Iran’s inflation, hovering around 20% and spiking above 40% during sanctions, has become a structural feature of its macro‑economy. The country’s fragmented exchange‑rate system, fiscal deficits financed by the central bank, and dominant state‑linked enterprises perpetuate price pressures. Analysts argue that normalizing the economy requires unifying exchange rates, ending monetary financing, and redefining the state’s role, even if the transition is politically painful. Technical cooperation with the IMF and World Bank could guide reforms, but delays risk deeper dollarization and economic decay.
HII reported FY25 revenue of $12.5 bn, an 8.2% rise year‑over‑year, driven by a 14% increase in shipbuilding throughput. Ingalls Shipbuilding and Newport News Shipbuilding posted revenue gains of 11.2% and 9.0% respectively, while Mission Technologies contributed $3.0 bn, up 3.6%. Operating...
Thomas Countryman, chair of the Arms Control Association, warned that the New START treaty will soon expire and urged the United States to negotiate a replacement with Russia while opening consultations with China. He highlighted the loss of experienced negotiators...
Moffett Air National Guard Base will host a joint U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy flyover that will streak across the sky during the national anthem of Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8. The championship pits the Seattle Seahawks against the...
Airbus and Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) completed the first flight demonstration of HTeaming, integrating the Flexrotor uncrewed aerial system with an H225M Super Puma helicopter. The trial, conducted in January at a Singapore airbase, showcased real‑time data...
The UK Ministry of Defence will unveil a new "segmented approach" to defence procurement on April 1, 2026, coinciding with April Fool’s Day. The model splits contracts into three tiers—major platforms within two years, upgrades within one year, and rapid commercial...

Israel’s ambassador to India warned that any state tolerating jihadist proxies jeopardizes its own security, emphasizing the need to dismantle Hamas as part of President Trump’s 20‑point Gaza plan. The U.S.‑led "Board of Peace" now includes Pakistan, Turkey and Qatar,...

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spent three days in Riyadh, Doha and Abu Dhabi to secure Gulf energy, investment and defence deals aimed at reducing Berlin's reliance on the United States and China. After the 2025 loss of Russian pipeline gas, Germany imported...
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) has now been in development for 15 years, accumulating more than $30 billion in taxpayer spending. The program’s launch cadence remains painfully slow, with fewer than one flight per year, undermining its intended role in deep‑space...

India’s 2026‑27 Union Budget allocates a record ₹7.85 trillion (≈$87 billion) to defence, a 15 percent rise over the previous year. The surge is driven by Operation Sindoor, a series of retaliatory air strikes that heightened focus on modernisation. Capital outlay jumps to ₹2.31 trillion,...

Germany is spearheading a “two‑speed” European Union defence initiative by forming an E6 group of the bloc’s six largest economies – Germany, France, Poland, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands. The format aims to bypass consensus‑driven decision‑making to accelerate defence investment,...

France is redirecting its African security policy from the faltering Sahel model to a partnership with Kenya, formalized through the first France‑Kenya Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA). The DCA shifts focus to joint training, maritime security, intelligence sharing, and peace‑support operations,...
RAND Europe hosted a webinar examining how artificial general intelligence could reshape global power dynamics and what steps Europe should take to prepare. Experts highlighted the EU’s current fragmented approach and the need for a unified policy that balances innovation,...
A deepening rivalry between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates is reshaping Gulf politics as Riyadh pursues Vision 2030 and seeks to eclipse Abu Dhabi’s dominance in finance, tourism and logistics. The split, first evident in public accusations of the UAE...

Veterans Brian Parks and Bill Pencil are teaching automotive technology and welding at Tolles Career & Technical Center in Plain City, Ohio, bringing military‑honed teamwork, discipline, and technical expertise to high‑school students. Their hands‑on instruction aligns with Central Ohio’s rapidly...
U.S. authorities have seized at least seven tankers linked to Venezuela’s shadow fleet, part of a broader push to disrupt illicit oil flows from Iran, Russia and Venezuela. The seizures rely on civil forfeiture statutes rather than wartime prize law,...
The Nuclear Non‑Proliferation Treaty, long‑standing pillar of global arms control, faces unprecedented strain in 2026 as Iran appears poised to exit or breach its obligations. A retreat by the United States from multilateral leadership and intensifying great‑power competition are eroding...

