Chris Gordon, A&SF
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Jonathan K. Corrado, RealClearDefense
With a Corps of roughly 1,600 cadets, VMI is small by public-university standards. Yet its leadership output—particularly for the U.S.
NatDefense
Nearly one year after the Army announced through a sweeping transformation initiative it would end procurement of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, the Marine Corps is reaffirming…
Stars and Stripes
The Marine Corps will keep the M27 infantry automatic rifle as its standard service weapon rather than adopt the higher-caliber firearm being fielded by the Army, according…
Defense One
Pushing aging aircraft decades past their service life is the emerging service strategy.
The Indian Defence Ministry is considering the near term procurement of 40 Russian Su-57 fifth generation fighters to rapidly enhance the combat capabilities of the Air Force’s most capable frontline units, according to a report from the local NDTV TV channel. The report indicated that the procurement of the Su-57is seen as an important measure to strengthen the country’s ability to handle growing security challenges.
In the age of AI, the scarcest resource in headquarters is no longer time. It is, rather, the willingness to say no.Artificial intelligence is moving rapidly into military planning staffs because it compresses routine cognitive labor. AI excels at absorbing guidance, reorganizing complex material, and producing clear strategic language at speed. This feels like a qualitative advance, creating the impression that planning itself has become easier. But this impression misleads.
What changes when China’s leader finally states a reserve currency ambition explicitly? Xi Jinping has now done so, calling for the renminbi to attain global reserve currency status, not in a speech to foreign investors or at an international summit, but in Qiushi, the Chinese Communist Party’s flagship ideological journal.The language, drawn from a speech Xi delivered to senior regional officials in 2024, was published only recently. That timing is part of the signal. Qiushi is not a platform for trial balloons or external messaging.
It seems natural to assume that relentless pressure will force authoritarian leaders to yield, yet the opposite is often true. When survival is at stake, backing down can be more dangerous than standing firm. This counterintuitive logic has played out repeatedly in the Persian Gulf. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein refused to leave Kuwait in 1991 to avoid humiliation, defections and the threat of a coup. Today, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei faces a similar trap, as giving in to U.S. pressure could weaken his hold at home.
Chairman of the ruling Korean Workers’ Party Kim Jong Un has outlined plans for a major buildup of North Korean nuclear forces over the coming years five, as the country’s recent economic boom has fuelled speculation that financing for increases to defence spending has likely become much more readily available. The strategy has focused on strengthening and expanding the nuclear arsenal, operationalising new means of nuclear delivery, and embedding that arsenal into long-term defence policy.