#warontherocks — Public Fediverse posts

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
How Mexico Locked In Its Militarized Police State

https://warontherocks.com/how-mexico-locked-in-its-militarized-police-state/

#warontherocks

In 2021, Andrew Ivey wrote, “‘I Have Other Data’: The Guardia Nacional and the Entrenchment of Mexico’s Militarization’,” where he warned Mexico was headed toward a militarization trap. Five years later, amidst increased pressure from the Trump administration and the election of a new Mexican president, we asked Andrew to

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
Parsing Trump’s Decision to (Maybe) Give Uranium Enrichment to Saudi Arabia

https://warontherocks.com/parsing-trumps-decision-to-maybe-give-uranium-enrichment-to-saudi-arabia/

#warontherocks

On June 22, the United States announced that it had signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia. This type of agreement broadly authorizes trade in nuclear technology, equipment, and materials, but only if the agreement and the country in question meet defined

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
ASML’s Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography and the Limits of Reverse Engineering in China

https://warontherocks.com/cogs-of-war/asmls-extreme-ultraviolet-lithography-and-the-limits-of-reverse-engineering-in-china/

#warontherocks

In June, the U.S. Department of Commerce informed the Dutch company ASML that it suspects one of its extreme ultraviolet lithography machines has reached China, an accusation that ASML denied, and for which no supporting evidence has yet been

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
Key Areas Where Water Scarcity Intensifies Risks of Conflict

https://warontherocks.com/key-areas-where-water-scarcity-intensifies-risks-of-conflict/

#warontherocks

Water disputes can directly drive conflict, but more often, water scarcity acts as a catalyst — one that, combined with other pressures, raises the risk of conflict. This is nothing new; water has shaped human conflict for millennia. What’s changed is the accumulation of stress, as climate change,

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
How Orbán’s Fall Changed Serbia’s Political Future

https://warontherocks.com/how-orbans-fall-changed-serbias-political-future/

#warontherocks

In the speech announcing his invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin took only minutes to arrive at the original sin in his catalogue of Western crimes. Before Iraq, before Libya, before Syria, came Belgrade: “First a bloody military operation was waged against Belgrade, without the U.N. Security Council’s

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
The Octane Revolution: How Jimmy Doolittle Catalyzed a Wartime Industry

https://warontherocks.com/cogs-of-war/the-octane-revolution-how-jimmy-doolittle-catalyzed-a-wartime-industry/

#warontherocks

Editor’s note: This is the sixth article in a limited series celebrating American defense technologies born from wartime and their effects on broader national security, politics, and society. This series will run for several weeks to commemorate America’s 250th

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
The First Waves of Amphibious Assault Will Be Unmanned

https://warontherocks.com/the-first-waves-of-amphibious-assault-will-be-unmanned/

#warontherocks

In the Pacific War, the U.S. Navy’s underwater demolition teams prepared the way for U.S. and allied amphibious landings on enemy-held islands. Through beach reconnaissance, obstacle breaching, mine clearance, and other missions, these teams paved paths for the first waves of amphibious assaults conducted by naval

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
Zelensky’s Political Storm Starts to Clear

https://warontherocks.com/zelenskys-political-storm-starts-to-clear/

#warontherocks

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

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
Why Norway and Finland Should Preserve Two of Europe’s Most Important Demilitarized Zones

https://warontherocks.com/why-norway-and-finland-should-preserve-two-of-europes-most-important-demilitarized-zones/

#warontherocks

Svalbard is a stark archipelago of glaciers and coal mines lying 650 kilometers (403 miles) north of Norway’s North Cape, roughly halfway between the Norwegian mainland and the North Pole. It belongs to Norway but is governed under a 1920 treaty

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
Taiwan’s Tech Hurdles Threaten Military Capability and Potential Coalition Defense

https://warontherocks.com/cogs-of-war/taiwans-tech-hurdles-threaten-military-capability-and-potential-coalition-defense/

#warontherocks

Taiwan produces the world’s most advanced semiconductors, yet the island’s own military is only in the opening stages of adopting artificial intelligence systems. This mismatch bears directly on Taiwan’s ability to deter Chinese aggression.Beijing

