Cogs of War

Want to be an insider on defense technology, industry, and policy? The Cogs of War newsletter delivers biweekly expert analysis on defense innovation and the defense industrial base. warontherocks.com/cogs-of-war-ne…

America needs more counter-drone technology, and quickly. Leaders from @hiddenlevelinc, @epirus, and @aerovironment join the pod to discuss how to create integrated defenses and what it will take to field them at scale and deliver results. Listen here: pod.link/1818133762/epi…

Before concluding that operational art is in decline, planners should ask whether the problem has outgrown the lens they are using. warontherocks.com/2026/03/milita…

What happens when people who build the tools of war can claim its moral weight without bearing its risks? warontherocks.com/2026/03/the-da…

Data centers are no longer back-end utilities. They are strategic assets — and prime targets. warontherocks.com/2025/09/data-c…

After meetings with industry and continued calls to surge missile production, Washington’s plan is to build more. That will not be enough. warontherocks.com/2026/03/magazi…

Years of mass drone attacks have stress-tested Ukraine’s air defenses, resulting in a system that has held up under relentless pressure. The United States and its allies should be paying attention, @dim0kq argues. warontherocks.com/2026/03/lesson…

I am very honoured to submit this article to War On The Rocks - on what lessons from Ukraine tell us in Iran War, specifically in Shahed aspect. Highly recommend to read through it and let's discuss it! warontherocks.com/2026/03/lesson…

America has world-class scientific data. What it lacks is the infrastructure to turn it into strategic power. warontherocks.com/2026/03/ai-rea…

History shows Congress rarely funds defense requests in full. What happens when the shortfall runs into the hundreds of billions?warontherocks.com/2026/03/why-a-…

Threats to commercial space systems are expanding in scale and variety. Some of the most serious never leave Earth. warontherocks.com/2026/03/why-sa…

The Genesis Mission unifies America’s exascale infrastructure for AI development. It did not unify the allies who are supposed to build those systems together. warontherocks.com/2026/03/washin…

Consumer neurotechnology is advancing quickly. The military has long tested its potential. What is holding it back? warontherocks.com/2026/02/all-to…

AI now produces balanced lines of effort, evenly weighted objectives, and fully populated task lists on demand. What it cannot produce is judgment. warontherocks.com/2026/02/ai-is-…

Agentic AI is beginning to move from Pentagon pilots into operational environments. That means confronting degraded networks, legacy workflows, and acquisition timelines that lag the technology. Listen here: pod.link/1818133762/epi…

Precision warfare depends on position, navigation, and timing. All now operate inside a highly contested electromagnetic spectrum that is cheap to disrupt and hard to defend. warontherocks.com/2026/02/when-g…

For thirty years, fielding timelines have only stretched longer while the Defense Department has pursued acquisition reform. Why does reform fail to translate into speed? warontherocks.com/2026/02/the-gr…

The Pentagon wants speed, AI dominance, and industrial discipline. Without clear benchmarks and ownership, reform could mean more uncertainty for the firms it depends on. warontherocks.com/2026/02/will-t…

The current U.S. biodefense model assumes threats shaped by biology’s constraints. AI-driven tools allow those constraints to be engineered away. warontherocks.com/2026/02/biodef…

Each budget cycle raises the same underlying question about how the force should judge its investments. Force design demands judging weapons by value in war, and the Pentagon isn’t there yet. warontherocks.com/2026/02/beyond…