The New Army Air Corps

Army companies will get autonomous drones to support them in combat with ISR, targeting, and logistics. Add air defense and we're good to go.

This autonomous drone is good:

The U.S. Army has selected a new small unmanned aircraft system to push aerial capability down to the company level. Army Contracting Command awarded the contract to Mistral Inc. for the THOR Group 2 UAS, a backpack-portable multi-rotor drone designed for frontline units.

This type of drone adds to the company's ability to close with and destroy the enemy rather than distract the company and tempt it to become a mini-air force. 

Add fighter drones that shoot down enemy drones, as I asked for in this Army article, and we're good to go. An autonomous combat air patrol fighter drone over the company would be great.

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here. 

NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. It's the right thing to do!

NOTE: Photo from article. 

More F-15EX to Fly

The F-15EX fleet will expand. Not every mission needs a stealth fighter.

The Air Force is diversifying its fighter fleet. And foreign countries like the F-15EX, too:

The Pentagon’s latest budget request for the air force would more than double the planned procurement of F-15EX strike fighters to 268 examples — moving Boeing to full-rate production of the revamped Cold War jet in the next year. ...

Each F-15EX included in the FY2027 budget request is to include the BAE Systems Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System or EPAWSS — an advanced electronic countermeasures package designed to improve the non-stealth fighter’s defence against modern air defences. 

A 2025 evaluation by the Pentagon found that EPAWSS-equipped Eagle IIs are effective in both offensive and defensive counter-air missions, even against advanced fifth-generation platforms like Russia’s Sukhoi Su-57 or China’s Chengdu J-20.

It is easy to forget that even stealth planes benefit from electronic countermeasures.

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here. 

NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. It's the right thing to do!

NOTE: Photo from the article. 

The Yin and Yang of China Blockading Taiwan

Is one lesson of the Iran War of 2026 the realization that any Chinese military action in the South China Sea, no matter how successful, would cut China off from world trade?

China is learning from the America-Israeli campaign against Iran. One lesson is the effect on oil traffic in the face of only nominal Iranian military capacity. Fear has blockaded the Strait of Hormuz:

China’s maritime insurance ecosystem does not yet have enough depth or international credibility to underwrite the scale of coverage that a Taiwan-related disruption would demand. A harder problem still is even if China can ensure its own flag vessels, it cannot compel foreign-flagged ships to continue sailing into a warzone.

And if China doesn't in effect inflict a blockade on itself to blockade Taiwan, America could impose it without getting close to China. How much energy can China stockpile to outlast a world cut off from China, too?

China is no longer a mass lump of autarkic proletarian fury that is immune to economic pressure--and which could have swallowed, digested, and expelled an invading army. China is now urbanized, more advanced (on and near the coasts, anyway), and plugged into the global trade system. I don't know if China or the world can last longer without the other. But I bet China doesn't, either.

India could cut off China's Middle East energy imports, too. This Chinese trade vulnerability bolsters my view that India has the edge in a major war with China. Speaking of which:

India is pressing ahead with a $9 billion infrastructure project to bolster its military footprint on the Great Nicobar Island which sits far from the Indian mainland near one of the world’s most critical shipping arteries. 

Unless Chinese anti-ship ballistic missiles can pose enough of a threat to India's ports, too. 

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here. 

NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. It's the right thing to do!

Not Abandoning NATO Every Day

America is not abandoning Europe. The Army is participating in exercises to test NATO war contingency plans.

This is walking toward the sound of the guns and not running away:

Sword 26 is the U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s premier annual exercise series, taking place from late April through May 2026 across eight countries in the High North and Baltic region. Formerly known as DEFENDER, Sword 26 validates NATO’s regional defense plans and operationalize the Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative (EFDI). 

This exercise series demonstrates the U.S. Army’s commitment to NATO’s collective defense and its ability to deter and decisively defeat adversaries while advancing global stability. Sword 26 highlights the strength of Allied unity, the integration of cutting-edge technologies, and the ability to project decisive power in defense of NATO territory.

Every day with the well-publicized noise of diplomatic wrangling obscuring their work, America's military and civilian officials quietly work with our NATO allies.

America has good reasons to remain active in leading NATO.

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here. 

NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. It's the right thing to do!

NOTE: Infographic from the initial linked Army document.

Explain To Me Again Why Marines Had To Change So Much?

The Marines are forging ahead on novel means to sink ships instead of destroying enemy ground forces. I'll ask again, why?!

But why is this better than having the Navy or Air Force do the job? 

The Marines demonstrated the ability to launch attack drones from their self-built submerged drones, [which will] significantly increase sensing and firepower in defense of the fleet. 

Seriously, why is killing a Marine ground combat capability to create an entirely new anti-ship capability that the Navy can expand more efficiently a good idea? 

The Marine Corps feared being a second Army to avoid going on the budget chopping block as a redundant formation. It chose to be a second Navy. The Marine haven't even done enough to be a redundant second Navy.

Well, really a third navy. After the Coast Guard. Which actually makes the Marine changes worse. 

