John R. Deni

Over 100,000 Western-made parts found in drones, missiles used in Russian recent mass attack, Zelensky says The components were reportedly manufactured by companies based in the U.S., China, Taiwan, the U.K., Germany, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, and the Netherlands.

Over 100,000 Western-made parts found in drones, missiles used in Russian recent mass attack, Zelensky says kyivindependent.com/over-100-000...

A very good step - overdue, one might argue.

This Program Rescued Army Recruiting

"This Program Rescued Army Recruiting" (no pay wall) www.nytimes.com/2025/10/04/u...

Rheinmetall showcases Mission Master UGV with compact Skyranger Rheinmetall has integrated one of its Mission Master CXT unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) with an Oerlikon Skyranger 762 remote weapon station (RWS) to provide a...

Hope DEU officials can get this into UKR (and POL and ROM and LTU) for some field testing. "Rheinmetall showcases Mission Master UGV with compact Skyranger [for short-range counter-UAS]" www.janes.com/osint-insigh...

Can More British and French Nuclear Cooperation Help Deter Russia? As Europe continues to come to terms with both the Russian threat amid the war in Ukraine as well as the uncertainty surrounding the U.S. commitment to

Great WOTR essay by Zsofia Wolford, James Black, and @paulvanhooft.bsky.social on UK and FRA roles in strengthening strategic deterrence in Europe. Here's hoping many DEU officials read this too! warontherocks.com/2025/09/can-...

Russia’s Military Budget Shrinks as War Costs Hit Kremlin’s Economic Limits

Russia’s Military Budget Shrinks as War Costs Hit Kremlin’s Economic Limits www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/w...

Exclusive | U.S. to Provide Ukraine With Intelligence for Missile Strikes Deep Inside Russia The expanded intelligence-sharing with Kyiv is the latest sign that President Trump is deepening support for Ukraine as his efforts to advance peace talks have stalled.

It's not a $60B military/financial aid package, but it's an important contribution: U.S. to Provide Ukraine With Intelligence for Missile Strikes Deep Inside Russia www.wsj.com/world/europe...

Russian territorial gains in Ukraine drop sharply in September, monitoring group says The pace of Russia’s territorial advances in Ukraine slowed significantly in September, with Russian forces seizing 44% less land compared to August, the Ukrainian monitoring group DeepState reported ...

Russian territorial gains in Ukraine drop sharply in September, monitoring group says kyivindependent.com/russian-terr...

Just in time for your furlough-related down time -- check out the latest SSI Live podcast in which guest host MAJ Brennan Deveraux interviews Brian Carlson on RU-PRC rivalry in Central Asia: ssi.armywarcollege.edu/SSI-Media/Re...

Agree on both counts.

Putin Orders Highest Fall Conscription Target in 9 Years - The Moscow Times Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the conscription of 135,000 men by the end of 2025, the largest conscription drive in nine years.

Putin Orders Highest Fall Conscription Target in 9 Years www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/09/29/p...

Trump threatened NATO exit, Stoltenberg reveals in new memoir Former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg reveals that Donald Trump nearly pulled the US out of NATO in 2019. His new memoir details tense negotiations, including a Fox News intervention and high...

Trump threatened NATO exit, Stoltenberg reveals in new memoir - go.shr.lc/4nR9fkh

'Just shoot them' — Russian commander told troops to open fire on retreating soldiers, intercepted comms suggest Ukraine's military intelligence said the recording captured a conversation in Donetsk Oblast in which the commander demanded that troops stand their ground at all costs.

'Just shoot them' — Russian commander told troops to open fire on retreating soldiers, intercepted comms suggest kyivindependent.com/russian-comm...

US Army Secures $640M Deal to Boost 155mm Ammunition The US Army 155mm ammunition procurement program secures a $640M deal to strengthen stockpiles amid growing demand.

US Army Moves to Strengthen 155mm Shell Stocks With $640M Buy thedefensepost.com/2025/09/26/u...

Germany backs EU’s ‘creative’ plan to send frozen Russian cash to Ukraine Talks will come to a head during an informal meeting of EU leaders in Copenhagen next week.

Germany backs EU’s ‘creative’ plan to send frozen Russian cash to Ukraine www.politico.eu/article/germ...

To Understand Ukraine at War, Stop by a Gas Station

To Understand Ukraine at War, Stop by a Gas Station (no paywall) www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/w...

