Ukraine

August 28, 2026 | Bradley Bowman, John Hardie, Cameron McMillan

What is the Axis of Aggressors doing in Europe and the Middle East?

August 28, 2026 | Ivana Stradner, RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery

Putin is testing NATO because he thinks the West will flinch

CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow this week comes as U.S. intelligence warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin may be prepared to escalate against...

August 28, 2026 | Ivana Stradner |

Putin’s Knee-Jerk Nuclear Saber-Rattling

This week the Kremlin is signaling that further escalation remains on the table, with some Russian officials reportedly discussing nuclear weapons as a last resort, Bloomberg reports. The...

August 26, 2026 | Peter Doran |

How Putin’s Black Sea food fight puts the world — and your grocery bill — at risk

The oil war in the Black Sea between Russia and Ukraine is turning into a food fight — with potentially disastrous implications. Moscow, fuming at strikes on its “shadow fleet” of sanctions-evading...

August 26, 2026 | Cameron McMillan |

Drone Warfare

August 20, 2026 | Logan Rolleigh, Ryan Brobst

Washington Should Not Reduce Military Exercises With South Korea

President Donald Trump ordered the Department of Defense to “substantially reduce” military exercises between the U.S. and South Korean militaries on Sunday. These regularly occurring combined exercises...

August 19, 2026 | John Hardie |

Russia helps Iran sharpen its sword

Russia is shipping explosives and other military goods to help Iran replenish arsenals depleted in fighting with the United States and Israel, according to an August 17 report by NBC News. If accurate,...

August 19, 2026 | Clifford D. May |

Kim Jong Un’s European front

North Korea is learning modern warfare on Ukrainian ground—and Russia is paying the tuition

August 18, 2026 | Bradley Bowman, Cameron McMillan

How China and Russia keep Iran armed and dangerous

Chemicals and intelligence keep Tehran’s war machine alive.

August 18, 2026 | Jessica Ho, RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery

Modern War Demands a Data-Centric, Cloud-Based Command and Control Architecture

Russia’s war against Ukraine is the first real-world test of how to master a battlefield overwhelmed by data, exposing how quickly modern forces must receive, process, and share information to survive....

August 14, 2026 | Bill Roggio, Bradley Bowman, Ryan Brobst

China, Russia, Iran, North Korea: Inside the Axis of Aggressors, Part 2

August 14, 2026 | Clifford D. May, RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery

Where in the World is Monty?

August 12, 2026 | Daniel Vaynshteyn, Ivana Stradner

Vučić Welcomes Zelensky in Serbia: Turning Point or Tactical Gambit?

On Saturday, Volodymyr Zelensky made his first official visit to Serbia, a country long seen as one of Russia’s closest European partners. For some in the West, it was proof that Serbian President Aleksandar...

August 12, 2026 | RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Antonia-Laura Pup

A Bargain Waiting on NATO’s Eastern Edge: Romania

As the United States pulls back from Europe, it is leaving NATO countries like Romania, on the Alliance’s eastern periphery, vulnerable to Russian aggression. Turning to Brussels, unfortunately would...

August 12, 2026 | Angela Howard, Emilia Marshall

Russia’s Eurasian Economic Union Creates New Pathways for Potential Sanctions Evasion

As Western sanctions work to isolate Russia’s economy, Moscow is investing in trade backdoors. The intergovernmental council of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) concluded its 47th meeting with the...

August 11, 2026 | Antonia-Laura Pup, Angela Howard

Do not let China win Ukraine’s reconstruction

Beijing must not benefit from reconstruction contracts for infrastructure it helped destroy

August 7, 2026 | Max Lesser, Thomas Crehan

China-Linked Social Media Network Seeks To Shift COVID Responsibility From China to U.S.

Long after COVID-19 ended, China is still trying to shape the world’s perception of the pandemic. On August 6, FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI) identified at least 50 coordinated...

August 7, 2026 | John Hardie, Chloe Hurd

North Korean missile deployment raises urgency of Ukraine’s Starlink plea

North Korea has begun dispatching a ballistic missile unit to Russia to help bombard Ukraine, which is already struggling to defend its skies, Ukrainian military intelligence official Andrii Cherniak told Reuters this...

August 7, 2026 | Bradley Bowman, Logan Rolleigh, Cameron McMillan

Axis of Aggressors Military Cooperation Is Worse Than You Think

The United States now confronts one of the most dangerous geostrategic environments since 1945, in no small part because of the emergence of a new Axis of Aggressors consisting of China, Russia, Iran,...

August 6, 2026 | Michele Kernitsky |

Melania Trump got it right: Russia must return Ukraine’s stolen children

President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 28 at the White House, where they discussed how to resuscitate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine....