The D Brief: Experts warn of war; Trump’s ‘state terror’; CNO’s upcoming instructions; China’s ‘full-stack’ defense-innovation cities; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• January 20, 2026

The D Brief: Lessons from Iraq; Trump’s Insurrection Act-threat; DIU seeks swarm controllers; Russia’s Starlink drones; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• January 16, 2026

The D Brief: US bombs ISIS in Syria; Iranian protests swell; Execs rebuff oil plan; Meet the Army’s dronemakers; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• January 12, 2026

The D Brief: Trump: ‘I don’t need international law’; Senate votes to limit Venezuela action; USAF consolidates PEOs; Marines’ own robot wingman; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• January 9, 2026

The D Brief: Post-Maduro moves; Europe unites over Greenland; Marines’ ‘hidden crisis’; Jan. 6, remembered; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• January 6, 2026

The D Brief: Trump threatens more countries after Maduro abduction; SCOTUS rejects Guard deployment; Nigerian-strike fallout; 2025 scorecard; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• January 5, 2026

Defense One Radio, Ep. 201: Conflicts to watch in 2026

CFR's Paul Stares unpacks the latest annual survey of foreign policy experts bracing for what might lie ahead.

• Ben Watson
• December 18, 2025

The D Brief: Trump rebrands housing subsidies as ‘bonus’; Venezuelan navy starts escorting tankers; SOF needs jamming ranges; Big arms sale to Taiwan; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• December 18, 2025

‘Make Europe Great Again’ and more from a longer version of the National Security Strategy

A fuller version reviewed by Defense One outlines the Trump administration’s plans for shedding old relationships and creating new ones.

• Meghann Myers
• December 9, 2025

The D Brief: Where troops are in DC; Warships to Venezuela; NSA data chief loses clearance; SecDef’s sprawling security; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• August 20, 2025

The D Brief: Fighter-jet builders strike; China’s rare-earth squeeze; Army’s huge IT contract; DHS signals more troop deployments; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• August 4, 2025

The D Brief: Trump joins Israel’s war; Results of Iran strikes unknown; World reacts; What happens next?; And a bit more.

• Bradley Peniston and Ben Watson
• June 23, 2025

The D Brief: Will US strike Iran?; China’s orbital gray zone; Army’s artillery production; Europe’s fighter-jet spat; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• June 18, 2025

The D Brief: COCOM noms; Mass 3D-printing in the field; Trump, Xi talk; The future of deception; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• June 5, 2025

The D Brief: Army’s runaway tank; Ukraine’s ‘long-range, remote combat’; Pyongyang confirms involvement; Trump’s natsec ‘emergencies’; And a bit more.

• Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston
• April 28, 2025

Shuttering of State office leaves US largely defenseless against foreign influence warfare, officials say

‘This is how we lose big wars,’ one former researcher said of the larger effort to eliminate or dismantle organizations that monitor and counter disinformation.

• Patrick Tucker
• April 17, 2025

The D Brief: Murky hiring freeze; Trump-tariff turmoil; Cuts for CISA; GOPer slams NSA firing; And a bit more.

• Bradley Peniston and Ben Watson
• April 7, 2025