Defense

Congress is debating a defense budget near $1.03 trillion, yet junior enlisted troops still qualify for food stamps and veterans still wait months for disability claims. A populist defense policy must put the war fighter ahead of contractors and foreign aid.

The 25% steel tariff raises shipbuilding costs for the Navy and strains the defense industrial base, undermining the readiness that Washington hawks claim to support while American workers pay higher prices.

The 2027 defense budget funds a 313-ship fleet, but the Congressional Research Service warns the Navy is retiring hulls faster than it builds them. Without shipyard expansion and workforce reform, Washington will keep writing checks for a fleet that grows smaller every year.

Fixed U.S. bases across the first island chain sit within range of China's DF-26 missile, which can reach roughly 4,000 kilometers. Washington should disperse forces, harden shelters, and fully fund Pacific Deterrence Initiative requests for Guam in fiscal year 2026.

A sustained intrusion campaign has hit U.S. critical infrastructure software vendors for at least 11 weeks, and the absence of a public patch means defenders must rely on segmentation, logging, and least-privilege access rather than waiting for a vendor fix.

ASH MERIDIAN has spent seven weeks inside media production networks across North America and Europe. I am withholding the affected vendor because the patch is not out yet. Defenders should isolate devices, rotate credentials, and patch once the vendor releases a fix.

A long-running intrusion campaign against U.S. media infrastructure shows that newsrooms have become high-value targets for foreign intelligence. Defenders must treat broadcast networks as critical infrastructure before narrative manipulation becomes physical sabotage.

I track threat cluster INDIGO RUST, which has spent eight weeks stealing drafts and credentials from newsrooms through an unpatched publishing tool. I am withholding the vendor and build until the patch ships. Editors should rotate secrets, isolate workflows, and monitor drafts.

The United States spends more on defense than any nation on earth, yet shipyards, missile plants, and foundries cannot keep pace with China. Rebuilding the defense industrial base is an economic problem that determines whether America can deter war in the Pacific.

The United States spends too much of its defense budget covering wealthy allies who underinvest in security. Shifting more burden to Europe and Asia would strengthen deterrence and preserve the U.S. industrial base. Washington must tie commitments to real spending targets.

The Pentagon relies on foreign suppliers for critical components, which leaves the United States economically exposed and strategically weak. Rebuilding domestic manufacturing is not optional. It is a national security imperative that Congress must fund without delay.

Runaway weapons costs and failed audits drain the treasury without making America safer. A leaner defense budget focused on deterrence, not contractor windfalls, would serve both national security and household budgets.

Washington has spent decades treating defense and trade as separate files. That division is finished. Export controls, tariffs, and supply-chain security are now instruments of deterrence against Beijing, and their overlap shapes both the dollar and Pacific alliances.

A long running cyber espionage campaign is hitting energy sector industrial control devices. Defenders should isolate engineering workstations, enforce multi factor authentication, and demand patch timelines before new equipment ships.

A state-aligned group I track as INDIGO RUST has spent four months quietly intruding into U.S. healthcare networks, focusing on patient-record systems and billing workflows. Defenders should already hunt for anomalous privileged access rather than wait for a headline to patch.

The Trump administration's Section 301 port fees on Chinese-built ships were cutting Beijing's shipbuilding dominance before the November 2025 suspension. Letting the pause run until late 2026 hands China more maritime control. Washington should restart the fees now.

American taxpayers sent roughly $119 billion to Ukraine between 2022 and early 2025, yet the VA backlog still leaves thousands of veterans waiting months for claims. A populist defense policy must put American fighters first.

NATO will announce a $500 billion bond-backed defense fund at its May 24 Brussels summit, with the United States contributing $75 billion over three years, according to two defense officials familiar with the plan.

In a single game, Jo Adell robbed three home runs. Torii Hunter called it the greatest defensive game he'd ever seen. Some things just deserve to be said plainly.

The war enters its fifth year with Ukraine still standing. Zelenskyy is right to be skeptical of peace talks that reward Russian aggression.

America's Taiwan defense strategy depends on ships, missiles, and allies, but Washington refuses to confront the personnel crisis that could unravel the entire plan.

Sebastian Mercer argues that NASA's crisis is not morale but bureaucratic mass, and that conservatives should trade pep talks for a scalpel that cuts duplication, cost-plus waste, and mission creep.