NECC could become grunts to make up for that, I suppose.

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here. 

NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. It's the right thing to do!

The Winter War of 2022 Fears Peace

Perhaps Putin can survive a peace deal with Ukraine that doesn't represent a diplomatic form of conquest. But he cannot survive demobilization after the war. Then things get interesting in a heavy pucker factor sort of way.

The war goes on. Ukraine continues to counter-attack to claw back land; and Ukraine expands its aerial attack capabilities to match Russia's aerial bombardment scale. Well, hello:

Air traffic at 13 airports in southern Russia has been suspended after drones struck a building at a local air navigation center in Rostov-on-Don, the Russian transport ministry said. 

I can't help but think that America responded to Russian aid to Iran with increased targeting data for Ukraine. I have no proof. Just a suspicion that Trump is a FAFO kind of president, and Putin decided to FA. Russia seemingly ponders mobilization to provide bodies for his war. Perhaps Putin's invasion force isn't the juggernaut Russia portrays.

Putin fears demobilization:

Today, Russia faces what can be called a demobilization dilemma. The war in Ukraine is not about Ukrainian territory. The war is being waged as a response to Russia’s domestic fragility, declining legitimacy and a political system that depends on mobilization, fear and external confrontation to maintain control.

This is plausible. But technically, a ceasefire (I won't be so bold to call it "peace") with Ukraine doesn't have to mean demobilization if demobilization means a new Time of Troubles for Russia. Putin may be preparing to win a civil war, but that doesn't mean he wants a civil war.

And then there is this odd development (tip to Instapundit):

Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested the war in Ukraine was drawing to a close — just hours after he vowed to triumph at Moscow’s puniest Victory Day parade in years.

“I think that the matter is coming to an end,” Putin told reporters inside the Kremlin Saturday about the four-year-long war.

Putin said the United States — which he referred to as a “partner” and “friend” during his remarks, alongside the likes of China and India — was eager to help broker a deal.

Huh.

What happens if Putin agrees to a ceasefire without demobilizing? Maybe he decides that Stalin was a coward for not taking advantage of his massive army in central Europe in 1945 to immediately wage war on his Western allies to win the whole thing. Stalin didn't have nukes, Putin may think. I do. Regardless of the truth.

But the tattered mob Putin commands is not the 1945 victorious Red Army that marched across Europe to raze Berlin in less time than Russia has spent still trying to capture all of Donetsk province. As the initial article notes:

Unlike Western professional militaries, Russia’s forces are disproportionately composed of prisoners, ethnic minorities and contract soldiers recruited through exploitative arrangements. 

Perhaps that go big or go home course of action is still too risky for Putin.

Or maybe Putin ends the war without demobilizing and without deciding to wage another war as Iraq did in 1988 because hostile Iran remained across the border. But by 1990, Saddam decided to use his expensive army to solve his financial problems by taking over Kuwait in a lightning attack. Believing nobody would stop him, he found out that he was very wrong. Desert Shield and Desert Storm followed in 1990 and 1991 (but at least the Coalition reduced Saddam's military to a more affordable level--suicide by cop?). And after a pause, the predictable--but not to Saddam who expected a mere drive-by shooting--2003 war finished Saddam off.

Maybe that's not a good plan for Putin given that Russia is already financially struggling. 

Or perhaps Putin decides that a more muscular subtle attack should be his post-Winter War of 2022 military option while his mobilized army stands guard. Break NATO in the Baltic states, which Putin seems to be threatening (even if he has to AstroTurf supporters), with a Kargil-style invasion of heavily armed "little green men." Then dare NATO to go to war against his bridgehead. Putin could break NATO in several ways with such a strategy if NATO isn't prepared, as I discussed in this Army magazine article.

Sure there is risk. But the West may be unwilling to admit Russia has invaded. And at least it is deniable. If things go really bad, Putin can abandon the irregular troops and deny all responsibility. Will NATO then invade Russia while it has nukes? Not likely. And Putin may think something must be tried if history is to append the honorific "the Great" to his name.

So maybe. Unless a tall open window veto from other Russians is wielded. Or even if Putin just gets too nervous from Western disinformation to walk by windows.

Ukraine faces a similar problem with demobilization. Do it and Russia could pounce. Fail to do it and Ukraine will go broke eventually and not be able to afford a large active army. Will Europe really be as generous with financial support when the war is over? Even if Ukraine gets reparations in one form or another, will Ukraine spend it not on reconstruction but on keeping their army in the field ready for renewed invasion? If so, eventually Ukraine will run out of that source of cash. Going broke follows as does demobilization.

Ukraine and Russia--if Putin or whoever succeeds him does not choose another war as the post-war path--both could use a post-war deal that limits both NATO and Russian forces within striking distance of the ceasefire line.

And if that agreement cements in place a Russian "flip" against China so Russia can focus on holding its Far East from Chinese recapture, so much the better. Is that what Putin expects from the United States, his partner and friend?

But until then, the war goes on. 

NOTE: ISW updates continue here. 

NOTE: Also, I put war-related links and commentary in the Weekend Data Dump on Substack. You may read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved.

