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Real-time aggregation — ISW • Bellingcat • The Warzone • War on the Rocks • Reuters • Google News

Updated: March 09, 2026 • 21:30 UTC  •  198 articles

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War on the Rocks 13h ago

AI-Ready Biodata Is America’s Next Strategic Infrastructure

There is little doubt in Washington that AI is a powerful technology that will help determine which country rules the 21st century. Policymakers from the Hill to the White House have made U.S. AI leadership a priority and invested significant resources towards staying ahead of competitors. Yet the United States is at perhaps greater risk than ever before of losing the broader global technology com

War on the Rocks 14h ago

AI and the New Blueprint of Terrorism

Advanced violence is democratizing.  AI, in conjunction with dramatic improvements in robotics, energy production, and sensors, will increasingly enable ever-smaller groups of people to use targeted violence more effectively, and from a distance. Over time, this shift will dramatically impact all varieties of force projection: state-on-state war, various forms of low-intensity conflict, and how st

War on the Rocks 14h ago

As War With Iran Rages, the Axis of Resistance is in Survival Mode

In Beirut, Baghdad, and across the Middle East, the same pattern repeats: a leader is killed, a funeral fills the streets, and within weeks someone new is giving orders.Indeed, despite the setbacks faced by the regional network of armed groups aligned with Iran that calls itself the “axis of resistance,” it has not disappeared. U.S. forces have struck several groups linked to the Popular Mobilizat

Bellingcat 1d ago

Video Shows US Tomahawk Missile Strike Next to Girls’ School in Iran

New video footage shows a US Tomahawk missile hitting an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facility in Minab, Iran, on Feb 28, showing for the first time that the US struck the area. The footage, released by Mehr News and geolocated by Bellingcat, also shows smoke already rising from the vicinity of the girls’ school […] The post Video Shows US Tomahawk Missile Strike Next to Girls’ School

The Warzone 1d ago

Air War Against Iran Enters Week Two (Updated)

Iran continues to target its neighbors' oil production as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is nearly at a stand still. The post Air War Against Iran Enters Week Two (Updated) appeared first on The War Zone .

Bellingcat 2d ago

New Footage Shows Wanted Kinahan Cartel Kingpins Post-Sanctions

This article is the result of a collaboration with The Sunday Times. You can find their corresponding piece here. Kinahan cartel leaders Daniel and Christy Kinahan have been photographed in Dubai, marking the most recent sighting of the wanted crime bosses since the US government put multi-million dollar bounties on their heads. The footage was […] The post New Footage Shows Wanted Kinahan Cartel

Bellingcat 2d ago

The Incendiary Bomb Never Seen in Israel Before

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has dropped 5,000 bombs on Iran since the United States and Israel launched an attack last week, according to a statement by the IAF on March 4. Bellingcat has monitored weapons used in the first few days of the war, and strikes across the region, including those that caused civilian […] The post The Incendiary Bomb Never Seen in Israel Before appeared first on bellingc

War on the Rocks 3d ago

Why Washington’s Kurdish Gambit Could Backfire in Iran

The Trump administration should abandon any plans to arm Iranian Kurdish forces before the first fighter crosses the Iraqi-Iranian border. Not refine it. Not sequence it more carefully. Drop it entirely. The operation will not topple the Iranian regime, will inflame the Persian nationalism that is the Islamic Republic’s most reliable reserve fuel, and — most damagingly — will hand Tehran a coaliti

War on the Rocks 3d ago

Quenching the Nuclear Stockpile’s Thirst for Tritium

Most accounts of the Manhattan Project tell a familiar story: American scientists relentlessly racing to design and build the fission bombs that would ultimately fall on Japan. A neglected chapter of the saga was the obsessive advocacy of a handful of physicists who favored a far more potent weapon design. The “Super” of their imagination would derive its explosive energy not simply from fission,

The Warzone 3d ago

U.S. Denies F-15E Strike Eagle Went Down In Iran

There are new risks as the U.S. expands its air campaign deeper into Iran, and meanwhile Iran has begun to strike Azerbaijan with drones. The post U.S. Denies F-15E Strike Eagle Went Down In Iran appeared first on The War Zone .

War on the Rocks 4d ago

The Adversarial: War in Iran Shapes Adversaries’ Calculations

Welcome to The Adversarial. Every other week, we’ll provide you with expert analysis on America’s greatest challengers: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and jihadists. Read more below.***IranSince the United States and Israel launched joint military strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, their targeting has worked through a lengthy list of senior Iranian officials (including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

The Warzone 4d ago

The Misconception That Air Supremacy Has Been Achieved Over Iran

While there are areas where air superiority exists over Iran, total air supremacy has not been achieved, which should be no surprise. The post The Misconception That Air Supremacy Has Been Achieved Over Iran appeared first on The War Zone .

