Defense Priorities

NEW from @RKelanic in @nytopinion on why oil price spikes hurt the United States more than other major powers and how Washington can solve the problem Read here: nytimes.com/2026/03/09/opi…

In a new interview with Contributing Fellow @AEGallagher10, Asia Program Director @lylegoldstein discusses how China has responded to the Iran war and what it could mean for U.S.-China relations. Read now: defensepriorities.org/qa/beijings-ba…

The war against Iran, like the 2003 invasion of Iraq, is prefaced on unsubstantiated allegations and a vast overestimation of the threat at hand, DEFP Fellow @DanDePetris writes in a new @Telegraph op-ed. telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/2…

The Trump administration keeps assuring us that Iran 2026 is not like Iraq 2003. But that talking point is getting increasingly hard to parrot with a straight face. For the @Telegraph.

The only reason that Iran poses a threat to the United States is because of the presence of U.S. bases and the tens of thousands of troops deployed to the region. @AEGallagher10 in @TheNatlInterest: nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-ea…

That a military campaign in Iran would be a long, expensive slog was easily foreseeable. But, before the conflict ends, the costs could rise much higher, writes @jekavanagh 👇 buff.ly/LoD9FAF

In @SCMPNews, @lylegoldstein comments on how Iran’s strikes on U.S. bases could offer a preview for the Asia‑Pacific, suggesting China might target U.S. military assets in a Taiwan Strait conflict. scmp.com/news/china/mil…

"This is the point that a lot of us made before the war even started, that the challenges that Iran posed are political challenges that need a political solution…. There's no military solution to [Strait of Hormuz closure], because even if you get it open now, what keeps it open?" Director of Military Analysis @jekavanagh tells @StCollinson for @CNN. cnn.com/2026/03/13/pol…

On @Forbes with @_brittanylewis, @RKelanic argues that by doubling down on Jimmy Carter's pledge to defend the Persian Gulf, the United States made the Strait of Hormuz "too big to fail." Watch now: youtube.com/watch?v=5j76h-…

The war in Iran has no defined objectives, no public support, and no exit strategy. Trump needs to end this war now before it becomes the next "forever war," I argue in my latest op-ed for the @detroitnews and @defpriorities (link below 👇)

DEFP Middle East Director @RKelanic joins @CNN to discuss the Strait of Hormuz. Watch now: youtube.com/watch?v=X2ftMo…

What's the future of U.S. Taiwan policy? There's a growing debate in DC these days & if you are following it (or even if you are not), you should check out this event next week!

RS: Among Trump 2024 voters polled from March 12-14, “79% say they would prefer the president declare victory and get out of the war now.” “58% say they oppose Trump sending ground troops into the fray.” @defpriorities responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-war-maga/

The Cuban Communist Party is more unified and durable than Maduro's regime ever was, which means attempts by the Trump administration to crack it by searching for a more pliable successor will prove more difficult, @DanDePetris writes in @MSNOWNews. ms.now/opinion/trump-…

Pursuing a ceasefire in good faith, offering economic and security incentives while making realistic demands of Tehran that don't leave it defenseless, is putting America's security and prosperity first. Read @AEGallagher10's latest: detroitnews.com/story/opinion/…

Cheap drones are a game changer. Even after major regime losses, Iran can keep striking Gulf states because it’s cheap and easy to keep launching them, even if the U.S. stops striking. @DefPriorities @JeKavanagh explains.

"The problem is that there is really no good way to open up the Strait of Hormuz by force, given the fact that the Iranians can keep it closed with just a small number of really cheap drones," @jekavanagh tells @StCollinson foe @CNN. cnn.com/2026/03/13/pol…

DEFP Asia Program Director @lylegoldstein and Contributing Fellow @AEGallagher10 unpack what's at stake for China in the Iran war. Watch now: youtube.com/watch?v=mqKSbd…

Nobody discounted the U.S. military's might or harbored illusions that Iran could defeat the United States in conventional ways. What Iran is able to do, however, is use asymmetric tactics to make the war as economically and politically painful for Trump as possible. And Iran's strategy is working. @DanDePetris chicagotribune.com/2026/03/17/col…

"Militarily speaking, nobody is really doubting the fact that we can blow up a lot of Iranian military targets and decapitate a lot of their leadership," @DanDePetris tells @katyballs of @thetimes. "But is this military strategy connected to a core set of goals that are easily explained to the American people and that are achievable or realistic?" thetimes.com/world/middle-e…

The only people who have been negatively impacted by U.S. policy over the last six decades are the Cuban people themselves, whose lives are a constant struggle for basic necessities and who are effectively penalized for their own rulers' incompetence. @DanDePetris for @MSNOWNews: ms.now/opinion/trump-…