NOTE: Photo from Getty via that "disinformation" link.

Weekend Data Dump

The Weekend Data Dump is a compilation of short entries about the previous week’s defense and national security news that I found interesting. I couldn’t possibly comment on everything in my news flow or delve into everything that interests me. So most news that interests me doesn’t make the cut for a post. The rest go in the data dump. Enjoy!

HOP ON OVER AND READ IT! On the bright side, you can comment on Substack!

In case you missed it on Substack: How Can Enemies Possibly Find Warships At Sea?

In case you missed it on Substack: "Modifying" the Infantry Squad Vehicle

In case you missed it on Substack: The Future of Warfare

In case you missed it on Substack: Counter-measures Emerge For UAVs

Help me out by subscribing on Substack and by liking and sharing posts. I occasionally post short data dump-type items (or not-so-short) on my Substack "Notes" section.

Big Overture, Little Show?

North Korea has always issued threats. Can North Korea carry them out?

I assume they continue to be quite serious about that threat:

In 1994 a North Korean official declared, during a meeting with his South Korean counterpart at the North Korean capital Panmunjom, that the South Korean capital is not far from here. In wartime Seoul will become a sea of fire. This is what passes for North Korean diplomacy, subtle but brutal.

About a quarter of South Korea's population is in the Seoul region that is quite close to the DMZ and so vulnerable to long-range artillery fire. 

But does the threat still work? Not just because repetition may dull the fear. Can North Korea actually strike Seoul at sea of fire levels? Their army may be too weak to push into or even close enough to Seoul to use basic artillery to bombard the city.

And the situation could be even worse from North Korea's perspective:

If a crisis erupts on the Korean peninsula and the North Koreans fire even a warning barrage at Seoul, I expect the South Korean army to march north of the DMZ and carve out a no-launch zone in an arc around Seoul to protect their capital and home to a quarter of the population from North Korean artillery. And if the attack is focused just on a no-launch zone, will Pyongyang unleash nukes that might be shot down and which would trigger an American nuclear retaliation?

I'm not sure how valuable the money and experience that North Korea has gotten from helping Russia invade Ukraine will be in the long run after a short-term bump.

UPDATE: Intersteing:

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected the production ‌of new artillery with a range ‌exceeding 60 km (37 miles) that would be deployed at ​the South Korean border and bolster its ability to hit Seoul[.]

The correlation of forces has shifted. 

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here. 

NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. It's the right thing to do!

Ukraine Builds an A-Whacks

Ukraine has developed the A-Whacks plane to shoot down incoming suicide drones with cheap air defense weapons. See? Not all my notions are impractical.

Ukraine already mounted a 7.62 mini-gun on a An-28 transport to successfully shoot down drones. This improvement is outstanding:

As depicted in a new video montage, the same An-28 is now launching 3D-printed SkyFall P1-Sun interceptor drones from an underwing hardpoint.

And if I do say so myself, an idea I suggested two years ago based on using APKWS rockets on a radar plane able to detect the incoming drones, and dubbed it A-Whacks: 

The rocket can go nearly 7 miles when fired from aircraft. A lot could be packed into a commercial airliner converted to an air defense aircraft, right? There could also be a smaller number of longer-range sophisticated air-to-air missiles carried.

The concept is working. With suicide air-to-air drones rather than APKWS. But that's a mere detail.

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here. 

NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. It's the right thing to do!

NOTE: Image from Trench Art. 

Establishing the Logistics Backbone in INDOPACOM

The Army has the primary role in getting supplies to the joint force in the figurative "last mile" after the Navy gets the supply ships into the port across the ocean.

This is interesting:

The U.S. Army is using a facility in Subic Bay to stage equipment for exercises and alliance contingencies, according to a recent think tank report and imagery released by the Pentagon.

Army trucks and helicopters rolled off a Military Sealift Command-contracted vessel at Subic Bay last month during Washington’s annual mass disembarkation in the Philippines for a series of consecutive military drills. 

This extends logistics for American and allied forces to operate close to China from the southern Philippines in Mindanao, as America planned in the 1930s to do to defend the Philippines:

The enduring need for secure logistics to the western Pacific hasn’t changed. But history is just rhyming. And so America looks to the Davao region rather than Dumanquilas Bay for a new logistics link should the current Pacific threat, China, move from the “pacing” standard to the active enemy.

For a long time, American logistics was pretty much restricted to northeast Asia to support South Korea and Japan. With the need to cope with rising Chinese power, INDOPACOM needs a wider and more robust logistics effort.

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here. 

NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. It's the right thing to do!

NOTE: The image is from the initial article. 

Kneel Britannia

Britain will crawl back to the empire they escaped?

This is sad:

Sir Keir Starmer is at it again. Not content to merely thwart the democratic will of the people over attempted delays to local council elections, his government is now seeking to rejoin the EU through the backdoor. As if 'dynamic alignment' on everything from food standards to carbon emissions wasn't bad enough, Labour wants to guarantee we keep playing by EU rules through something called 'secondary legislation'. This means ongoing legislation to tie us to EU laws gets authorised by ministers rather than by new updated legislation in the Commons. 

