Defense and Security

Military affairs, intelligence, cybersecurity, and the defense industry.

Witkoff Is in Muscat for the Third Round of Iran Talks

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Muscat on Sunday morning aboard a commercial Emirates flight from Dubai, joining Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a city where the Sultan's protocol forbids public confirmation of negotiations until both sides authorize disclosure, and where the substantive work of the third round of indirect U.S.-Iran talks has now begun under conditions that neither government would publicly acknowledge for several days.

May 4, 2026 · 7 min read

Russia Vetoes the UN Resolution on Hormuz Freedom of Navigation. China Abstains.

The Security Council split 13-1-1 on a U.S.-British text affirming international rights of transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a result that delivered the expected Russian veto but produced the more interesting story in Beijing's decision not to join Moscow on a resolution targeted directly at American policy.

April 29, 2026 · 5 min read

Trump Cancels the Islamabad Trip. 'You're Not Making Any More 18-Hour Flights to Talk About Nothing.'

Iran's foreign minister left Pakistan before talks began. Trump told Fox News he pulled Witkoff and Kushner back. The Navy has now turned back 37 ships. Both sides say the other must move first.

April 25, 2026 · 3 min read

Hegseth Says the Blockade Is 'Growing and Going Global.' Talks May Resume This Weekend.

The defense secretary told reporters the Navy has turned back 34 ships from Iranian ports. Iran's foreign minister is headed to Pakistan for a potential new round of negotiations. Oil is back above $105.

April 24, 2026 · 3 min read

The U.S. Navy Has Turned Back 27 Ships From Iranian Ports. Tehran Calls It an Act of War.

The American naval blockade of Iran's ports operates alongside a ceasefire that both sides claim the other is violating. Washington says the blockade enforces sanctions. Tehran says it is economic warfare. The IRGC has seized two ships in response.

April 22, 2026 · 5 min read

Trump Extends the Iran Ceasefire Indefinitely. The Blockade Continues.

The president posted on Truth Social that the extension would last until Iran's leaders produce a 'unified proposal.' The second round of Islamabad talks did not happen. The Navy continues turning back ships from Iranian ports.

April 21, 2026 · 4 min read

Trump Orders Naval Blockade of Iranian Ports as Mine Clearance Begins in the Strait

U.S. Central Command announced mine clearance operations and the beginning of a naval blockade on Iranian ports. The operation marks a shift from air campaign to maritime pressure while the ceasefire holds on land.

April 12, 2026 · 3 min read

The Pentagon Wants $30 Billion for the Defense Production Act. The Iran War Showed Why.

A 100-fold increase in DPA spending signals a fundamental shift in how Washington thinks about the defense industrial base. The munitions burn rate in Iran has exposed gaps that peacetime procurement cannot close.

April 9, 2026 · 4 min read

Trump's Coercive Diplomacy Worked. Iran Accepted the Ceasefire.

The two-week truce came at the eleventh hour, with ships transiting Hormuz for the first time in five weeks. Talks begin Saturday in Islamabad. The Lebanon question remains unresolved, but the trajectory has shifted from escalation to negotiation.

April 8, 2026 · 6 min read

The Administration Requests $37 Billion for Golden Dome Missile Defense in FY2027 Budget

The budget channels early funding through reconciliation to protect the program from future appropriations fights. Total estimated cost: $185 billion over a decade. The Iran war has made the case for comprehensive missile defense harder to argue against.

April 7, 2026 · 5 min read

Iran Rejects the Ceasefire. Trump's Midnight Deadline Will Test Whether Coercion Has Limits.

Tehran sent a 10-point counterproposal through Pakistani and Egyptian intermediaries, demanding a permanent end to hostilities. The president has promised to destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran by Tuesday midnight. The Strait of Hormuz, closed for 37 days, is the fulcrum on which this war now turns.

April 6, 2026 · 7 min read

Iran Promises 'Crushing' Escalation as Markets Reel and Oil Passes $105

Tehran's military vows broader, more destructive attacks after Trump's primetime address. The IEA warns April will be far worse than March. With oil supply losses set to double, the war's economic toll may soon exceed its military one.

April 2, 2026 · 5 min read

Day 29: The Kharg Island Question and the War Without an Exit

As Operation Epic Fury enters its fifth week, the Pentagon is preparing a ground force deployment to seize Iran's oil export hub. The Houthis have opened a new front. Allies are refusing to help. And nobody in Washington can explain how this ends.

March 29, 2026 · 8 min read

NATO Allies Hit 2% for the First Time. Now Comes the Hard Part.

The alliance's latest annual report shows real progress on defense spending, with European allies and Canada boosting budgets by 20 percent. But the 5% target agreed at The Hague remains a long way off, and dollars alone do not equal deterrence.

March 28, 2026 · 5 min read

Iran Fires Ballistic Missiles at Diego Garcia, Revealing a Capability It Had Denied Possessing

While both missiles failed to reach their target, the strategic implications of the attempt matter more than the result.

March 21, 2026 · 5 min read

The Pentagon Wants $200 Billion for the Iran War. Congress Should Ask Hard Questions First.

Defense Secretary Hegseth's supplemental request is four times the original estimate. Before writing the check, Congress needs to know what it is buying and for how long.

March 19, 2026 · 4 min read

Six American Service Members Killed When Refueling Aircraft Crashes Over Iraq

The KC-135 crash is the first significant U.S. aircraft loss in Operation Epic Fury. The Pentagon identified the dead within hours.

March 12, 2026 · 3 min read

Eleven Days In, the Iran Campaign Still Lacks a Theory of Victory

The strikes were justified. The objectives were sound. But without a clear endgame, Operation Epic Fury risks becoming the kind of open-ended commitment the administration promised to avoid.

March 11, 2026 · 4 min read

First AUKUS Submarine Transfer to Australia on Track for 2027, Pentagon Confirms

The planned sale of three Virginia-class boats faces congressional skepticism and a production bottleneck that the Navy has yet to resolve.

March 6, 2026 · 3 min read

Iran Strikes U.S. Embassy in Riyadh as War Spreads Beyond Iranian Borders

Drone attacks on American diplomatic facilities in Saudi Arabia signal Tehran's willingness to widen the conflict and test the limits of the Gulf states' neutrality.

March 3, 2026 · 4 min read

Navy's 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan Confronts Industrial Base Reality

The Pentagon wants a 367-ship fleet. America's shipyards can barely maintain the 289 ships it has now.

February 25, 2026 · 3 min read