded in Iraq; New era of ‘total war’; And a bit more.

• Bradley Peniston and Ben Watson
• October 23, 2024

The D Brief: US troops to Mideast; Navy oiler aground; US sets date for Iraq exit?; Dueling robot wingmen; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• September 24, 2024