Michael Peck

Pentagon seeks robot ships to haul supplies to combat zones The U.S. military is looking for autonomous freighters that can transport supplies into dangerous waters, according to a DIU solicitation.

The Pentagon wants robot cargo ships that will deliver supplies to combat zones. It also wants vessels that will scuttle themselves if the enemy tries to capture them. My latest for Defense News.

www.defensenews.com/industry/tec...

Trump Got Lucky in Venezuela. Will His Luck Run Out? by Michael David Peck

Trump got lucky in Venezuela. U.S. forces suffered few casualties, which means Trump will be tempted to conduct more military operations. But next time, what if his luck runs out? My latest for Defending Democracy.

defendingamericandemocracy.substack.com/p/trump-got-...

Russia Is Fighting Like It’s 1916 Again Russia's battlefield performance is worse than in the bloody Battle of the Somme

Russia's tactics in Ukraine resemble those of the First World War. Except that in World War I, the generals eventually learned from their mistakes. My latest for Uncommon Defense.

www.theuncommondefense.com/p/russia-is-...

Laser Weapons Aren't Ready to Save Ukraine From Russia’s Drones Laser and microwave weapons have potential, but the technology still needs to mature

Ukraine needs weapons to stop Russian drones. Lasers and microwaves have potential, but the technology is not yet mature enough for Ukraine to invest in directed energy weapons, according to a new study. My latest for Uncommon Defense.

www.theuncommondefense.com/p/laser-weap...

China And Russia Doubt Golden Dome Will Work But they may still beef up their nuclear forces to overwhelm U.S. missile defenses

China and Russia don't believe that that America has the ability or money to build Golden Dome. However, Beijing and Moscow won't take any chances: they will just build more missiles. My latest for Uncommon Defense.

www.theuncommondefense.com/p/china-and-...

China Won't Use Tanks To Invade Taiwan China believes infantry can capture the island, without the need for heavy armor

China believes it can invade Taiwan without the need for tanks. Just lots of light infantry, backed by missiles, drones and other firepower. My latest for Uncommon Defense.

www.theuncommondefense.com/p/china-wont...

Six wargames to add to your holiday gift list Some wargames aren't available to the public. Fortunately, there are games out there that can be obtained without needing a security clearance.

Six wargames for your last-minute holiday shopping, courtesy of Defense News. Feel free to disagree with my choices. There were too many good wargames out there to list.

www.militarytimes.com/off-duty/mil...

US Air Force wants AI to power high-speed wargaming The Air Force wants a cloud-based, AI-powered “digital sandbox” as a hub to generate and run wargames at speeds of up 10,000 times faster than real time.

The U.S. Air Force wants a massive AI-based digital wargaming system. But the U.S. military's history of giant computer sims isn't a happy one. Will this time be different? My latest for Defense News.

www.defensenews.com/air/2025/12/...

US Navy wants new railroad car to transport unarmed ballistic missiles Existing railcars are almost 50 years old and will soon be retired. But the Navy still has a need to transport Active Inert Missiles.

The U.S. Navy wants to design a new generation of railroad cars to transport dummy ballistic missiles. With the U.S. military's aging rail system a mess, how difficult will be designing a new flatcar? My latest for Defense News.

www.defensenews.com/naval/2025/1...

TBI research neglects special operations forces, report says There is limited research on traumatic brain injury among SOF, although the community faces a higher risk of TBI, according to a new Rand report.

Special operations forces suffer higher rates of Traumatic Brain Injury than other soldiers -- yet TBI research has neglected them. My latest for Defense News.

www.militarytimes.com/news/your-mi...

New lab offers generative AI for defense wargaming The hope is that AI players are realistic enough to facilitate the creation of multiple strategies during a wargaming exercise.

A new Johns Hopkins center is bringing generational AI to defense wargaming. Now players in tabletop exercises can interact with the physics models behind the simulation. My latest for Defense News.

www.militarytimes.com/news/your-mi...

Can a tabletop game explain why America lost the Vietnam War? Fifty years after the last U.S. helicopters left Saigon, why America lost the Vietnam War is elusive. But can a tabletop wargame offer insight?

Can a tabletop wargame -- that began as a college student's project -- explain why America lost the Vietnam War? My latest for Defense News.

www.militarytimes.com/veterans/mil...

Advanced Chinese Submarines Could Threaten U.S. Underwater Dominance, Study Warns A new RUSI report warns China's subs are "closing the gap." The new Type 095 and Type 096 (with 24 JL-3 missiles) are "eroding" the U.S. tech edge.

Chinese submarines are closing the technology gap with U.S. subs, warn experts. Coupled with China's greater shipbuilding capacity, this spells trouble for U.S. underwater dominance. My latest for National Security Journal.

nationalsecurityjournal.org/advanced-chi...

In a war, the US Army could destroy China’s ports. Should it? If America were to go to war with China, damaging Chinese ports or seizing economic facilities would be a strategic blunder, one officer argues.

What can the U.S. Army contribute to a Pacific war? It can launch hypersonic missiles at Chinese ports vital to Chinese trade. But would this also damage the U.S. economy as well? My latest for Defense News.

www.armytimes.com/opinion/comm...

Why Army logistics need to think like combat units to survive drones On a drone battlefield, supply units must train for survivability and move like maneuver formations, an Army officer argues.