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a binding operational directive requiring federal agencies to inventory, replace, and continuously monitor end‑of‑support (EOS) edge devices after detecting active exploitation by advanced threat actors, some linked to nation‑states. Agencies have three...

U.S. Navy Captain Royce Williams, a 100‑year‑old Korean War veteran, will receive the Medal of Honor for a 1952 dogfight in which he downed four Soviet MiG jets while fending off seven attackers. The battle, which lasted 35 minutes and left...

Over 19,500 technology, data and telecommunications employees left the federal government in 2025, resulting in a net loss of 17,228 tech positions after limited hiring. The departures spanned six agencies with the biggest cuts, including Defense, Treasury, Agriculture, Veterans Affairs,...
DARPA has launched the Lift Challenge, a competition that aims to develop vertical‑lift drones capable of carrying at least four times their own weight. The contest offers up to $6.5 million in prize money, with a live flight test scheduled for...

Congress is debating the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows warrantless collection of foreign communications but often sweeps up U.S. persons. Recent Trump-era domestic surveillance orders and expanded data‑provider definitions have heightened Democratic concerns...
The U.S. Air Force held a virtual industry day on Jan. 29, 2026 to launch a sweeping overhaul of its requirements and acquisition process, as mandated by the Secretary of War’s reform memo. About 350 defense‑industry leaders, ranging from large contractors to...
Charai argues that the Yemen conflict should be viewed less as a Saudi‑UAE versus Iran Gulf rivalry and more as a litmus test for the international community's ability to contain extremist movements. He highlights that the war’s primary driver is...

Around 200 Wisconsin National Guard soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 120th Field Artillery Regiment completed an 11‑day cold‑weather training cycle at Fort McCoy from Jan. 21‑31. The exercise emphasized individual tasks, teamwork, and proficiency on M777 and M119 howitzers under sub‑zero...

European Union member states have reached a breakthrough agreement to provide Ukraine with a €90 billion support package for 2026‑2027, of which roughly €60 billion is allocated to military aid and €30 billion to budget stabilization and reforms. The financing will be sourced...
Yevgeniya Gaber, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, has joined Ukraine’s state news agency Ukrinform to provide expert commentary on the evolving Turkey‑Ukraine relationship. She emphasizes how Turkey’s strategic calculus balances its ties to Russia with its growing economic...

Poland’s Ministry of National Defence detained a middle‑level employee, Władysław P., on February 3 for suspected espionage on behalf of Russian or Belarusian intelligence. The civil servant worked in the Department of Strategy and Defence Planning, which drafts the nation’s core...

French President Emmanuel Macron announced a defence budget that will exceed 2% of GDP, allocating €413 bn from 2024 to 2030—up from €295 bn in the previous seven‑year period. The 2026 budget reaches €57.2 bn, reflecting annual increases aimed at modernising the armed...

In April 1988 the United States launched Operation Praying Mantis, a massive naval retaliation that destroyed two Iranian oil platforms, sank the frigate Sahand, and eliminated the missile boat Joshan, effectively wiping out half of Iran's operational fleet in a...

On 5 February 2026 the New START treaty – the last formal US‑Russia strategic arms‑control pact – expired, ending quantitative limits on deployed strategic warheads and launchers. While a tentative “handshake” deal may keep the limits informally in place, the treaty’s collapse...

Sweden’s accession to NATO has closed the strategic gap in the Baltic Sea, but Russia continues to exploit sub‑threshold hybrid tactics that target critical undersea infrastructure. The alliance’s conventional superiority does not automatically translate into deterrence against sabotage, GPS jamming,...
The Program Executive Office Aircraft Carriers announced that Builder’s Sea Trials for the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) were completed at Newport News Shipbuilding on February 4, 2026. The trials marked the first time the Gerald R. Ford‑class carrier left the pier, testing critical...
Andrew Peek has been appointed the inaugural director of the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht National Security Resilience Initiative, housed within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. In this role he will steer efforts to embed resilience as a core pillar...

