Author: thaobh.leo@gmail.com

A missile does not need to be launched to change the strategic balance. Sometimes, simply knowing that it can travel thousands of kilometers is enough.That is the peculiar power of long-range ballistic missiles. These weapons can cross continents, spend much of their flight outside the atmosphere, and deliver their payload over extraordinary distances. For nuclear-armed states, they are more than weapons, they are a central part of strategic deterrence.But there is a catch: the longest-range missile is not automatically the most capable.Range is only one piece of the puzzle. Payload, accuracy, launch method, mobility, survivability, and the ability to carry…

Major powers are increasingly trying to shut out their rivals. Russia invaded Ukraine in part to prevent the latter’s further integration with the West. The United States is restricting China’s access to advanced semiconductors and encouraging allies to do the same. China’s Belt and Road Initiative secures privileged positions in strategic infrastructure and economic relationships. Though these examples vary in aims and methods, they reflect a growing willingness of major powers to restrict rivals’ access and influence.I use the term ‘strategic exclusion’ to describe policies that move competition from shared access to restricted access. Territorial control is its most extreme…

Rheinmetall has been commissioned by an international customer to supply artillery ammunition. The customer has ordered a low five-figure quantity of 155mm artillery projectiles. The contract value, which was recognised in the third quarter of 2026, is in the low three-digit million-euro range. Production has already begun, and the order is due to be completed in 2027. The projectiles supplied by Rheinmetall are already in service with various NATO countries. They can be fired from a wide range of 155mm weapon systems and offer a long range and high effectiveness. This contract underscores Rheinmetall’s high level of expertise in the…

Many lifters share a common bad habit. Rushing the setup. It’s understandable because who doesn’t want to get to the good stuff sooner? But skipping the setup can be the difference between a successful set and a sucky one. A classic example is the Romanian deadlift. The RDL isn’t just bending over with a barbell and hoping the glutes and hamstrings grow. If your feet aren’t rooted, your lats and core aren’t engaged, or the bar drifts away from your quads, your lower back might be the only muscle getting a pump. That’s why your RDL starts before gripping the…

Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) said Monday there is “a lot of work that has to be done” to build broad support in Congress for the Trump administration’s ambitious Golden Dome missile defense system, in part because lawmakers still do not have any meaningful information about the system more than a year after President Donald Trump announced the initiative.  “To be able to, I think, first of all, get the information that we need is extremely important, but also to have a better understanding of just what Golden Dome involves,” Fischer said at the Air and Space Forces Association’s Air, Space…

Family members, survivors and first responders turned out Saturday to break ground on a visitor center at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial 18 years after the historic site first opened. The $100 million Pentagon 9/11 Memorial Visitor Education Center, located across a busy parkway from the Pentagon and its adjacent memorial in Arlington, Virginia, will contain exhibits and host programs about the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The facility, expected to open in 2029, will also include event spaces, a cafe and bookstore. The Pentagon Memorial first opened to the public on Sept. 11, 2008, the first of the…

Wescom Defence, a trusted global manufacturer and solutions provider to the defence industry, specialising in advanced pyrotechnics, multispectral camouflage, soldier survivability, operational infrastructure and prime contracting support, reveals its ATMIS Mobile Signature Management system for the first time at DVD 2026. The advanced concealment technology, designed and supplied by BCB International, is being showcased alongside Wescom Defence’s other concealment products and capabilities at Stand C3-L02. BCB International is a Wescom Defence brand, with both BCB International and Wescom Defence developing and delivering innovative survivability solutions. Together they combine specialist engineering and field-proven tactical equipment with Wescom’s broad global manufacturing and…

The Sukhoi Su-57E performed at EIAS26 on all three days of the show. Every morning the export version of the Su-57 would be pulled out of the shelters on the far side of the airport for the flying display. It’s 5-minute effort showed off its incredible manoeuvrability and caught the attention of the many spectators After landing and taxiing back to the shelter area, it would eventually be towed over to the static display and parked alongside several air-launched weapons that had never been on public display before. Unlike the rest of the missiles on show, they were not labelled.…

The U.S. Department of the Air Force deployed on-orbit space control weapons in an effort to meet evolving threats from adversaries and boost space capabilities.Air Force Secretary Troy Meink announced Monday at the the Air & Space Forces Association’s 2026 Air, Space & Cyber Conference that the service has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against “hostile adversary action.”Meink announced in a keynote address Monday at the Air & Space Forces Association’s 2026 Air, Space & Cyber Conference that the service has on-orbit space control weapons that are capable of defending the joint force against “hostile…

The Pennsylvania gun company Geissele Automatics introduced a production-ready model of its Hypervelocity Improved Capability Assault Rifle, or HICAR, as part of a Special Operations Command (SOCOM) program to extend the service life of the legacy M4 carbine with new capabilities. The company started a series of promotional videos about building the HICAR since announcing the weapon early last month, saying it wants to highlight the design’s performance and show what “high-speed product development” looks like. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, which issued the solicitation in May, had a 21-day response period that has ended. The solicitation asked for an…