Russia Moves to Raise VAT by 2% as Budget Deficit Swells - The Moscow Times Russia’s Finance Ministry on Wednesday proposed raising the country’s value-added tax (VAT) from 20% to 22% starting next year, as part of a new three-year budget plan aimed at covering surging defens...

Russia Moves to Raise VAT by 2% as Budget Deficit Swells: Weaker global oil prices, a stronger ruble and high interest rates have sapped growth this year, forcing the government to find ways to make up for the lost revenues. www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/09/24/r...

The Case for War: Why the West Should Double Down in Ukraine History shows that long-term conflicts tend to work to the underdog’s advantage, and defeat often has dramatic consequences for the aggressor. That’s why the West, Europe in particular, should dramati...

Clearly somebody in authority has recently been reading this latest essay from Elisabeth Nielsen and me on "The Case for War: Why the West Should Double Down in Ukraine" ip-quarterly.com/en/case-war-...

Germany’s €80B rearmament plan sidelines US weapons A procurement plan obtained by POLITICO shows Berlin’s rearmament spree will overwhelmingly benefit European industry.

Lede buried? Yes, "Germany’s €80B rearmament plan sidelines US weapons," but I'd argue most important takeaway is literally the last line of the article: "Taken together, they add up to a comprehensive modernization effort touching every branch of the armed forces." www.politico.eu/article/germ...

Poland will shoot down encroaching Russian aircraft, warns PM Tusk The Polish prime minister is responding to the growing number of Russian incursions into NATO airspace.

Great that POL is leaning forward on this long overdue change to rules of engagement, but NATO needs to make such an announcement as well: "Poland will shoot down encroaching Russian aircraft, warns PM Tusk" www.politico.eu/article/pola...

Given yet *another* intentional violation -- this time by three RU MiG-31 fighters -- I'm re-upping this essay in which I suggest how NATO could actually put the 'denial' in Deterrence By Denial: www.politico.eu/article/nato...

Russian warplanes breach NATO airspace over Estonia Russian MiG-31s flew into Estonian airspace and approached Tallinn before NATO jets were scrambled to intercept them.

Russian fighter jets breach Estonian airspace near Tallinn www.politico.eu/article/russ...

High costs and long waits for popular US-made Patriots just drove a NATO ally to pick a European rival Denmark said Russia's war has proved that air defenses are needed urgently. The Patriot wait times and cost made it pick Europe's SAMP/T.

Assiduous avoidance of the word "Greenland" herein: "High costs and long waits for popular US-made Patriots just drove a NATO ally to pick a European rival" www.businessinsider.com/nato-ally-pi...

Japan deploys fighter jets to NATO bases Japan is deploying eight aircraft, including four F-15 fighter jets, to bases in the United States, Canada and Europe.

Japan deploys fighter jets to NATO bases www.defensenews.com/global/asia-...

The Case for War: Why the West Should Double Down in Ukraine History shows that long-term conflicts tend to work to the underdog’s advantage, and defeat often has dramatic consequences for the aggressor. That’s why the West, Europe in particular, should dramati...

Latest (co-authored, with Elisabeth Nielsen) essay is up today: "The Case for War: Why the West Should Double Down in Ukraine" via @dgap.org Internationale Politik Quarterly ip-quarterly.com/en/case-war-...

"EU plans more sanctions on China. But will that be enough for Trump?" www.politico.eu/article/eu-c...

Ukraine tests new kamikaze drones resistant to Russian jamming "Strike drones are becoming a cheap and practical solution for the front lines — they are affordable to manufacture and easily scalable," Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said.

Ukraine tests new kamikaze drones resistant to Russian jamming kyivindependent.com/ukraine-test...

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Foreign Policy Approach This is the first of a three-part series addressing German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s approach to foreign and security policy, initial achievements, the key issues Merz faces through the end of …

Friedrich Merz promised a more strategic foreign and security policy when he entered office. Phyllis Berry analyzes his approach and achievements so far:

In the Same Boat: Security Challenges in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific In terms of security, the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions are becoming increasingly interdependent. Germany’s and Europe’s stability are heavily impacted by the security situation in the Indo-P...

Great essay by @aylinmatle.bsky.social and Hanna Gers on interlinkages between Euro-Atlantic and Asia-Pacific theaters: "In the Same Boat: Security Challenges in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific" dgap.org/en/research/... via @dgap.org

Solidarity: "NATO air forces scrambled to confront the incursion. They included Polish F-16 fighters, Dutch F-35 fighters, German Patriot air defense systems and an Italian AWACS surveillance aircraft"