Could you tell the difference between real war

Summary and Key Points: National security expert Harrison Kass analyzes the U.S. Navy’s decision to extend the service of USS Nimitz (CVN-68) until March 2027.

-As the lead ship of its class, the 51-year-old supercarrier is shifting homeports to Norfolk to begin a $96 million inactivation process at Newport News Shipbuilding.

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower conducts rudder turns during sea trials.

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower conducts rudder turns during sea trials. Dwight D.

Welcome to The Ukraine Compass, a weekly digest of Ukrainian commentary and analysis from across the political spectrum only for War on the Rocks members. Each Monday, we bring you a curated selection of articles from Ukrainian media offering insight into how Ukrainians themselves debate the issues shaping their country.American coverage often narrows the view to the battlefield — these pieces widen it, revealing the texture of daily life, politics, and public argument in a nation at war.

Summary and Key Points: National security columnist Steve Balestrieri analyzes the U.S. Army’s strategic cancellation of the M1A2 SEPv4 Abrams and the M10 Booker programs.

-Facing a “weight-gain crisis” where platforms reached a prohibitive 80-ton threshold, the Pentagon is pivoting to the M1E3.

Soldiers with 1st Battalion, 68th Armor regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division execute platoon live fire exercises Dec. 7, 2021, Fort Carson, Colorado.

Summary and Key Points: National security journalist Stephen Silver examines the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962, the definitive Cold War nuclear standoff. Initiated by the discovery of Soviet MRBMs and IRBMs in Cuba via U-2 surveillance, President John F. Kennedy implemented a naval “quarantine” to force the removal of offensive weapons. The crisis reached DEFCON 2 before a secret deal—brokered between Robert Kennedy and Anatoly Dobrynin—swapped the removal of Soviet missiles for the withdrawal of American Jupiter missiles from Turkey.

Summary and Key Points: National security columnist Steve Balestrieri examines the U.S. Army’s decision to bypass the AbramsX technology demonstrator in favor of the M1E3 Abrams upgrade.

-While General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) designed the AbramsX with a hybrid electric diesel engine, AI-driven targeting, and an unmanned turret, the Army prioritized logistical agility over high-tech complexity.

AbramsX Tank U.S. Army Image.

The Department of Defense released the names of the six airmen who died when their LC-135 Refueling plane crashed in western Iraq on Thursday. 
They are: Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Alabama; Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington.; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky, who were all assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing. Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Indiana.; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing.

Summary and Key Points: National security journalist Stephen Silver reports that the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) and Carrier Strike Group 10 have successfully completed their Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) as of March 5, 2026.

-Under the command of Rear Adm. Alexis Walker, the strike group is now certified for major combat operations, likely joining the USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East to attack Iran.

A U.S. Navy MH-60S Seahawk helicopter with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 9 transfers ammunition between aircraft carriers USS George H.W.

Editor’s Note: The USAF leadership has tried hard to get rid of the A-10, good thing they were not successful
The A-10 Thunderbolt II, known as the Warthog, has once again demonstrated its enduring utility, despite repeated retirement efforts by the U.S. Air Force. Originally engineered during the Cold War to counter massed Soviet armored formations in Central Europe—primarily through its GAU-8/A 30mm Avenger cannon and AGM-65 Maverick missiles—the platform has repeatedly adapted to evolving operational demands.

It’s not stealthy, it’s getting up there in years and it doesn’t have the payload of fifth-generation fighter jets. Despite that, the MQ-9 Reaper drone system isn’t going to the bone yard.
In fact, the Reaper is a reliable and frequently used weapon in the U.S. military’s arsenal, popping up among forward-deployed forces in conflict zones around the world. Most recently, the Pentagon revealed it was one of several airframes taking part in the war in Iran, or Operation Epic Fury, as the military calls it.

The dime is getting a new look for the 250th anniversary of the United States, and keen eyes have noticed the Mint dropped an important symbol of American power: the olive branch. Although it was released before Operation Epic Fury kicked off, new scrutiny comes at a time when many Americans are concerned about the U.S. military’s increasing foreign interventions.
Also Read: A Marine general led a fictional Iran against the US military—and won
American currency is big on symbolism.

