Commentaries
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Major Defense Contractors Essential in Push for Greater Innovation
By Rebecca Grant, Ph.D., Defense Opinion Writer. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has his “Arsenal of Freedom” tour in full swing, with visits to nuclear submarine production at Newport News, Virginia, and […]
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A National Strategy to Ensure Greater Use of Trusted Commercial Electronics
By Jim Will, Defense Opinion Writer. The Department of Defense’s “commercial-first” directive aligns with longstanding defense procurement practices, with every major defense system now relying heavily on commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) electronics. […]
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Lessons from Ukraine: Battlefield Drone Innovation Redefines Modern Defense
By Anna Iovenko, Defense Opinion Writer. Defense innovation typically moves slowly, shaped by long procurement cycles and controlled testing. The war in Ukraine has upended that model. Since 2022, Ukraine […]
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Open Season on Ghost Fleets in Wake of U.S. Venezuela Operations
By Steven Wills, Ph.D., Defense Opinion Writer. The U.S. recently seized a seventh Venezuelan tanker, which Washington accuses of being part of a global “ghost fleet” that surreptitiously moves Russian and Iranian […]
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The Value of the V-22 in a Dangerous World
By Col. Wes Spaid (USMC, ret.), Defense Opinion Writer. As global threats intensify—from China’s coercion in the Indo-Pacific to instability across the Southern Hemisphere—the United States must safeguard a capability […]
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A More Resilient Approach to Satellite Communications for the Military
By Bill Milroy, Defense Opinion Writer. Space-based communications are now as fundamental to military operations as fuel and logistics. Warfighters expect assured connectivity for command and control, intelligence and real-time […]
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Commercial Equipment is Reshaping the Battlefield
By Ryan Gury, Defense Opinion Writer. In Ukraine, a seismic shift is underway. Not only in the new weapons being deployed, but in the blurring of the line between consumer […]
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Restoring U.S. Industrial Agility: Nurturing Domestic UAV Supply Chains
By Jim Will, Defense Opinion Writer. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) illustrate the risk of globally dispersed electronics supply chains. But they also offer an opportunity for the U.S. to reimagine World […]
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U.S. Should Renew Focus On Its Africa Command
By Jonathan Moak, Defense Opinion Writer. Earlier this year, a dam at a copper mine in Zambia controlled by Sino Metals – part of state-owned China Nonferrous Mining Corp. – […]
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South Korea’s Electronic Warfare Leap: Impact on Enemies and the U.S.
By Ju Hyung Kim, Defense Opinion Writer. South Korea fields world-class advanced defense systems. However, one area remains relatively underdeveloped — the electromagnetic spectrum that enables every modern operation to […]