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.***IranU.S. and Iranian negotiators gathered in Geneva on Feb. 17 for their second round of talks in less than a fortnight. There appears to be incremental progress around what a possible deal between Washington and Tehran should cover. However, the two sides remain far apart on fundamental aspects of a potential agreement.
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When Air Force E-3 Sentry aircraft arrived in the Middle East this week, it marked the latest chapter in a nearly 50-year flying history for the venerable jets.
Better known as AWACS, for Airborne Warning and Control System, the E-3s play a crucial role as eyes in the sky and command and control platforms for U.S. and allied aircrews in combat zones around the world.
But the AWACS is aging fast. The Air Force is down to 16 of the planes with an average age of 45.
The Army will soon have senior warrant officers bid against each other in an eBay-style auction for retention bonuses and six-year service commitments. Soldiers who agree to take a “minimum” bonus can cash in, while those who ask for larger ones will lose out, Army officials announced in a recent press release.
Dubbed the “Warrant Officer Retention Bonus Auction,” the system will debut in March, an Army official said Friday.
Summary and Key Points: Despite initial reports of high attrition and crew complaints, the deployment of 31 U.S. and 80 Australian M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine is now viewed as a strategic necessity.
-While approximately 27 of the first 31 U.S. tanks were damaged or destroyed, retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling has labeled many crew complaints as “BS,” attributing the losses to inexperience and a lack of combined-arms support. By early 2026, the initial “bellyaching” has largely subsided.
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Summary and Key Points: China’s H-20 stealth bomber is designed to menace the U.S. “unsinkable aircraft carrier” on Guam and potentially strike as far as Hawaii.
-With an estimated unrefueled range of 6,200 miles, the H-20 aims to rival the B-2 Spirit and the new B-21 Raider.
H-20 Bomber Mock Up. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-In response, the U.S. is implementing “Agile Combat Employment,” dispersing assets across Japan, the Philippines, and Australia to avoid a “Pearl Harbor” style knockout.
Rheinmetall has signed a contract with GDELS to supply turret systems for the German Army’s new Luchs 2 reconnaissance vehicle.
The Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence has concluded its Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) acquisition project.
For nearly 20 years, sailors have been wearing PT gear that features a distinctive gold shirt, but now the sun is setting on the Navy’s original physical fitness uniform.
Next year, the Navy plans to phase out the physical training uniform, or PTU, in favor of a newer one that was approved for wear in 2018, said Robert Carroll, branch head of Navy Uniform Matters and Emerging Issues.
The Heckler & Koch HK416 is a short-stroke, external piston assault rifle (yes, that’s a real word) famed for its durability and reliability. First pitched as a replacement for the M4 carbine after it experienced issues when pressed into hard combat, Big Army passed on the HK416 for the improved M4A1.
Also Read: This Marine Corps veteran codified the modern handgun shooting techniqueSpecial operations units, however, have more flexible funding.
The true theater of modern conflict isn’t found in the charred husks of Soviet-era tanks that litter Ukrainian landscapes, or the sleek, cold lines of an aircraft carrier barreling through the Persian Gulf; it’s humming inside a small, white, inconspicuous, plastic dish tucked neatly under a camouflage tarp in a Ukrainian foxhole.