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
Global Risks Heating Up

https://warontherocks.com/global-risks-heating-up/

#warontherocks

Welcome to The Adversarial. Every other week, we’ll provide you with expert analysis on America’s greatest challengers: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and jihadists. Read more below.***IranThe U.S.-Iranian ceasefire agreed in April began deteriorating — and the Memorandum of Understanding signed on June 17 — ramping up to a near-constant exchange of hostilities in early

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
Before a Cyber Force, Fix Cyber Governance

https://warontherocks.com/before-a-cyber-force-fix-cyber-governance/

#warontherocks

Let’s not start picking out uniforms just yet. The chorus calling for a Cyber Force continues to grow by the day, but the debate has its priorities backward. In June, an amendment from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) calling for the creation of a cyber service within the Department of the Army failed in the Senate Armed Services

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
Chaotic Progress: European NATO’s Quest for Stronger Defense

https://warontherocks.com/chaotic-progress-european-natos-quest-for-stronger-defense/

#warontherocks

In 2024, Max Bergmann wrote, “NATO Missed a Chance to Transform Itself,” where he argued NATO’s leadership needs to facilitate a strong European pillar of the alliance through structural reforms in European institutions. Two years later, we asked Max to revisit his arguments.Image: The White House via

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
The Importance of the Invasion of Sicily

https://warontherocks.com/the-importance-of-the-invasion-of-sicily/

#warontherocks

On July 10, 1943, the Allied invasion of Sicily — codenamed Operation Husky — put more assault troops ashore on its first day than the Normandy landings would 11 months later. Despite the scale of these amphibious and vertical assaults on the Mediterranean’s largest island, the images most carry of this campaign come from a movie: Patton. In

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
The King of Cool: Mobile Refrigeration and the Remaking of Global Logistics

https://warontherocks.com/cogs-of-war/the-king-of-cool-mobile-refrigeration-and-the-remaking-of-global-logistics/

#warontherocks

Editor’s note: This is the fifth article in a limited series celebrating American defense technologies born from wartime and their effects on broader national security, politics, and society. This series will run for several weeks to commemorate America’s 250th

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
America Needs an Off-Ramp Between Doing Nothing and Shutting AI Down

https://warontherocks.com/cogs-of-war/america-needs-an-off-ramp-between-doing-nothing-and-shutting-ai-down/

#warontherocks

For 18 days in June, two of America’s most capable AI models went dark worldwide, not for technical or business reasons, but because the U.S. government ordered it. On June 12, 2026, the Commerce Department informed Anthropic that its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models could no

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
Total War on Taipei: China Explores Elevating Cognitive Effects into Its Vision of Warfare

https://warontherocks.com/total-war-on-taipei-china-explores-elevating-cognitive-effects-into-its-vision-of-warfare/

#warontherocks

In March 2025, China’s military researchers published a concept describing how to rapidly capture and subdue the city of Taipei. Distributed in restricted military channels, this approach argues Beijing can achieve victory “by blocking the

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
How Ukraine Put Russia on the Backfoot

https://warontherocks.com/how-ukraine-put-russia-on-the-backfoot/

#warontherocks

Ukraine’s expanding use of drones at all ranges has changed the war’s momentum. This episode examines how Kyiv is reaching deeper into Russian territory, disrupting operations and logistics as well as energy infrastructure. How is Russia adapting (or not)? Can these strikes produce lasting advantages on the battlefield? Will this force Russia to

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
How the War with Iran is Shaping Key U.S. Relations Beyond the Middle East

https://warontherocks.com/how-the-war-with-iran-is-shaping-key-u-s-relations-beyond-the-middle-east/

#warontherocks

The U.S. war with Iran has had political, economic, and military implications that spread far beyond the Middle East. We asked five experts to assess how the war with Iran has affected U.S. bilateral relations with key countries that illustrate some of the global

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
Learning from the ‘Voyage of the Damned’: The Making of a Russian Naval Disaster

https://warontherocks.com/learning-from-the-voyage-of-the-damned-the-making-of-a-russian-naval-disaster/