To survive drone attacks, U.S. Army logistics units will have to learn to operate like combat units, including the use of air defense systems and camouflage. My latest for Defense News.

www.armytimes.com/news/your-ar...

China’s military may discard its rigid command structure, report warns A new Rand report explores the prospect of China embracing the more flexible Western concept of mission command and what that means for U.S. strategy.

The Chinese military suffers from rigid command and control -- or so America hopes. But what if China adopts the U.S. military's mission command doctrine? My latest for Defense News.

www.defensenews.com/global/asia-...

To coordinate strikes from space, US needs space JTACs, experts argue Soon after planes were first used in war, there were specialists on the ground coordinating strikes. Space-based weapons could one day yield new observers.

Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTAC) call in airstrikes. But with space-based weapons coming that can bombard targets on Earth, does America need Space JTACs? My latest for Defense News.

www.defensenews.com/news/your-mi...

Drones could replace large US Army units in Europe, expert suggests What do you with an Army designed for Europe when Europe isn’t the focus anymore? The answer is drones, says one U.S. expert.

Drone battalions could replace U.S. Army brigades in Europe, says one expert. My latest for Defense News.

www.defensenews.com/unmanned/202...

Greenland radars vulnerable to hypersonic missiles, critics warn The early warning radars on Greenland are key to defending the U.S. against nuclear attack, but they're vulnerable to hypersonic missiles, critics warn.

U.S. early warning radars on Greenland are vital to defending North America from ballistic missiles. But those radars have no defenses to protect themselves against missile attack. My latest for Defense News.

www.defensenews.com/land/2025/10...

How the Army could customize tanks for future urban warfare Is it time for the U.S. Army to develop a specialized tank for urban warfare?

If the U.S. Army were to develop a specialized tank for urban warfare, what would it look like? My latest for Defense News.

www.defensenews.com/news/your-mi...

US, Europe fly the same jets, but can’t always fix each other’s: Rand Variants within the same plane model, incompatible support equipment and a lack of shared data create barriers to interoperability, a Rand report warns.

The U.S. and Europe fly many of the same jets, including the F-35 and F-16. So why can't these nations repair each other's planes? My latest for Defense News.

www.defensenews.com/air/2025/10/...

Should the Army bring back the Pentomic Division? Decades after the Army abandoned the Pentomic concept, a defense expert argues such a concept may provide a solution to the battlefield problems of today.

The Pentomic Division was the U.S. Army's solution for atomic warfare. The concept didn't work in the 1950s, but would it work today against drones? My latest for Defense News.

www.defensenews.com/news/your-ar...

India fears its ballistic missiles are outmatched by China’s The mismatch poses a dilemma in case of war: either endure Chinese missile strikes deep inside India without the ability to retaliate, or go nuclear.

India is creating a tactical missile force. But critics worry that Indian missiles are outmatched by long-range Chinese rockets that can strike deep into India. My latest for Defense News.

www.defensenews.com/global/asia-...

Is it time for the Army to stop defending Air Force air bases? An Air Force officer argues the Air Force can no longer rely on the Army for base protection.

By some strange quirk of history, the U.S. Army is responsible for air defense of U.S. Air Force airbases. Is it time for the Air Force to defend its own bases? My latest for Defense News.

www.defensenews.com/news/your-ar...

China and Russia conduct joint sub patrols — should America worry? While the exercise only involved two subs, the warning was clear: America should contemplate the prospect of confronting a China-Russia alliance.

China and Russia just conducted their first joint submarine patrol. But why did that use diesel-electric boats, and not their most advanced nuclear subs? My latest for Defense News.

www.defensenews.com/global/asia-...

A Baltic Maginot Line Won’t Stop Russia When Mother Nature blessed the Baltic states, she wasn’t thinking of Russian tanks. How will a Baltic Defense Line deter a Russian assault?

When Mother Nature blessed the Baltic States, she wasn't thinking of Russian tanks. My latest for the Center for European Policy Analysis.

cepa.org/article/a-ba...

Ocean isn’t free-fire zone for US military drug interdiction: Analysis A Center for International and Strategic Studies analysis warns that the Trump administration's use of strikes on alleged drug vessels poses serious risks.

Ordering the U.S. military to sink suspected drug boats risks turning the oceans into the infamous free fire zones of Vietnam. My latest for Defense News.

www.militarytimes.com/news/your-mi...

What if Russia invades the Baltic? A tabletop game offers answers “Littoral Commander: The Baltic” depicts a Russian invasion of the Baltic region around 2030.

What would happen if Russia invaded the Baltic region? "Littoral Commander: Baltic" is a new tabletop game that explores that question -- and shows how the modern kill chain works. My latest for Defense News.

@defensenews.bsky.social

www.defensenews.com/global/europ...

Army mismanaged CENTCOM stockpiles of troop supplies modules: Audit The Army failed to properly maintain Force Provider modules, or containerized support facilities for troops, the Pentagon's IG found.

The U.S. Army failed to realize that equipment stored in a shipping container in the desert, needs more maintenance than items in an air-conditioned warehouse, according to a Department of Defense audit. My latest for Defense News.

www.defensenews.com/global/midea...

Attacking these targets could cripple Russia’s war machine: Experts Striking eight targets across Russia could enable Ukraine to break the current stalemate and affect the course of the war, some U.S. experts argue.

Destroying 8 targets could cripple Russia's war machine. My latest for Defense News.

@defensenews.bsky.social

www.defensenews.com/global/europ...