Nice knowing you, constitutional monarchy.

The EU punished Britain for Brexit. And Remainers in Britain eager to bend the knee to Brussels undermine an independent Britain. Naturally, British opinion once narrowly for Brexit eroded.

Mission accomplished. 

And so now, Britain will--after many centuries--finally be stronger in Europe.

I'd add that I am unhappy that America didn't forge trade deals with Britain to reinforce their independence. But I'm not sure it would have mattered with the forces in political Europe and in Britain itself working to overturn Brexit from the start. 

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here. 

NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. It's the right thing to do!

NOTE: I made the image with Bing.

Priorities In An Ammo Shortage

Ukraine can't afford to bounce the rubble against aerial threats to marginally increase interception success.

This comment on how Ukraine has adapted to a Patriot missile shortage is interesting:

The Patriot unit commander, identified as Oleksandr in a video released over the weekend by the Ukrainian military's Air Command West, said that while standard air defense doctrine calls for firing between two and four interceptors at each incoming Russian cruise or ballistic missile, his forces are launching just one per threat amid strained stockpiles. 

Firing multiple Patriots increases the odds of hitting. If you have an 80% chance of hitting with one missile fired, you have a 96% chance of hitting the target with two. A third gets you over 99%. In a situation where you have a very valuable target to protect and plenty of missiles (perhaps because the fight is a single battle rather than a war), it makes sense to launch even three. The value of the saved target far outweighs the cost of the "wasted" defensive missiles.

But if you have insufficient missiles and lots of targets (but none absolutely critical) to defend, it is better to fire three missiles at three separate incoming missiles to have a chance of destroying three incoming missiles. That is superior to a near-guarantee of one hit while watching two other incoming missiles hit your assets.

When ammo runs low, you make do and set priorities. 

Mind you, if the incoming missile is targeting the Patriot system itself, light up the skies, eh?

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here. 

NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. It's the right thing to do!

NOTE: Image from the article.  

The Winter War of 2022 Tells the People To Shut Up, Pay, and Die

Will the combatants continue to suffer and die in the war?

Russia bombards Ukraine daily. Although one Russian milblogger claimed the campaign is not making the most of resources and that "Russian forces are also frequently switching target sets without accomplishing their initial objectives.

And Ukraine's strategic warfare against Russian energy production and export capabilities begins to do real damage. Further, on the ground, where Russia's biggest advantage supposedly lies, "Russian forces in April 2026 suffered a net loss of territory controlled in the Ukrainian theater for the first time since Ukraine’s August 2024 incursion into Kursk Oblast." It may be an anomaly. But things do seem to have tilted in Ukraine's favor on the ground so far this year. Perhaps the war's fifth summer will change that.

The special military operation goes on--and is starting to leave a mark in Russia:

There are increasing indications that hostility to Putin’s policies is spreading throughout the leaders, increasing the probability that they will merge into groups which might seek and perhaps even succeed in blocking Russian government policies and erode voter support.

None of this means Putin is about to be emasculated, let alone overthrown. But it could persuade Putin to take even more repressive and aggressive measures. Taken together, these developments suggest Putin is now less able to act as if opposition to his policies is irrelevant.

Russian anger over President Vladimir Putin’s moves against the internet is growing and spreading even to groups long thought to be his most loyal supporters. Russian commentators are pointing to other mistakes Putin has been making, and opinion surveys show that his approval rating is falling to the lowest level since before he launched the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. He now faces a buildup of disapproval that some have called an apocalypse.

If the Russian people are restive now, wait until they get a load of this:

A prominent, Kremlin-coopted Russian ultranationalist milblogger has begun socializing the idea that Russians should prepare for possible future limited, rolling reserve call-ups to bolster Russia’s force generation mechanisms.

It's "limited" in the sense that those mobilized won't be in uniform for that long. Dying in a meat wave assault pretty much ensures that. 

While I think the chance of upheaval is higher in Russia, I do not rule out the possibility that Ukraine could experience the unrest first:

Ukraine and Russia are exhausted. Neither side is close to defeat and yet discontent is growing on both sides. In Russia, open criticism of the regime is spreading. Social media influencers have, bizarrely, led the charge. In Ukraine, fury is directed at press gangs who hunt down young men and force them, often violently, into the army. Today, the chances of some kind of political crisis in either Kyiv or Moscow seem more likely than a great breakthrough on the battlefield. 

Ukraine's relatively free society at least allows its soldiers better options than learning to like dying:

Ukraine’s top general ordered on Thursday a mandatory two-month time limit for front-line troops serving in forward positions, a week after photos of emaciated soldiers on combat duty sparked a nationwide outcry. 

So Ukrainian troops have that going for them.

Yet while I suspect that Russia's ground forces are significantly more vulnerable to cracking under the pressure of war, Ukraine could break first--with worse consequences.

To avoid the risk of collapse--of the army or state--might Putin accept Trump's outstretched hand to conceal Russia's defeat with a realignment to face China together? Quietly, of course. 

