Free Republic

Following US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Russian official Dmitry Medvedev hinted that countries like Russia or North Korea might supply Iran with nuclear warheads directly. This threat should be met with a firm US response based on strategic brinksmanship. If Russia or its allies provide nuclear weapons to Iran, a state that has serially violated the Non-Proliferation Treaty, President Trump should make it clear that the United States will, in turn, provide nuclear weapons or station intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Russia’s own neighboring countries, such as Ukraine, Poland, or Kazakhstan, to re-establish deterrence.

Despite media reports on a deal with Russia for the advanced fourth-generation fighter jets, they’re nowhere to be seen in Iran, despite Israel’s devastating air campaign. Russia’s much-vaunted Su-35 jets, fourth-generation aircraft that are, on paper at least, formidable, are nowhere to be seen in the skies above Iran despite the intense and ongoing Israeli air campaign. This is despite several reports over the previous two years that Iran would soon accept the Russian jets into service.

Israel’s surprise attack on Iran in the early morning hours of June 13 saw more than 200 aircraft strike more than 100 targets in Iran. Among the targets were key Iranian commanders, including the head of the Iranian army and also the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This type of decapitation strike is how Israel dismantled Hezbollah, Iran’s ally in Lebanon.

The literature on Chinese warfare is replete with descriptions of how the country will annex Taiwan. The date usually bandied about by China watchers is 2027 for a successful amphibious attack on the island. This would be preceded by a shock and awe bombardment campaign aimed at bringing the city of Taipei to its knees. But another Chinese gambit would provide less violence but still do significant damage to the Taiwanese government and its residents. I am referring to a blockade or quarantine by the Chinese navy and a no-fly zone executed by its air force.

What needs to happen is simple, but, at least for now, looks pretty suspect if you ask me. Russia would need to get so exhausted from the war that its lines collapse. After losing 1 million casualties, thousands of tanks and artillery pieces, and billions of dollars in bombers and drones, Moscow would one day see its war effort collapse in a mix of exhaustion, anger about the overall direction of the conflict, and a society that had had enough. This would allow Ukraine to reclaim the initiative and retake large swaths of territory. But from here, things get even...

Summary and Key Points: The nearly $9 billion cost increase for Canada’s F-35 acquisition, bringing the total to $27.7 billion, is not the real scandal; it is a symptom of a deeper “strategy shock.” According to a recent Auditor-General’s report, this “sticker shock” is less concerning than the fact that Canada lacks a coherent plan to support the jets. Key basing infrastructure for the F-35s will not be ready until 2029, years after the first jets arrive in 2026, and the Royal Canadian Air Force already faces a severe pilot shortage, raising serious questions about the nation’s ability to operate...

Ukraine’s successful use of cheap, commercially available drones to destroy high-value Russian military assets serves as a stark warning that US air bases could be similarly vulnerable. Veteran Navy SEAL Brandon Webb, invoking the legacy of the 1980s “Red Cell” security-testing unit, argues that a modern adversary could use inexpensive drones, 3D printers, and readily available technology to cause catastrophic damage to US air power.

The United States, under President Donald Trump, is perceptibly stepping back from its previous level of unconditional support for Ukraine, driven by a realist assessment that Kyiv’s maximalist war aims (like restoring 1991 borders) are unachievable against Russia’s grinding war of attrition.

In what has become a horror show for the British army, the force is even more hollowed out than once thought. The Brits may only have 20 to 25 main battle tanks that they could count on should there be an overseas deployment. The Royal Armored Corps is supposed to have 59 Challenger 2 tanks, but there haven’t been that many in years. The problem started in the 1990s and got worse due to parts shortages, defense contractors going bankrupt, and maintenance and repair worker shortages.

Ukraine’s drone warfare has reached unprecedented heights, with 1.2 million drones produced in 2024 alone. Key components include FPV kamikaze drones, reconnaissance quadcopters, and long-range strike UAVs like the Lyutyy, which boasts a 600-mile range.

China has unveiled two prototype sixth-generation stealth fighters, potentially surpassing the J-20. The Chengdu design is notable for its large size, tailless configuration, and unique three-engine setup. The Shenyang prototype appears smaller and more traditional.

The expansion of China’s amphibious force is nothing short of historic. A decade ago, China had no large amphibious platforms. Now it has four big flat-decked amphibs alongside a force of nine landing platform docks (LPDs), and will soon welcome the biggest amphibious assault ships in the world. This is a rate of increase reminiscent of the great dreadnought races of the early 20th century, when Britain, Japan, Germany, and the United States built up spectacular fleets of large battleships in not much more than a decade. However, it is also one-sided; American shipbuilding has shown no inclination to try...

One question that few are asking about the potential of war between the United States and China is this: Does the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) even need aircraft carriers to win the fight?

There are four reasons why the coming year could be the year the Ukraine war ends—and plenty of reasons why it might continue for the foreseeable future. Principal among these is the huge gap between Putin and Zelensky on potential terms. The factors favoring an end to the war appear to be gaining. What are these factors? First, there is Ukraine’s brilliant and bold military move into Russia in the Kursk region.

You can be the best shot in the world, but your expertise won’t count for much if you run out of bullets. The same principle holds true for a country’s armed forces. Just ask the U.S. Navy. It’s getting low on munitions—yet the Pentagon is refusing to ask for sufficient supplies to replace them.

The M4 Carbine dates back to the Vietnam War when the Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol soldiers needed a weapon that was compact and still semi-concealable so they could snoop deep into enemy territory without being seen. This was the CAR-15, the older brother of the M4. The M-16 was longer and cumbersome in close combat situations, so special operations personnel later preferred the smaller size of the M4, especially when they jumped out of airplanes. The M4 then spread to light infantry units later in the 1990s. Some soldiers and marines still used the M-16A2 and A3 until the Second Gulf...

Last month, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, accepted an appointment to serve as a professor at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. The staunch critic of former President Donald Trump was defeated in the Republican primary last year by pro-Trump candidate Harriet Hageman. Liz Cheney had previously suggested that she would consider a presidential run in 2024 – likely as much to ensure Trump couldn’t win as actually to become president. However, it appears those plans could be put on hold.

When she ran for the presidency in 2020, Kamala Harris was viewed by many party insiders as the next Barack Obama. Young, fresh, and belonging to a popular demographic set, the San Francisco prosecutor-turned-senators’ rise to the top of the Democratic Party’s pile of presidential candidates appeared unstoppable…that is, until the actual voting began. Facing a crowded field, Kamala Harris failed to break through—despite having received support from powerful figures within the Democratic Party’s establishment, notably the former President Barack Obama and his wife, the former first lady, Michelle Obama. A Campaign of Errors for Kamala Harris In fact, Harris...

Ukraine is burning through ammunition for 155mm howitzers quickly and it is leaving the United States in a bind, according to a new report by think tank CSIS. It could take up to five years for the industrial base to produce enough rounds to replenish American stocks. It is not just cannon shells. Javelin and Stinger missiles could take six to eight years to normalize for the U.S. inventory.

Now all eyes are on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. He is also coming off a big reelection win in a state that has become a symbol of his party’s governance nationwide. He and Newsom were putting themselves in position to run for president while respecting the frontrunner status of former President Donald Trump and Biden, respectively. Though weakened by the midterms, Trump has already announced he is running for president again in 2024. Biden was strengthened by them, and while a final decision is still forthcoming, he appears to be leaning heavily in favor of seeking a second term.