When the Department of Defense last updated its directive that regulates the political activities of servicemembers, the social media platforms TikTok, Instagram, and WhatsApp had not yet been created. Twitter was two years old, and Facebook had only b…

After a bit of a lull, officials, experts and commentators in Russia are again talking up the possibility, if not the imperative, of Russia using nuclear weapons against Ukraine or countries in the NATO alliance. In response to this latest wave of comm…

Editor’s Speech: The following is President Abraham Lincoln’s message to Congress, on July 4, 1861.    Fellow-Citizens of the Senate and House of Representatives: Having been convened on an extraordinary occasion, as authorized by the …

Editor’s Note: On July 4, 1821, then-Secretary of State John Quincy Adams gave the following Independence Day speech.   And now, friends and countrymen, if the wise and learned philosophers of the elder world, the first observers of nutation and a…

As an aspiring Green Beret in the U.S. Army Special Forces Qualification Course, I was taught how to prepare a program of instruction for an indigenous partner force. I learned to assess which aspects of our partner’s organization and tactics are worki…

On June 1, the Guardian reported that during a simulation conducted by the U.S. Air Force, an AI drone “killed” its operator. According to Col. Tucker Hamilton, chief of the Air Force’s AI Test and Operations, the drone had been ordered to eliminate en…

The issue of sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine roiled German and European politics for months in late 2022. The United States and Europe had collectively committed to support Ukraine in its war with Russia. Ukraine said it needed Western tanks — and t…

This is a free edition of our members-only newsletter, In Brief, where each week we ask three experts to weigh in on a key issue or event. To receive more exclusive content like this, sign up to become a War on the Rocks member today. *** This weekend,…

As with many War on the Rocks readers, I was taken aback by the events of June 23rd to 25th in Russia. This weekend I had the distinct pleasure of experiencing this world-historic event at my cousin’s bachelor party, rehearsal dinner, and wedding. Desp…

Japan’s ambitious national security and defense strategies offer the opportunity to build a far more operationally effective and deeply integrated U.S.-Japanese alliance. As Japan moves to stand up its first Permanent Joint Operational Headquarters, th…