If not, just how will this war twist to provide somebody with a victory?

UPDATE (Monday): Huh:

“The overall mood is that’s enough already; you’ve been fighting for long enough,” a Russian official told the Washington Post last week on condition of anonymity. “It seems to everyone that it’s been going on for longer than World War II, the Great Patriotic War — and at the same time we can’t even take one region.” 

Will Russia accept Trump's fig leaf to conceal Putin's defeat and allow Russia to pivot to face China?

NOTE: ISW updates continue here. 

NOTE: Also, I put war-related links and commentary in the Weekend Data Dump on Substack. You may read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved.

Weekend Data Dump

The Weekend Data Dump is a compilation of short entries about the previous week’s defense and national security news that I found interesting. I couldn’t possibly comment on everything in my news flow or delve into everything that interests me. So most news that interests me doesn’t make the cut for a post. The rest go in the data dump. Enjoy!

HOP ON OVER AND READ IT! On the bright side, you can comment on Substack!

In case you missed it on Substack: The Iran War of 2026 Adjusts Its Terms of Service

In case you missed it on Substack: Peak China

In case you missed it on Substack: Designing Mobile, Protected Firepower. And related fighter drones.

In case you missed it on Substack: Is the Age of Carriers Over?

Help me out by subscribing on Substack and by liking and sharing posts. I occasionally post short data dump-type items (or not-so-short) on my Substack "Notes" section.

War Over?

America had two alternate objectives at the start of the war. Regime change or pounding down Iran to buy time. The means to achieve either were the same for a while. We've apparently decided the larger objective is no longer worth pursuing. For now.

It was apparent from the start that America had two potential objectives for the Iran War of 2026, per the president:

“When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations,” he said.

As I noted when the war started after hearing Trump's intent, America has a maximalist objective and a Plan B:

Trump strongly implies that the campaign is a drive-by attack that he hopes Iran’s opposition can exploit—but it is up to them to win the fight.

Plan A was the more expansive regime change plan that Israel was mostly working on. Plan B was settling for striking Iran enough to weaken their nuclear industry, their military, their defense industry, their leadership, and their economy. 

Then we shifted focus to a blockade instead of kinetic efforts to squeeze Iran into negotiating what amounts to a surrender deal that prevents Iran from getting nuclear weapons. And maybe regime change is made more likely.

Has America has decided to take the exit to collect an interim Plan B victory?

The Trump administration is arguing that the war in Iran has already ended because of the ceasefire that began in early April, an interpretation that would allow the White House to avoid the need to seek congressional approval.

The statement furthers an argument laid out by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during testimony in the Senate earlier Thursday, when he said the ceasefire effectively paused the war. Under that rationale, the administration has not yet met the requirement mandated by a 1973 law to seek formal approval from Congress for military action that extends beyond 60 days.

This interpretation poses a dilemma for war opponents. No president of either party has ever accepted the validity of the War Powers Resolution. Even when presidents have reported to Congress, the wording "consistent with" rather than "pursuant to" was used to reject the idea that the president must report. If the administration's interpretation is challenged, it risks a trip through the courts that ends in declaring the 1973 law unconstitutional. As it likely is.

And consider that by Friday when I read about that war power act interpretation, Trump had a briefing on military options going forward:

Top U.S. military leaders including Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, will brief President Donald Trump later on Thursday on potential military action against Iran, a U.S. official told Reuters. 

Did the president decide no bombardment or landing option is worth the effort at this point? Did he decide we already got the most bang for the buck already? Both against Iran and in a political context?

Will the momentum of declaring the war over for purposes of dealing with Congress expand to define the ongoing war (47+ years and still going)? Domestic needs could thicken that linkage. Is the blockade going to be an aggressive form of sanctions enforcement that doesn't rise to the legal level of war?

Will CENTCOM then be on a hair trigger if Iran opens fire anywhere to launch large retaliatory attacks to "mow the grass" inside Iran? Such defensive actions would not trigger the war powers resolution.

If this is the decision and not a pause before resuming the kinetic campaign, this is a military victory. Iran's military, nuclear program, and regime have been hammered. 

But it is not a war-winning victory that replaces the mullah regime. Iran's rulers, after reviewing the results, still insist it endured but a flesh wound. And if we're nice and accept their demands they will admit the war was a draw:

Do not become confused. The 47-year war that Iran started continues. Do not forget that. Iran's mullahs will try to regenerate their missing limbs if we let them. Just as they did after Israel smashed Iran's proxies and after Midnight Hammer that complemented Israel's strike campaign.

So as we go forward in the long war against Iran's mullah regime, don't focus on your worry. Focus on causing worry in Tehran. 

UPDATE: The diplomatic stalemate continues:

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he was not satisfied with the latest Iranian proposal for talks on the Iran war, while Iran's foreign minister said Tehran was ready for diplomacy if the United States changes its approach.

But who is weakening behind the firm stances? Or will the war resume? 

