Ryan Brobst

Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement: Mitigating Risks Related to Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (DFARS Case 2021-D011)

Kim Pushes for Faster North Korean Defense Buildup With Russia’s Help

Kim Jong Un is interested in “overtaking the world,” according to his speech at the Second Plenum of the Ninth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, which was held from June...

Canceled Poland Deployment Further Weakens American Deterrence in Europe

In a move that will likely send shockwaves across Europe, the Pentagon reportedly halted the scheduled deployment of a roughly 4,000-strong U.S. Army armored brigade to Poland on Wednesday. The news...

Russian security assistance is creating problems on the Korean Peninsula

In a unique episode of father-daughter bonding, Kim Jong Un and his teenage daughter, Kim Ju Ae, observed a ballistic missile test on April 19 in which North Korea launched five missiles with...

Trump Administration Requests Extraordinary $1.5 Trillion Defense Budget

After years of bipartisan failures to devote sufficient resources to defense, the Trump administration requested an extraordinary 44 percent increase in defense spending in its roughly $1.5...

U.S. Blockading Ships Entering or Exiting Iranian Ports Along Strait of Hormuz

Blockade in Effect After Announcement: The United States began its targeted blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on April 13. President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. Navy to begin blocking...

How to assess America’s 40 days of war against Iran

Washington and Tehran are both arguing that they were victorious after 40 days of fighting. A detailed analysis, however, suggests a more nuanced picture in which American forces degraded Iran’s core...

Israel Partners With U.S. To Accelerate Arrow Interceptor Production

Following a lethal Iranian ballistic missile strike in Haifa, Israel announced on April 6 a plan to partner with a U.S.-based manufacturer to accelerate production of Arrow missile defense interceptors....

Israel Launches Large Wave of Strikes Against Hezbollah

IDF Strikes Reported Against Multiple Hezbollah Positions: The IDF announced on April 8 that it had carried out the “largest attack across Lebanon” against Hezbollah targets...

Hezbollah Likely Employing FPV Drones Against IDF

Video footage emerged Tuesday that appears to show Hezbollah attacking two Israeli Namer armored personnel carriers and a military truck with first-person view (FPV) drones. These attacks follow Hezbollah...

Iran Blocks 2 Chinese Vessels From Transiting Strait of Hormuz

2 Chinese-Flagged Vessels Turned Back: Iran blocked two Chinese-flagged container vessels from transiting the Strait of Hormuz on March 27, according to the MarineTraffic tracking...

Why seizing Iran’s Kharg Island could be a trap of America’s own making

The battle for the Persian Gulf could be entering a new phase as thousands of US Marines are reportedly due to arrive in the Middle East on Friday, the same day that President Donald Trump’s...

Iron Dome Steps up on Ballistic Missiles

Sometimes people surprise you. That can also happen with weapons systems. Multiple videos from the past year of conflict in the Middle East appear to show the Israeli Iron Dome air...

This missile just proved itself in Iran. The US needs more, ASAP

Despite its advantages, the Precision Strike Missile has so far been procured in relatively small quantities.

3 Ships Struck by Projectiles Near Strait of Hormuz

3 Vessels Struck Off Iranian Coast: “Unknown” projectiles struck three ships near the Strait of Hormuz on March 11, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported. According to Reuters, the Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree, the Japan-flagged ONE Majesty, and the Marshall Islands-flagged Star Gwyneth sustained damage. Mayuree Naree’s operator, Precious Shipping, stated, “Three crew members are reported missing.” Iranians Threaten Strait: Iranian security chief Ali Larijani threatened that the “Strait of Hormuz will either be a strait of peace and prosperity for all or will be a strait of defeat and suffering for warmongers.” On March 11, Iran’s unified military command center spokesman warned, “We will never allow even a single liter of oil to pass through the Strait of Hormuz for the benefit of America, the Zionists or their partners.” Trump Threatens Harder Strikes if Iran Mines Strait of Hormuz: President Donald Trump said on March 10 that “if Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait … we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY! If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before.” U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) later stated that “U.S. forces eliminated multiple Iranian naval vessels, March 10, including 16 minelayers near the Strait of Hormuz.”

Iran Increasingly Employing Cluster Munitions Against Israeli Civilians

The Islamic Republic of Iran is using ballistic missiles to fire cluster munitions against Israel with the intention of inflicting maximum carnage against civilians. Two people were killed by Iranian...

Similarities and differences in US and Israeli targets and objectives in Iran campaign

The US and Israel have cooperated to achieve impressive operational successes against Iran, but a mutually shared definition of victory remains elusive. This inconsistency and lack of clarity could undermine...

Why Iran’s ballistic missile launches are declining

Since the United States and Israel initiated large-scale combat operations against Iran on February 28, Tehran has lashed out at its neighbors with hundreds of missiles and drones. Despite the...

Peace or no peace, America can and should arm Ukraine

We may be on the verge of peace in Ukraine — or not. Either way, the United States will need to continue providing Kyiv weapons. That’s because, despite significant progress, Europe still lacks the...

Houthi Missile Strikes Israeli Soil for First Time

The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen struck Israel with a cruise missile on March 18 for the first time. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on March 19 that the Israeli Air Force...