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Rose Gottemoeller joined Ryan in Washington. They discussed how the West might think about relations with Russia once the war with Ukraine ends, as well as nuclear diplomacy and other critical issues. Gottemoeller was the deputy secretary general of NATO and, before that, served as a senior State Department official. She is currently at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University and has a new book out called Security Through Cooperation: Space, Nuclear Weapons, and US-Russia Relations after the Cold War (Stanford University Press).Image: Kremlin.

Sometimes, when I am lucky enough to give a lecture or speak to a group of folks interested in national security, I get the question: what got me interested in this field? Since I was a child, I have dragged history books (A World At Arms is my favorite) with me everywhere I went, and I have always been obsessed with military history. But the one thing that literally pushed me to change careers from the telecommunications industry in Rhode Island to a professional defense geek in a Washington, DC think tank back over a decade ago was one missile.

The latest flare-up between U.S. and Iranian forces underscores how the current “ceasefire” has so far failed to stop fighting between the two countries.
On Wednesday, U.S. forces intercepted five Iranian one-way attack drones launched near the Strait of Hormuz and “prevented a sixth drone launch from an Iranian ground control site in Bandar Abbas,” according to U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM.
CENTCOM’s carefully worded statement did not specify if the U.S. military had attacked the Iranian ground site. Nor did it include any information on how U.S.

We are so used to Vladimir Putin leading Russia that it rarely seems that there could be a different president someday. He has created a cult of personality, eliminated all opposition, and limited dissent so well that there is no reason to believe that even a violent coup could take him down. But he can’t live forever. There are usually reports discussing his various health issues, but these are often just internet rumors. Putin just keeps ticking.

He may also be hiding in an underground command center, fearing assassination from Ukrainian drone strikes. He is definitely a marked man.

Ukraine’s forces aim to build on its frontline progress by targeting Russian logistics along its operational depth at the rear.

Global oil markets are behaving as though the Strait of Hormuz crisis is not temporary, despite continued public optimism from the Trump administration about negotiations with Iran, and analysts warn that inventory drawdowns and rising summer fuel demand could bring global oil inventories to “minimum operational levels.

Americans tend to be thought of as gun-toting cowboys with a “big iron” on their hips. This might stem from the nostalgia of the “Wild West” that led to a boom of 1950s and 1960s Westerns in American pop culture. It might also stem from a romanticized version of the actual Wild West of the late 19th century.
Also Read: The Colt Detective Special was America’s concealed carry of choice through Vietnam
In fairness, the U.S. military has had a long-standing relationship with the classic six-shot revolver.

The U.S. Navy plans to fire Castelion’s Blackbeard hypersonic missile from an F/A-18 Super Hornet by 2027. Built by former SpaceX engineers, Blackbeard is a low-cost, Mach 5 weapon designed for high-volume production at a fraction of what Lockheed or Raytheon charge. The Navy has committed roughly $379 million through its MACE program, and the Army is eyeing a HIMARS-launched variant. If successful, the missile could help narrow America’s hypersonic gap with China.

The F/A-18 Super Hornet Goes Hypersonic 

U.S.

With the 2026 Midterms less than six months away, it is high time that the ruling Republican Party, generally, and the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) coalition, specifically, prepare itself for what is likely to be a decisive defeat at the polls in November.

That’s because the scion of the MAGA movement, President Donald J. Trump, initiated a deeply unpopular war of choice against the Islamic Republic of Iran on February 28.

This morning, I went on my hometown radio station, 99.7 WPRO, in Providence, Rhode Island, to talk about the war in Iran and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. Let’s just say I was not a fan favorite when I explained that we could soon be looking at $6.00 gasonline prices and a global oil shortage if the situation isn’t resolved soon.

Clearly, time is running out to avoid an energy shock; the American people aren’t feeling it in full just yet, thanks to the drawdown of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.