UPDATE: America seeks to open the Strait of Hormuz to take away Iran's hope of outlasting our will to blockade Iran:

The U.S. military said it fired on Iranian forces and sank six small boats targeting civilian ships as it moved to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. The United Arab Emirates, a key American ally, said it had come under attack from Iran for the first time since a fragile ceasefire took hold in early April.

We'll see how Iran votes. And whether we vote harder. 

UPDATE: Project Freedom:

[The] U.S. is not formally escorting individual ships. Instead, the military has built up a multi-layered buffer that includes aircraft, watercraft, airborne early warning systems and electronic warfare assets to help neutral vessels complete their transits. 

UPDATE: An Iranian delegation went to China. I wonder if the plan is to have China tell Iran to submit and open the Persian Gulf? 

President Donald Trump said he would pause an effort to help stranded ships exit the Strait of Hormuz to see if the US can reach an agreement with Iran to end the war.

UPDATE: The only thing worse than fighting a war with allies is fighting a war without them:

President Donald Trump’s abrupt reversal on his plan to help ships go through the Strait of Hormuz came after a key Gulf ally suspended the U.S. military’s ability to use its bases and airspace to carry out the operation, according to two U.S. officials.

Seems odd since America set up forces on the land--with permission, I assume--to provide a protective bubble over civilian ships. And seems odd since the Gulf Arab states no doubt want their exports to resume. But that's the report.

UPDATE: American forces defeated attacks on American destroyers and responded by striking Iranian anti-ship assets ashore.

UPDATE: I worry about tit-for-tat kinetics. But perhaps the real war is an economic squeeze on Iran so we don't need to really hammer Iran right now if it discourages Iran from hitting our Arab allies.

UPDATE: Project Freedom can resume: 

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have lifted restrictions on the U.S. military’s use of their bases and airspace imposed after the start of the American operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz[.]

Love to hear those conversations. 

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here. 

NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. It's the right thing to do!

Britain's Naval Strategy Gets Inverted

Russia's revived military antagonism has reversed the post-Soviet Royal Navy mission.

The problem Britain has defending waters in Europe from a revived Russian threat has left the defense of British interests and possessions around the globe short of naval assets. Britain can't afford to spare its more capable ships and subs for a global role. 

Britain must build new ships not fit for the line of battle in home waters but capable of flying the British flag around the globe:

Given limited resources, HM Government should therefore procure smaller, cheaper ships to provide greater global presence and better protection of British interests[.]

Before Russia went all "death or glory" to revive its empire in Europe by invading Ukraine, Britain was planning to use its high-end fleet globally:

As Britain moves to an off-shore military role around the globe, Britain stands up Vanguard Strike Companies. ...

It sounds like these units are the means of calling down the lightning bolts from Britain's carrier-centric fleet and possibly land-based air power to support a Thin Red Line ashore in support of allies.

But just as the rise of the Kaiser's navy forced Britain to concentrate naval power in home waters, the sociopath Russians have made British homeland defense something that can't be assumed. Yet global interests remain. And there is no global fleet to call home.

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here. 

NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. It's the right thing to do!

NOTE: Painting of Scapa Flow from Pinterest.

Battle Management

Ukraine has a constantly evolving list of who is naughty and who is nice on the battlefield. But is it really useful for NATO? Or for Ukraine in a different type of war?

Ukraine has a system to identify units on the battlefield to strike them quickly:

Ukraine has developed the Delta digital battle management system. With Delta, Ukrainian soldiers can detect a target and pass that data to an attack drone operator, who then destroys the target. The Delta system software dramatically reduces the time between detection and attack. ...

Using an AI/Artificial Intelligence system the Ukrainians can track over 10,000 Russian weapons systems, troop positions and drone operators each week. The map of these contacts is continually updated as the Russians move or are destroyed. At the same time Ukrainian commanders can also see the positions and movements of their own troops. This has dramatically reduced the incidents of friendly fire when Ukrainian soldiers are hit by Ukrainian drones or artillery fire.

That sounds great. NATO forces should be able to operate with that kind of speed. But is it just using recon drone data? Or can it use manned aircraft, satellites, signals intelligence, and even troop reports from the front?

Is the system optimized for--or just reliant on--Ukraine's static war? Could it function in a moving battle? Especially the ability to track friendly forces to avoid friendly fire.

I'm asking because while I want to learn from the Winter War of 2022 I do not want to simply copy the Winter War of 2022's lessons for Ukraine and for Russia from the conditions they face in the war right now. 

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here. 

NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. It's the right thing to do!

NOTE: Photo from here.

Undermining Deterrence

Our freedom undermines the success of our military in demonstrating reasons not to test us in battle. Nothing we can do about that--our freedom is what we defend, after all--but it is a real problem with trying to measure deterrence.

Via Instapundit we have this cold bucket of water on our demonstrated military capabilities against mullah-run Iran:

It’s almost impossible to win a war any more given the disgustingness of today’s information space between American grifters, social media incentives for disinformation-fueled clicks and nefarious foreign influences posing as America First.