#warontherocks

Editorial Note: The dates cited in Eugene Politovsky’s account are from the old Russian Orthodox calendar, which is 13 days behind that of the (Gregorian) calendar system used in this article.A recent War on the Rocks article on the failure of the Spanish Reserve

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
Rebuilding America’s Critical Minerals Base

https://warontherocks.com/cogs-of-war/rebuilding-americas-critical-minerals-base/

#warontherocks

There’s a clear consensus that America hollowed out its critical minerals base. How to rebuild it is less settled. Alex Grant of Magrathea Metals and Wes Spurlock of Principal Mineral join Jonathan to discuss the processing technology, labor force, and how government can catalyze private capital investment in the sector

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
Corruption Takes Center Stage in Ukraine’s National Conversation

https://warontherocks.com/corruption-takes-center-stage-in-ukraines-national-conversation/

#warontherocks

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

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
Before Q-Day: The Race to Quantum First

https://warontherocks.com/cogs-of-war/before-q-day-the-race-to-quantum-first/

#warontherocks

Somewhere, a hard drive is filling up with secrets no one can read yet, and its owner is waiting for the machine that opens them all at once. On March 30, 2026, that wait got shorter.Two independent research teams lowered the public estimates for breaking the encryption that secures banking, communications, and classified traffic.

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
The Make-or-Buy Line has Moved

https://warontherocks.com/the-make-or-buy-line-has-moved/

#warontherocks

The secretary of defense’s November announcement on acquisition reform laid out an unprecedented vision across the entire acquisition spectrum to improve the delivery speed of critical capabilities to our warfighters. One foundational pillar is the implementation of a commercial first policy, which laid out several initiatives: leveraging existing but less often

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
The Fedorov Dismissal: On Trust, Technology, and Turnover

https://warontherocks.com/the-fedorov-dismissal-on-trust-technology-and-turnover-2/

#warontherocks

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

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
The Fedorov Dismissal: On Trust, Technology, and Turnover

https://warontherocks.com/the-fedorov-dismissal-on-trust-technology-and-turnover/

#warontherocks

Welcome to The Ukraine Compass, a weekly digest of Ukrainian commentary from across the political spectrum.Every Monday, War on the Rocks members get a curated selection of op-eds and editorials from Ukrainian-language media to understand how Ukrainians themselves debate the biggest issues shaping their country.

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
Broken Drone, Far from Home: The Case for Overseas Autonomous System Sustainment

https://warontherocks.com/broken-drone-far-from-home-the-case-for-overseas-autonomous-system-sustainment/

#warontherocks

It’s 2028, and the Fujian carrier strike group has just left Yulin, China, for an unknown destination. The U.S. Navy’s “Hedge Strategy” has let commanders disperse unmanned systems across regional choke points as forward-deployed scouts. But days before contact with

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
The Blood Bank and the Logistics of Wartime Medicine

https://warontherocks.com/cogs-of-war/the-blood-bank-and-the-logistics-of-wartime-medicine/

#warontherocks

Before the twentieth century gave armies antibiotics, the leading killer of American soldiers in wartime was neither enemy fire nor shrapnel. Two-thirds of the roughly 620,000 deaths in the U.S. Civil War came from diseases like typhoid and dysentery. Spread through contaminated water and crowded camps,

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
How Revolutions Break Their Believers

https://warontherocks.com/how-revolutions-break-their-believers/

#warontherocks

Waguih Ghali, Beer in the Snooker Club (Vintage International, 2014)The noise, the noise, the unrelenting noise of the world: How is any writer with an interest in the long view supposed to escape it, if only for a couple hours to work, let alone maintain their sanity in the remainders of a day? It’s an old dilemma, for certain, but little digital

WAR ON THE ROCKS:
Reading through the Lines of the FY2027 NDAA

https://warontherocks.com/cogs-of-war/reading-through-the-lines-of-the-fy2027-ndaa/

#warontherocks

The relationship between Congress and the Pentagon over the past year has been marked by public disagreements and frustrations over lawmakers’ concerns about the Iran War, and by what some lawmakers view as politically motivated firings of top military leaders. In many ways, the House and Senate versions of the Fiscal Year