Kris Osborn, Warrior Maven
Decades of proven power, the Tomahawk missile’s evolution now enables in-flight retargeting and destruction of moving targets, safeguarding naval dominance.

Bea Castañeda, The Defense Post
It’s not a plane built for airshows or dogfights — it’s a machine built to keep others flying longer, farther, and faster.

The Aviationist
A-10s armed with a mixed anti-air and anti-surface armament have been flying attack missions against insurgent groups aligned with the Iranian government in Iraq.

Mallory Shelbourne, USNI News
Big deck amphibious warship USS Tripoli (LHA-7) and its embarked Marines are heading to the Middle East as the U.S.

NextGenDef.
The US Army has taken a major step in expanding the reach of its long-range fires arsenal, completing the first flight test of the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) Increment 2.

This video describes the military situation in

Can the RAF win yet another championship or wil

The reigning champions enter the tournament to

Multiple sources have reported that strikes launched by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have destroyed a Untied Arab Emirates Air ForceSaab GlobalEye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system, which is one of the most high value military aircraft operated the the Middle East. The aircraft was targeted at Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi as part of a large scale drone attack on the facility. The base hosts air assets from the UAE Air Force, the U.S.

Latvia and Patria have finalised a life cycle support (LCS) agreement covering the Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) 6×6 vehicles operated by the Latvian National Armed Forces (LNAF).

Lockheed Martin has successfully conducted the initial flight test of the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) Increment 2, marking a significant step in the development of the US Army’s long-range strike capabilities.

At conferences, in pitch decks, and increasingly in public writing, “service” is increasingly being used to describe the work of startup founders, employees, and venture capital investors in defense technology. The claim, sometimes explicit, more often implied, is that building defense technology is itself a form of service comparable to uniformed military service.

After the Gulf War’s air campaign concluded in February 1991, U.S. commanders were confident that airpower had destroyed the bulk of Iraq’s Republican Guard before the ground offensive ever began. A subsequent General Accounting Office review found they were wrong and identified why. The Republican Guard was among the “least measurable” target categories in the entire campaign. About a third of reported F-117 strikes either lacked corroborating evidence or conflicted with other data, putting the probability of a successful F-117 strike between 41 and 60 percent.

Since the United States and Israel launched large scale attacks on Iran on February 28, the U.S. Armed Forces have expended highly value munitions on a wholly unprecedented scale, raising serious questions regarding the implications for the country’s future war fighting capabilities. Iran’s sustained air defence capability has limited the ability of hostile aircraft to operate deep inside its territory, with costly U.S. and Israeli unmanned aircraft such as the respective MQ-9 Reaper and Heron having suffered heavy losses when undertaking high risk operations far inside Iranian territory.

Churchill once demanded, “Take this pudding away — it has no theme!” U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle’s new Fighting Instructions presents a similar sort of dish.In November 2024, I argued in War on the Rocks that successive chiefs of naval operations developed a pattern of issuing strategic guidance that described aspirations but did not consistently impose the concrete direction necessary to guide naval force planning.

The French Air Force is suffering from an acute shortage of air-to-air missiles, due to extensive operations against Iranian drones in the Gulf region. According to the French paper La Tribune, the rapid depletion of ammunition has raised serious concerns regarding the further combat capability of the air force, with French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu having convened an urgent crisis meeting during which measures to replenish missile stocks were discussed.

The Republic of China Army has carried out a drone combat training exercise from March 10, during which personnel have operated immersive dronesfirst-person-view attack drones in a simulated urban battlefield to conduct precision strikes and bomb-dropping pursuit attacks. Units operating under the Army’s 58th Artillery Command were required to locate and engage simulated hostile forces operating inside buildings and vehicles, with military officials described the exercise as part of broader efforts to develop operational concepts for unmanned systems in urban combat environments.

Russian state sources have reported that Ukrainian authorities are using construction work as a cover for the recruitment of Colombian nationals for combat operations, citing documents found on the phone of Colombian military contractor Jose Luis Pocheco Navarra, who recently surrendered to Russian forces. The document is reported to have contained a request by the head of the Zaporozhye Region’s military administration, Ivan Fyodorov, that Colombian citizens be engaged in construction and restoration works in the region.

Earlier this month, KTLA TV news in Los Angeles reported on the tearing down of a Vietnam War wall memorial in Fountain Valley in Orange County, California.
KTLA reporter Chip Rost said, “It was torn down before ever being opened to the public.”
One million dollars was designated by the city.
“It is now part of disgraced, former County Supervisor Andrew Do’s legacy,” reported Rost.
Andrew Do was behind the project, and he was convicted in 2024 in a bribery case.

How Administrative Power Replaces Accountability in Today’s Military

Public Domain

There is a moment in institutional life when a name stops functioning as an identity and begins functioning as a narrative.
Inside large hierarchical organizations—especially the military—individuals can sometimes become symbols of problems the institution feels compelled to resolve. A service member’s name becomes shorthand for controversy, disruption, or risk. Once that shift occurs, the individual is no longer evaluated solely as a person whose conduct must be examined.

Summary and Key Points: National security analyst Stephen Silver evaluates the operational status of the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) following a March 12, 2026, laundry room fire in the Red Sea.

-Currently supporting Operation Epic Fury near Saudi Arabia, the carrier is on track for a historic 11-month deployment, nearing the 332-day record set by the USS Midway during the Vietnam War.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) sails alongside the world’s largest aircraft carrier the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), Sep. 24, 2025. Winston S.

L Todd Wood talks for former USAF fighter pilot Brent Beecham on the recent mid-air collision resulting in the death of 6 airman in Iraq.
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This video describes the military situation in

The Trump administration is launching a new plan to initiate legal guardianship proceedings for hundreds of the “most vulnerable” veterans in the country. 
The administration announced the move on Wednesday, saying that the Department of Justice and Department of Veterans Affairs agreed to a plan that would see VA attorneys appointed as special assistant U.S. attorneys, allowing them to start and participate in state court conservatorship and guardianship proceedings, according to joint releases from the department.

Summary and Key Points: Defense technology analyst Reuben F. Johnson evaluates the “most dangerous job on earth”: the Iranian Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL) crews.

-Amidst Operation Epic Fury, allied reconnaissance drones and satellites have reduced Iranian ballistic missile launches by 90%, according to CENTCOM Admiral Brad Cooper.

Iran Missiles. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

-The IRGC operates from hardened “missile cities,” yet the transition from tunnel cover to firing sites has become a lethal bottleneck.

Israel’s Nuclear Weapons Have One Job: Survival
Key Points and Summary
-Defense expert Harrison Kass evaluates Israel and its nuclear arsenal, arguing its primary function is an existential hedge rather than conventional war-fighting.

-Shaped by the legacy of the Holocaust and the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the Jewish state’s doctrine focuses on survival insurance.

F-15I Fighter Israeli Air Force. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

F-35I Adir Fighter. Image Credit: Israeli Air Force.

F-16I from Israeli Air Force. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Summary and Key Points: Defense expert Harrison Kass evaluates the Eurofighter Typhoon, a multinational delta-wing platform designed for high-maneuverability air combat.

-Despite the shift toward stealth networking, the Typhoon maintains relevance through Block 4 upgrades, including Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar and the Meteor long-range missile.

Eurofighter Typhoon Upgrade. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Eurofighter Typhoon Fighter Training. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Summary and Key Points: National security expert Steve Balestrieri evaluates the M2/M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV), documenting its trajectory from the 1960s MICV program to its 2026 deployment in Ukraine.

-Equipped with a 25mm Bushmaster chain gun and BGM-71 TOW missiles, the Bradley famously neutralized more Iraqi T-72 armor during Operation Desert Storm than the M1 Abrams.

