Threats
Border Patrol agents kill VA nurse during protest
He was the third person shot recently by federal officers in Minnesota, where the Trump administration says they are conducting national-security operations.
Policy
Air Force revives a deployment concept used for the GWOT—with a few twists
Air Expeditionary Wing 2.0 is the latest move away from Biden-era attempts to orient the force toward China.
Policy
Space Force probably needs twice as many guardians, vice chief says
The service’s budget and constellation have doubled since its founding, Gen. Shawn Bratton noted.
Ideas
Defense One Radio, Ep. 202: The known perils of regime change
A scholar of civil wars warns against repeating the past mistakes from U.S. military interventions abroad.
Threats
As ICE becomes more violent, state and local officials struggle to fight back
They seek limits and accountability for the deadly immigration crackdown that the White House calls vital to national security.
Science & Tech
As combat evolves, leaders seek not ‘super-athletes’ but ‘human weapon systems’
The military wants to measure and build the ability to perform missions, not just do pushups.
Science & Tech
DOE seeks batteries with four times the juice
Six teams will get money to build manufacturable prototypes in two years.
Ideas
Bombing Iran would shore up its regime
External attacks stir up nationalism and redirect public anger outward, a “rally-around-the-flag” effect long documented by political scientists.
Threats
Russian hybrid warfare has become indistinguishable from politics
The war of realities in 2026 will determine the reality of war in 2027.
Ideas
Trump’s Greenland threat has already hurt US security—but far worse may come
A hostile takeover would shatter America’s key alliance, limit its military’s global reach, and invite economic reprisal.
Defense Systems
Army unveils new tank—five years early
Built largely of commercial parts, the first M1E3s will head out for testing this summer, the Army’s chief of staff said.
Business
Got an idea for reforming defense acquisition? The Pentagon’s all ears.
“We need radically different ideas,” says assistant defense secretary.
Policy
Where’s all that Golden Dome money going? Lawmakers want to know
Appropriations bill would give Pentagon two months to detail its spending on the sprawling missile-defense program.
Policy
Navy’s future fighter jet program revived in new funding bills
Appropriators bucked plans by the Navy, Pentagon, and the White House to freeze F/A-XX.
Policy