Sadly, even when we win on the battlefield our enemies know that we are vulnerable at home to losing. Which is a truth known since the Athenians defeated the Persians at Marathon. Iran--and China--will exploit our weakness.

Again, I would never suggest that we suppress freedom of speech to prevent this problem. That would cause more problems. Even communist scum in America have freedom of speech. I just hope shame may eventually constrain the, ah ... enthusiastic .. expression of the right of dissent. A right that oddly is not met with mass arrests from our Orange Hitler regime.

Nor can I imagine the Iranian fanatics not drawing hope from the Saturday night assassination attempt against the president and whoever else would have gotten in the way (which included an officer who was hit but protected by his body armor) had he not been stopped outside the ballroom. 

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here. 

NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. It's the right thing to do!

NOTE: Photo from AFP.

When All You Have is a Drone

Ukraine and Russia to a lesser extent rely on battlefield drones as their primary tactical hammers. And so see every problem as a nail that must be pounded into the ground no matter how many blows it takes. What if either used another tool?

This is interesting:

An up-armored Leopard 1A5 tank belonging to the Ukrainian army’s 5th Heavy Mechanized Brigade shrugged off 52 first-person-view drones in a daylong bombardment, according to a new report from Ukrainian publication Defense Industry.

Every time I read about one of these mass FPV suicide drone attacks I wonder why an anti-tank gun or anti-tank missile wasn't used. With a tank optimized to stop small drones, wouldn't a direct-fire anti-tank weapon drill through the drone protection? The basic Leopard I is a very thinly armored tank. Even well-armored tanks are weaker away from the frontal arc.

I understand that if the tank is being attacked well behind the front "line" that direct-fire weapons can't be used. But I just get the impression that Ukraine and Russia use the FPV drones because that's what they have and not because it is the best weapon in the combined arms kit for the particular mission. 

Without a static front line with a very wide No-Man's Land, how could armies rely on firing so many drones at a single armored vehicle? Shouldn't direct fire be more in the mix?

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here. 

NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. It's the right thing to do!

NOTE: Photo from the essay. 

The Winter War of 2022 Asks Oligarchs What They Can Do For Putin

Sh*t got real in Russia. Putin is asking for "voluntary" contributions to the war effort from Russia's wealthy class. Once powerful centers of power, these rich people are now just cows to be milked. Is revenue a secondary objective to destroying the potential of oligarchs to fund rival centers of power to oppose Putin?

The war goes on. Ukraine's strategic air campaign seems to be working better than Russia's air campaign. And the battlefield seems to have shifted perceptibly in Ukraine's favor.

And the war must be funded. Ukraine gets money:

The European Council (EC) adopted on April 23 the final piece of legislation underpinning the EU’s 90 billion euro (roughly $105 billion) interest-free loan to Ukraine, which the EC initially approved in December 2025. 

And Ukraine only has to repay it if it gets reparations from Russia. 

Putin, on the other hand, is scrounging for kopecks in the couch cushion. Putin made an offer that Russia's wealthy can't refuse: 

Even as he promised to take all of Ukraine’s Donbas region, he invited the assembled gathering of wealthy businessmen to contribute voluntary aid to the war effort.

The notion of shaking down business in a problematic time for the country originated with the Rosneft director, who proposed the issuance of war bonds as the fundraising process. Since he was not a major shareholder in the company he runs, he will be spared the questionable honor of contributing his own money.

Others, though, responded immediately, offering $1.1 billion. Another sanctioned businessman agreed to contribute when asked.

These men had little choice. It is beyond belief that Russia’s major billionaires would refuse, and that’s closely linked to why these men should no longer be called oligarchs. Decades ago, they could impose their will on Russia, manipulate the legislature, and bend or subvert the law: they were oligarchs in the true sense of the word.

Ask not what Putin can do for the rich men formerly known as oligarchs--ask where the money is.

That’s certainly interesting. Just before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 I read that Putin got financing for military efforts from oligarchs and repaid them with contracts resulting from gains in the military action:

How ... feudal: "[Russia's small wars] are financed by members of Putin’s inner circle. They don’t come directly out of state budgets. ... The oligarchs who funded the annexation of Crimea, for example, received a multibillion-dollar contract to build a bridge connecting that peninsula over the Kerch Strait to Russia." This means of finance requires short and/or small victorious wars. Which the Russians hope their nuclear weapons can enforce after achieving gains.

It was all very feudal, no? And while Putin could have success in short and glorious special military operations, that method can't possibly scale up to sustain a war of attrition.

Yet the oligarchs lack the power to resist Putin's invitation to help. Will Putin squeeze these former supporters until they are impoverished? Will they seek new champions outside of Putin's orbit to survive this war?

Interesting times, indeed, for Russia. Could Putin be trying to destroy these men to prevent them from conspiring against him?

UPDATE (Tuesday): The rise and fall (sometimes out of windows) of Russia's oligarchs. 

NOTE: ISW updates continue here. 

NOTE: Also, I put war-related links and commentary in the Weekend Data Dump on Substack. You may read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved.

NOTE: Image obviously from JFK speech, with modifications.

