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War On The Rocks
Rewind and Reconnoiter: How Likely Is an Invasion of Taiwan?
<!-- category --> February 12, 2025 In 2024, Amanda Hsiao wrote “A Post-Election Risk Assessment for the Taiwan Strait,” which assessed relations and policies between Taipei, Beijing, and Washington ahead of the 2024 Taiwanese…
Transforming NATO for the Future Fight
Will NATO be able to innovate and adapt before a crisis? Adm. Pierre Vandier popped into War on the Rocks HQ for a most interesting chat about this very question. He serves as Supreme Allied Commander…
New Blood: Putin is Setting Up Russian Veterans to Take Center Stage in Moscow
As the battlefields of Ukraine are covered in the blood of young men, the halls of the Kremlin may soon play host to an infusion of young blood, hardened and shaped by their time on the front lines. Meanwhile, Russian towns and villages…
In Brief: How the Trump Administration Can Address Military Recruitment Challenges
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 it.…
How to Get the Most Out of the U.S.-Indian Defense Partnership
Upon taking office, President Donald Trump threatened reciprocal duties against “tariff king” India, sent a cargo plane of undocumented migrants back to India, and cancelled a sanctions waiver for an Indian port. This may not seem…
Software-Defined Warships: The Navy’s Digital Future of Necessity
In 2024, U.S. Navy warships received their first ever over-the-air software updates in combat. In the Red Sea, these upgrades improved the Aegis combat systems’ capabilities against cruise and ballistic missile attacks by Houthi…
How Can We Measure if Defense Innovation Works?
The Pentagon still lacks clear ways to measure if the organizations charged with innovation in the Department of Defense actually work.
In 1964, the federal government funded 67 percent of research and development in the United States. By…
Rolling Back Naval Forward Presence Will Strengthen American Deterrence
Decades of global policing and crisis response have taken a toll on the U.S. Navy. If the United States wishes to deter China, Beijing must believe Washington can fight a sustained, brutal war, one in which the U.S. Navy can take major…
The Adversarial: Adapting to Changes in Washington and on the Ground
<!-- category --> February 6, 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.…
Risky Business: Assessing Risk to U.S. Strategy
The Net Assessment team discusses Frank Hoffman’s recent Joint Force Quarterly article about risk. They share concerns about the challenges that U.S. policymakers face in evaluating risk in a structured way. But they also fear that the…
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