Commentary – The Defense Post

May- 2026 -

6 May

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hosts a bilateral meeting with Indonesia Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin

Indonesia Shows Where US Defense Partnerships Are Falling Short

The US is building broad defense partnerships in Southeast Asia, but Indonesia reveals the limits of cooperation without alignment.

Apr- 2026 -

30 April

Russian President Vladimir Putin at a 2025 summit.

Bear Midkiff

Russia Will Still Be a Threat When the Guns Go Quiet

Ending the Ukraine war on current terms risks improving Russia’s future warfighting capacity faster than it improves European security.

22 April

CV90 infantry fighting vehicles during testing. Photo: BAE Systems

Paulo Dominonni

Defense Programs Follow Industrial Investment — And Brazil Is Next

Brazil’s entry into NATO supply chains shows that manufacturing presence now determines who wins future defense programs.

8 April

South Korean KF-21 Boramae fighter jet in flight during aerial demonstration over Seoul

Ju Hyung Kim

Beating Stealth Without Stealth: How South Korea Can Blunt China’s J-20 Surge

South Korea can blunt China’s J-20 stealth advantage not by matching stealth aircraft, but by using networked detection, IRST-equipped fighters, and long-range missiles.

Mar- 2026 -

28 March

Iranian children stand behind an anti-US and anti-Israeli banner depicting portraits of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tehran, Iran

Mojtaba Touiserkani

The Iran War’s Impossible Objectives

The Iran war is producing more military pressure than either side can convert into a meaningful political victory.

26 March

Charbel A. Antoun

Trump’s Hormuz Ultimatum: A Trap the US Can’t Escape

Trump’s Hormuz ultimatum traps the US in a no-win situation by tying credibility to an outcome military force can’t deliver.

25 March

Philippine Coast Guard patrol vessels BRP Suluan and BRP Cabra sail with Philippine Navy frigate BRP Miguel Malvar and USS Curtis Wilbur during a joint maritime activity in the South China Sea, July 16, 2025.

Muhammad Izzuddin Al Haq

Why ASEAN Can’t Secure the South China Sea Alone

South China Sea security cannot be handled by ASEAN alone or by external powers alone but it requires a coordinated, layered approach combining both.

19 March

A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft orbits Earth with its solar arrays deployed.

Daniel Biedermann

Satellite Data Is Easier to Steal Than Ever. What’s the Solution?

Satellite communications are inherently exposed, and governments need to stop treating that as a technical issue and start managing it as a strategic risk.

18 March