Bellingcat 4d ago

Using Bellingcat’s New Open Source Tool to Explore Historical and Spatial Flight Data

Flight tracking data is an important tool in open source research, but with 100,000 daily flights, it can be difficult to contextualise what a particular aircraft’s movements indicate.  Bellingcat has developed a tool called Turnstone to make it easier to visualise historical trends in flight data and spot unusual patterns. It also allows users to […] The post Using Bellingcat’s New Open Source To

War on the Rocks 4d ago

Why a $1.5 Trillion Defense Budget Request Might Slow the Pentagon’s Reform Efforts

On Jan. 7, 2026, President Donald Trump announced:I have determined that, for the Good of our Country, especially in these very troubled and dangerous times, our Military Budget for the year 2027 should not be $1 Trillion Dollars, but rather $1.5 Trillion Dollars…While the specifics of the request have not yet been released, a $1.5 trillion defense budget would be a roughly 50 percent increase on

War on the Rocks 4d ago

The Bay of Bengal Flank: India’s Three-Front Dilemma and Its Implications for Taiwan

What if the biggest variable in whether China attacks Taiwan is how many directions New Delhi is forced to look at once?When considering a Taiwan contingency, people tend to focus on cross-Strait dynamics and China’s military capabilities for understandable reasons. But they should be thinking about India much more. India’s ability to create risk for China matters more than most debates over the f

War on the Rocks 4d ago

Fighting an Economic War Without Fused Intelligence

Editor’s note: This article is the third in an 11-part series examining how the United States should organize, lead, and integrate economic statecraft into strategy, defense practice, and the broader national security ecosystem. This special series is brought to you by the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies and War on the Rocks. Prior installments can be found at the War by Other Ledgers page. I

War on the Rocks 5d ago

Bonus In Brief: Global Reaction to the War in Iran

On Feb. 28, the United States and Israel launched major, ongoing strikes against Iran — including killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and many other senior officials. In response, Iran has launched strikes against U.S. military sites, Israel, and economic and civilian targets in Arab Gulf states. The scale of this war will have global consequences. As world leaders adjust to a new reality in the M

War on the Rocks 5d ago

What Recent Military Operations Signal About Trump’s Grand Strategy

In his 2025 article, “Start Making Sense, Strategy and Grand Strategy in the Trump Administration,” Joshua Rovner argued Trump’s flexible approach to a grand strategy could be a strategic problem in the event of war. A year later, amidst an escalating conflict in the Middle East, we asked Joshua to revisit his argument.Image: Tia Dufour via The Trump White House In your 2025 article, “Start Making

The Warzone 5d ago

One Of Iran’s Most Advanced Wacky Catamaran Warships Sunk In Epic Fury

The Shahid Soleimani class warship is now on the list of ships the U.S. has sunk, with the Iranian Navy looking more like a memory than anything else at this point. The post One Of Iran’s Most Advanced Wacky Catamaran Warships Sunk In Epic Fury appeared first on The War Zone .

Bellingcat 5d ago

Satellite Imagery Reveals Strikes on Iranian Police Stations

US President Donald Trump said on January 2 that the US was “locked and loaded and ready to go”. Trump was talking aloud about intervening in Iran if it continued a violent crackdown on demonstrators who had taken to the streets over spiralling inflation and ongoing repression.  Thousands of Iranian’s were reported to have been […] The post Satellite Imagery Reveals Strikes on Iranian Police Stati

War on the Rocks 5d ago

The Velocity Gap Between Pakistan and India

In contemporary South Asian crises, velocity matters more than military power. Velocity means how fast responsibility is assigned, actions are authorized, limited operations are executed, and a dominant narrative is established before diplomatic intervention. Rather than focusing only on military capability, velocity is about the speed of coordinated action. Countries that move swiftly to shape ev

War on the Rocks 5d ago

The Burden That Should Not Be Theirs: How Congress Turned the Military into the Last Check on Illegal War

Congress has unintentionally shifted the burden of preventing an unconstitutional war squarely onto the military. By failing to exercise its war powers, it has positioned the American military as a firewall made of parchment between itself and the White House. Democratic members of Congress and the Senate have issued solemn warnings regarding unlawful orders and disobedience, hoping the military w

The Warzone 5d ago

New Russian Air-Launched Cruise Missile Appears In Ukraine

The Izdeliye 30 is likely cheaper, faster to produce, and harder-hitting than previous Russian air-launched cruise missiles. The post New Russian Air-Launched Cruise Missile Appears In Ukraine appeared first on The War Zone .

