Global News of Interest
A collection of weekly must-read external news, reports and insights
A ramp-up in nuclear weapons is not always a bad thing
The People’s Republic of China is currently on a nuclear tear, building up its arsenal from roughly 500 warheads today to as many as 1,500 by 2035. It is also…
Ukraine’s Gamble: The Risks and Rewards of the Offensive Into Russia’s Kursk Region
On August 6, Ukraine launched a bold offensive into Russia’s Kursk region, leveraging surprise and speed to quickly bypass Russian defensive lines. Since then, Ukraine has captured a significant tract…
Russia’s Burevestnik Is No Wonder Weapon
On Monday, Reuters reported my discovery that Russia is building what appears to be the first deployment site for its experimental nuclear-powered cruise missile, the Burevestnik—which the United States calls the SSC-X-9…
The U.S. Navy’s Chief Supplier Is in Peril
The U.S. Navy has struggled to maintain personnel and readiness across the fleet, which makes its new plan for the Military Sealift Command to lose 17 ships under a “force generation reset” deeply…
The Arctic Great Game Won’t Be Won in U.S. Shipyards
Thanks to global warming, there is less ice at the top of the world. And less ice, paradoxically, means a surge in demand for icebreakers, the specialty ships that are…
How America lost its global connectivity Lead and why the future depends on getting it back
It could be a boat anchor that kicks off the invasion of Taiwan, not a bullet. The thousands of miles of sub-sea cables are what make everything function — not…
North Korean Spies Are Infiltrating U.S. Companies Through IT Jobs
When cybersecurity company KnowBe4 was filling a remote IT job in July, it hired a highly skilled applicant who gave his name as Kyle and spoke accented English. He asked…
Air Force going ‘line by line’ to bring down nuclear missile costs
The U.S. Air Force “underestimated” the complexity of building a sprawling network of launch centers and other ground infrastructure for its next nuclear missile, which led to severe projected cost overruns,…
Biden Approved Secret Nuclear Strategy Refocusing on Chinese Threat
President Biden approved in March a highly classified nuclear strategic plan for the United States that, for the first time, reorients America’s deterrent strategy to focus on China’s rapid expansion…
BENS Eisenhower Award Recipient Gina Raimondo Has Reshaped the Commerce Department for Technological Competition with China.
The U.S. secretary of commerce is recovering from a fractured tailbone, but she doesn’t know how it happened.