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War On The Rocks
Assessing Ukraine’s Prospects in 2025
Mike Kofman joined Ryan for a wide-ranging conversation on the challenges faced by both Ukraine and Russia this year. They discuss losses on both sides, manpower challenges, the importance of following the discourse in Ukraine, the Russian…
An Early, Easy, and Essential Win for Trump on Defense Acquisitions Is Within Reach
A defense tech CEO shared a memorable insight with me over coffee last year: “Selling to government is like fighting a toddler.” Just as a toddler needs food and sleep to survive and thrive, the Defense Department has clear requirements for…
Don’t Protect the U.S. Merchant Marine — Promote It
It is no secret that the American commercial shipbuilding industry is struggling. The U.S. Merchant Marine fleet is small, aging, and will be unable to provide the U.S. military with significant additional sealift capability during wartime.…
How Iran Lost Before It Lost: The Roll Back of Its Gray Zone Strategy
“Today, you can get in a car in Tehran and get out in the Dahia, Beirut.” Five years and two months after Gen. Qasem Soleimani made this statement, the Islamic Republic of Iran is in retreat. Iran’s air and ground lines of supply to Lebanon…
The Adversarial: Deepening Connections
<!-- category --> January 23, 2025 Welcome to The Adversarial. Every other week, we’ll provide you with expert analysis on America’s greatest challengers: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and jihadists. Read more below.…
Will Trump Focus on the Western Hemisphere?
Chris, Zack, and Melanie got together to talk about the second Trump administration’s agenda in the Western Hemisphere. What interests does the United States have in Latin America? Should the United States be pushing back on China’s…
Start Making Sense: Strategy and Grand Strategy in the Trump Administration
As he has told us many times, Donald Trump knows a lot about winning. But for all we know about the man and his methods, we still don’t know how he thinks about winning wars. Trump bellows and blusters, but we don’t know how he would lead…
Rewind and Reconnoiter: Europe’s Security Depends on Itself
<!-- category --> January 22, 2025 In 2018 , James Goldgeier wrote “Less Whole, Less Free, Less at Peace: Whither America’s Strategy for a Post-Cold War Europe?” where he argued the United States should reconceptualize its…
Why Britain Should Scupper the Chagos Islands Deal
The British government’s negotiation with the Republic of Mauritius to cede the Chagos Islands has been a mess. At time of writing, expectations of an imminent agreement (or rather re-agreement, as the United Kingdom already…
In Brief: How Key European States Will Approach Ukraine in 2025
A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep on a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand…
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