Weekend Data Dump

The Weekend Data Dump is a compilation of short entries about the previous week’s defense and national security news that I found interesting. I couldn’t possibly comment on everything in my news flow or delve into everything that interests me. So most news that interests me doesn’t make the cut for a post. The rest go in the data dump. Enjoy!

HOP ON OVER AND READ IT! On the bright side, you can comment on Substack!

In case you missed it on Substack: Creating Good Jihadis

In case you missed it on Substack: The Taiwan Question

In case you missed it on Substack: Looking at Small Drone Dominance Through a Different Lens

In case you missed it on Substack: America Should Remain in NATO

Help me out by subscribing on Substack and by liking and sharing posts. I occasionally post short data dump-type items (or not-so-short) on my Substack "Notes" section.

Lebanon is Trapped in Its Fragility

I'm skeptical that the Lebanese government has the interest or capability to suppress Hezbollah, no matter how much Western help it gets.

Could Lebanon ask for Western help to defeat Hezbollah?

If Lebanon makes such a request, the West must answer.

For the U.S., Europe, and key Arab states — above all for NATO — this would present a clear and consequential choice to help a sovereign government restore control over its own territory. It is precisely the kind of international engagement that would be both justified and effective.

The Lebanese government has had the support of UNIFIL for decades without leveraging that to weaken Hezbollah--which reflects the force's role to shield Hezbollah from Israel. Western states have armed and trained the Lebanese military for decades and it remains incapable of remaining intact if it must fight internal enemies.

Sadly, no level of outside support can help the Lebanese government disband Hezbollah because the government is a fragile coalition of frenemies that includes Hezbollah.

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here. 

NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. It's the right thing to do!

NOTE: Image from the article.

UPDATE: Forgive the apostrophe in the title. Why that wasn't a screeching alarm until I looked at it later Sunday is beyond me. 

South Korea's Horizon Expands Beyond the DMZ

South Korea has emerged as an industrial and military power perched on the edge of northeast Asia.

Winning: 

For China, South Korea has become a crucial trading partner and dangerous regional naval power. 

As the TDR ouija board foretold:

As long as Chinese power projection didn't reach out much beyond about 50 miles from China's coast, this wasn't an issue. But South Korea is a major trading power with shipbuilding industries thriving on foreign orders. They just launched a large Aegis-equipped destroyer for their growing fleet. 

With a large GDP reliant on trade, South Korea now has the need to have open access to the sea. With a large GDP, South Korea has the means to protect those sea lines of communication. And with China heading out to sea, South Korea has the impetus to build a fleet capable of defending those sea lines of communication. 

China is surrounded by actual enemies or potentially hostile neighbors and I'd never trade places with them. As China builds up, others are reacting. Like any communists, they don't understand that there is no free lunch. Not ever.

Nineteen years later, China faces more opposition to its ambitions. 

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here. 

NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. It's the right thing to do!

NOTE: I made the image with Bing.

Plugging Drones into NATO Fleets

Drones are one more weapon to plug into fleet intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities rather than a replacement for the more expensive and capable weapons that rely on the ISR.

Absolutely exploit the quality of cheapness that many air and sea drones provide fleets:

NATO is working to integrate emerging technologies like uncrewed surface vehicles and fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles into crisis planning through its latest major exercises in the Baltic and Mediterranean seas.  

My issue has always been that the expensive ISR capabilities that NATO provides make Ukraine's air, surface, and undersea drones effective in the Black Sea. And the drones seen so dreamy because Ukraine has to rely on such cheap weapons rather than expensive Western weapons to fight the Russian navy there.

Cheap drones have mass going for them. But they can't replace the capabilities of the expensive weapons. Now what about using drones for point defense?

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here. 

NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. It's the right thing to do!

NOTE: Photo from the article.

A Larger Military Uses Up Inadequate Ammunition Faster

Right now, expanding America's defense industrial base is a critical need. 

It is prudent to pay attention to this issue:

Congress has expressed interest in the status of the U.S. military’s inventories of munitions (e.g., ammunition, bombs, missiles, torpedoes, anti-aircraft weapons, missile interceptors). Since the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran on February 28, 2026, some Members of Congress have sought information on the stockpiles and availability of U.S. weapons from the Department of Defense (DOD, which is “using a secondary Department of War designation,” under Executive Order 14347 dated September 5, 2025). Some Members have raised concerns about potential shortfalls in munitions, while other Members have said munitions are not an immediate concern. President Donald J. Trump has said U.S. munitions are “virtually unlimited.” DOD officials have said sufficient munitions are available, while maintaining that the status of U.S. stocks is considered “an operational security matter.” In these comments, officials have not differentiated between stocks of air-to-ground and air-to-air munitions versus missiles and missile interceptors. 

If we had the ability to supply multiple wars at once, we would not only have sufficient to wage a war with a margin of error, but we'd still be adding to our war reserve stockpiles while also helping allies.

Don't you dare warn me about the military-industrial complex. We would in fact again be the Arsenal of Democracy. 

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here. 

NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. It's the right thing to do!