For years, military doctrine in the United States and Israel rested on a powerful but flawed assumption: that clear superiority of arms would deter conflict or, failing that, bring wars to a swift and successful conclusion. The wars of this…
While the Iran war is currently on hold, the race to study and apply its lessons has only just begun. Distilled into three main points, the war demonstrated that the U.S. military is a) now proficient, though not exceptional, at…
Today, a consequential fault line in the Middle East runs not just between Riyadh and Tehran but between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi — two capitals that share a region, a border, and a security patron, but little else in terms…
IF THERE IS ONE STORY FROM THE PAST WEEK that best represents the brave new world we are entering as the Trump administration continues its dismantling of the much derided “liberal international order” that was underpinned by U.S. military power,…
The US naval blockade of Iran is a good policy, but its potential effectiveness appears overstated and its purpose misguided. Rather than back down from efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz (as the Trump administration appears to be doing), the United States needs to double…
As a former deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, a Navy SEAL and a member of the National Security Council under former President George W. Bush, I spent decades helping oversee U.S. military operations across the Middle East under leaders…
For almost half a century, the Islamic Republic of Iran has fused revolutionary ideology, clerical authority, and modern statecraft into a system that reshaped the Middle East. With the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the severe damage the Islamic…
As the United States and Israel continue to decimate Iran’s conventional capabilities, it becomes clearer that their campaign cannot stop until at least one of two objectives is achieved: the collapse of the Tehran regime, or the end of its…
Just over a month ago, in the opening hours of Operation Epic Fury, President Donald Trump offered a theory of victory premised on ending Iran’s military and nuclear threats and enabling the Iranian people to rise up. For all the U.S.-Israeli…
For weeks, Operation Epic Fury showcased the breathtaking reach, precision, and persistence of American air and space power: more than 13,000 combat sorties and more than 12,300 targets struck by April 1. The striking figures speak to extraordinary military capability, global reach,…