The Texas National Guard’s 36th Infantry Division held a farewell ceremony at Camp Mabry before deploying to the Middle East in support of Operation Spartan Shield. The division will complete final readiness training and mission validation ahead of a March...
The U.S. 6th Fleet’s Cutlass Express 2026 brings together 19 partner nations to boost maritime law‑enforcement capacity in East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean. The exercise combines shore‑based and at‑sea training, including VBSS, interdiction, and illegal‑fishing scenarios. It also...

A federal judge expressed skepticism that any Supreme Court precedent justifies the Pentagon’s decision to censure Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy pilot, for appearing in a video urging troops to defy unlawful orders. Kelly’s attorneys argue the censure violates...

The article argues that the United States now enjoys a unique, uncontested sphere of influence across the Western Hemisphere, anchored by overwhelming military spending and deep economic integration. By contrast, China and Russia lack the capacity to establish comparable regional...

The UK’s Joint Intelligence Committee quietly published a national security assessment linking global biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse to direct threats to national prosperity. The report warns that critical ecosystems could breach tipping points as early as 2030, triggering crop...

Following the January 3 capture of Nicolás Maduro, a memo authored by former U.S. officials outlines a roadmap for Washington to steer Venezuela toward a prosperous, U.S.-aligned future. It calls for immediate benchmarks on human‑rights reforms, dismantling of paramilitary groups, and...

Belarusian balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes entered Polish airspace for a third consecutive night, prompting temporary civil‑aviation restrictions in the Podlaskie region. The incursions are viewed as low‑cost, low‑escalation tests of Poland’s air‑defence systems and an attempt to sow friction within...

The USS John F. Kennedy, the second Ford‑class carrier, began its first sea trials in February 2026. Repeated delays caused by elevator, electromagnetic catapult, and arresting‑gear problems pushed delivery from an original 2022 target to mid‑2026 and raised the contract...

The article examines why nations continue to trade even amid armed conflict, highlighting the paradox of wartime commerce. It uses the United States‑China relationship as a case study, noting Washington’s push to “de‑risk” supply chains and the 2025 Chinese embargo...

Stephen M. Walt argues that Donald Trump’s second term embodies a "predatory hegemon" strategy, merging illiberal hegemony with a demand for reciprocity from other states. The piece surveys competing labels—realist, nationalist, mercantilist, imperialist, isolationist—before concluding that Trump’s approach is best...

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s consultation highlights the UK’s growing reliance on imported LNG as North Sea production declines, requiring costly new compressors to reverse gas flow. Rare‑scenario modelling shows a potential £1 billion‑per‑day economic hit if the...

The U.S. Department of State has cleared more than $15 billion in arms sales to Israel and Saudi Arabia. Israel’s package, valued at roughly $6.7 billion, includes 30 Apache helicopters and 3,250 light tactical vehicles. Saudi Arabia’s deal, about $9 billion, features 730...

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski rejected calls for a EU federal army, calling the idea unrealistic, and instead floated a “European Legion” – a volunteer brigade‑size formation open to citizens of member and candidate states. He acknowledged the legion would not...

Australia and India are seeking to deepen their maritime partnership by moving beyond navy‑to‑navy drills to formalized coast guard cooperation. While the 2020 comprehensive strategic partnership has accelerated naval exercises such as AUSINDEX, civil maritime collaboration remains ad‑hoc and under‑resourced....

On 19 February 2025 a Falcon 9 booster fragment re‑entered uncontrolled and landed on Polish soil, prompting a police seizure and a prosecutor’s decision to drop criminal charges. The European Space Agency has now issued a €200‑500 k tender to independently reconstruct the breakup,...

The Trump administration launched the second phase of its Gaza peace plan, a move endorsed by the UN Security Council in November. Phase one, which began in October, secured a cease‑fire, returned hostages, freed roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, and restored...