Troopers with 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division firing the 25mm canon on a Bradley fighting vehicle in order to zero the vehicles weapons systems at a range in Poland.

Summary and Key Points: Senior Defense Editor Christian D. Orr analyzes the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-31 “Foxhound,” a supersonic interceptor that evolved from the MiG-25 “Foxbat.”

-Powered by dual Soloviev D-30F6 afterburning turbofans, the Foxhound achieves a maximum speed of Mach 2.83.

MiG-31 Russian Air Force. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

MiG-31 Flying High Russian Air Force. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

-Orr highlights the aircraft’s pioneering phased-array radar, which provides essential look-down/shoot-down capabilities for all-weather engagements.

Summary and Key Points: Defense Analyst Jack Buckby breaks down how Russia is touting its MiG-41 (PAK-DP) as a revolutionary sixth-generation interceptor capable of exceeding Mach 4 and operating in near-space to down hypersonic missiles.

-While officials claim the design is finalized and a prototype is imminent, significant skepticism remains. The aircraft follows a long tradition of high-speed interceptors like the MiG-31, yet the technical demands of Mach-4 flight are immense.

MiG-41 Artist Drawings Compilation. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

MiG-41 Artist Rendering.

This week, 82nd Airborne veteran Jack Piatt could go home with an Academy Award, the film industry’s most coveted honor, and one of the most prestigious awards in entertainment. His work combines the storytelling of a Russian realist from the 1800s and the talents of internet viral video performers to create an innovative and visually stunning ensemble that’s hard to forget.

All eyes are on the war in Iran, and many Americans are wondering what will happen next? Could this conflict expand? Could this lead to a wider war? Should we be worried about the threat of a nuclear weapon or a dirty bomb or a bio weapon?
If you are worried, it appears you aren’t alone.

Summary and Key Points: National security expert Steve Balestrieri evaluates the M1 Abrams and its M256 120mm smoothbore cannon, specifically the use of Depleted Uranium (DU) ammunition.

-Known as the “Silver Bullet,” rounds like the M829A4 utilize Armor-Piercing, Fin-Stabilized, Discarding Sabot (APFSDS-T) technology to defeat third-generation Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA).

An M1A1 Abrams tank from 1st Tank Battalion, 3rd Marines, maneuvers before a live fire assault at Shoalwater Bay Training Area, Queensland, Australia, on May 25, 2001 for Exercise Tandem Thrust 2001.

Summary and Key Points: Defense expert Dr. Brent M. Eastwood evaluates the Tomahawk cruise missile supply chain during the 2026 Iran conflict.

-With over 400 missiles fired in the first 72 hours of Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. Navy is facing a strategic “magazine depth” crisis.

Tomahawk Block IV Missile. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Tomahawk Launch. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

-This report analyzes the RTX (Raytheon) framework agreement to surge production to 1,000 units per year to counter the “Kinetic Missile Fight.

On Mar. 13, 2026, a gunman opened fire on a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps classroom at Virginia’s Old Dominion University. He chose the wrong classroom to start a murderous rampage. Within moments, the cadets turned on the shooter and killed him. The incident left one victim fatally shot by the gunman, with two more wounded. 
The cadets rushed the gunman, piled on to him, and disarmed him before fatally stabbing the attacker to death. He was dead before the 911 call was placed. By the time police entered the room, only 10 minutes had elapsed.

This video describes the military situation in

For the first time in 2026, the Armed Forces Ra

The Department of Defense released the names of the six airmen who died when their LC-135 Refueling plane crashed in western Iraq on Thursday. 
They are: Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Alabama; Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington.; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky, who were all assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing. Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Indiana.; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing.

North Korean shipyards have overtaken those of the United States in the construction of ocean-going surface combat ships, with the shipbuilding industry having launched two destroyers in 2025, and scheduled to launch two more every year for the next five years under the next Five Year Plan, bringing total numbers in the water to 12 by the end of 2030. The U.S., by contrast, has been building Arleigh Burke class destroyers at rates of just 1.6 per year. While the contraction in U.S.