War on the Rocks 6d ago

In Brief: Increasing Tensions Between China and Japan Create Risks for the Region

Tensions between China and Japan have been heating up in recent months, sparked in November by a statement from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that Beijing interpreted as suggesting that Japan would respond militarily if China attacked Taiwan. Takaichi has pledged to increase Japan’s defense spending, and a major electoral victory in February has strengthened her position. We asked four ex

Bellingcat 6d ago

“Bombs will fall Everywhere”: The American, Israeli and Iranian Weapons Being Deployed in Middle East

The United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran on Saturday morning, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as well as several senior regime figures and striking multiple sites across the country. Iran retaliated by firing at targets across the region, including Israel, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and other Gulf states. The conflict is […] The post “Bombs will fall Everywhere”: The Amer

War on the Rocks 6d ago

Why Satellites Fail — and How to Protect Them

This exclusive Cogs of War interview is with Jean-François Morizur, the CEO and founder of Cailabs, a French company focused on ground-to-satellite laser optical communications. As satellites play a more critical and contested role than ever in global and defense communications, we asked him to share his thoughts on the emerging satellite-protection industry and growing a deep-tech company.In popu

War on the Rocks 6d ago

Foundry, Fleet, and Fight: Hedging the U.S. Navy

The U.S. Navy got some serious nautical miles under its belt during the first year of this administration, with combat operations from the Caribbean to Iran to Nigeria alongside its more regular duties. With no sign of President Donald Trump slowing down on global interventions and a tense geopolitical atmosphere, the United States remains in need of a navy that can fight and win wherever it is ca

War on the Rocks 7d ago

Missed Signals and Middle East Shockwaves

Welcome to The Ukraine Compass, a weekly digest of Ukrainian commentary and analysis from across the political spectrum only for War on the Rocks members. Each Monday, we bring you a curated selection of articles from Ukrainian media offering insight into how Ukrainians themselves debate the issues shaping their country.American coverage often narrows the view to the battlefield — these pieces wid

War on the Rocks 7d ago

Washington Built the AI Infrastructure AUKUS Needs — Then Locked Allies Out

The Manhattan Project brought allied scientists to Los Alamos because winning required pooling allied scientific capacity. Today, as Australia invests $3.4 billion in quantum and advanced defense technologies and autonomous capabilities, the United States has built the supercomputing infrastructure those technologies require — then locked its partners out of accessing it.President Donald Trump’s G

War on the Rocks 7d ago

The Deluge, the Paper Cup, and Washington’s Lack of Urgency on Guam

As I conclude nearly four decades of military and public service, including as lieutenant governor of Guam, a line from the 1986 Crowded House song “Don’t Dream It’s Over” keeps returning to me: “Trying to catch a deluge in a paper cup.”For Guam — a U.S. territory and cornerstone of American power projection increasingly under threat from both North Korea and China — that metaphor appears increasi

War on the Rocks 9d ago

Twice Bombed, Still Nuclear: The Limits of Force Against Iran’s Atomic Program

On Feb. 28, the United States and Israel launched coordinated but separately named military campaigns against Iran — the United States under Operation Epic Fury and Israel under Operation Roaring Lion — striking Iran’s nuclear facilities, ballistic missile infrastructure, and military leadership and command structures. In a video message broadcast, President Donald Trump again urged Iranians to “t

Bellingcat 13d ago

How Russia’s War Has Devastated Civilian Life in Ukraine

In the tiny town of Krasnopillia in rural Ukraine, the stillness of the night is shattered by the whine of a Russian drone. Seconds later, a community hospital bursts into flames. Sparks and debris rain down across the skeletons of trees as the fire sends plumes of smoke into the pitch-black sky. Dozens of people […] The post How Russia’s War Has Devastated Civilian Life in Ukraine appeared first

Bellingcat 17d ago

Viral Child Soldiers on TikTok: The ‘Disney Stars’ of Sudan’s Civil War

To stay up to date on our latest investigations, join Bellingcat’s WhatsApp channel here. You can read an Arabic version of this investigation on Radio Dabanga’s site here. Child soldiers linked to Sudan’s warring factions have gained viral fame on TikTok, with their videos attracting millions of views. A Bellingcat investigation has found that the […] The post Viral Child Soldiers on TikTok: The

Bellingcat 18d ago

Shipwrecks, Sham Papers and False Flags: Tracking the Company Behind It All

A shipwreck in India, an ammunition seizure in Senegal, and a raid on an oil tanker in Malaysia – all three incidents involve ageing vessels, operating with false papers and one recurring figure: Captain Suniel Kumar Sharma. For over a decade, Sharma has been condemned by the governments of Dominica, Guyana, Samoa, the Federated States […] The post Shipwrecks, Sham Papers and False Flags: Tracking

Bellingcat 27d ago

Epstein Files: X Users Are Asking Grok to ‘Unblur’ Photos of Children

In the days after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) published 3.5 million pages of documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, multiple users on X have asked Grok to “unblur” or remove the black boxes covering the faces of children and women in images that were meant to protect their privacy.  While […] The post Epstein Files: X Users Are Asking Grok to ‘Unblur’ Photos of Children

Defense & Weapons 78d ago

OPINION | Is the US military assistance for 2026 enough to build a strong deterrence? The problem with the US security sector loan is it would tie the Philippines with American defense manufacturers that sell expensive weapons systems. https://tinyurl.com/yc7 - facebook.com

OPINION | Is the US military assistance for 2026 enough to build a strong deterrence? The problem with the US security sector loan is it would tie the Philippines with American defense manufacturers that sell expensive weapons systems. https://tinyurl.com/yc7 facebook.com