Paul Crespo

PAUL'S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB): Some claim the Iran war's ramifications have only just begun . That possibly the most consequential result of Trump's eight-week war is that Strait of Hormuz now looks, in practice, like “STRAIT OF IRAN.”

Russia's strongman leader, Vladimir Putin, is under siege, increasingly paranoid about his personal safety, limiting his public exposure, and significantly bolstering his personal protection against the rising risk of targeted military strikes, assassination, and coup attempts.

PAUL'S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB): Pentagon seeks smarter, self-organizing drones . Two requests to the industry may help it address a big emerging challenge: enabling a relatively small number of human operators to direct a far larger number of robots.

PAUL'S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB): Trump China visit: ‘US and China should be partners, not rivals', Xi says after earlier warning on Taiwan . Security was heightened in Beijing ahead of the two leaders' crucial talks, where they discussed AI, economic cooperation, trade and Iran.

PAUL'S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB): China's AI ascent leaves Trump a stark choice: escalate or relax chip controls? Beijing and Washington are locked in an era-defining contest – China's rapid technological progress raises questions about the limits of containment.

According to strongman Vladimir Putin, Russia is set to deploy its nuclear-capable RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) — dubbed Satan II — by the end of the year, a system he described as “the most powerful missile in the world.”

PAUL'S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB): Roses, trees, and power: Symbolism behind Trump-Xi summit . Last week's high-level summit in Beijing between Trump and Xi achieved few traditional “deliverables” leading many observers to dismiss its singular importance.

One big step closer to freeing Cuba from the tentacles of the decrepit Castro regime. In a long overdue move, the U.S. Justice Department charged former Cuban dictator Raúl Castro, now 94, brother of revolutionary dictator Fidel Castro, and several former Cuban military officials, for the murder of three American citizens and a legal resident.

Controlling the moon helps dominate Earth. The U.S. and China are locked in an intensifying “space race” to establish the first permanent, crewed base at the moon's south pole which is believed to contain large amounts of water ice.

PAUL'S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB): U.S. to significantly reduce military contributions available to assist European allies in a crisis, including strategic bombers, fighters, warships, and mid-air refueling aircraft . According to Spiegel, an envoy of War Secretary Pete Hegseth briefed senior officials from member states on the plan at NATO headquarters in Brussels last week.