Commentary • Page 2 of 42 • The Defense Post

Jul- 2026 -

7 July

A Court Ruling Meant to Protect Veterans Could End Up Hurting Them

A court ruling limiting non-accredited assistance in VA disability claims could leave veterans with fewer resources and more claim denials.

3 July

Robert Brüll

We Have Been Watching Ukraine for Four Years. Are We Learning Anything?

Europe has a battle-tested model for modern defense innovation in Ukraine but is failing to learn from it.

Jun- 2026 -

30 June

A woman walks through an installation symbolizing the Shajareh Tayyebeh School in Minab, which was destroyed in an airstrike, in a business district of Tehran, Iran, on April 22, 2026, as a ceasefire is extended.

Burak Oktenli

When the Machine Decides and the Human Signs

Operation Epic Fury exposed the limits of human oversight in AI-enabled targeting, raising questions about governance at machine speed.

26 June

Ukrainian soldiers packing up a fixed-wing reconnaissance drone during a military evaluation exercise in Yavoriv, Ukraine.

Bear Midkiff

Ukraine Will Demobilize an Army of Drone Operators. Then What?

A Ukraine ceasefire won't end the drone war; it will release the largest pool of trained operators in history into a market that's already paying.

25 June

U.S. Navy destroyer USS Roosevelt transits the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime chokepoint where low-cost asymmetric threats could disrupt global shipping and energy flows.

Dominique L. Plewes

The Balloon Threat at Sea: How Cheap Airborne Decoys Could Upend Maritime Shipping

Balloons are a potent maritime threat not because they can sink ships, but because the ambiguity they create is enough to paralyze shipping through economic and psychological pressure alone.

24 June

Igor Skawiński

European Defense Sovereignty Has Three Layers — And We’re Only Fixing One

European defense sovereignty requires not just European components, but distributed manufacturing and the ability to operate without GPS or communications infrastructure that an adversary can jam or deny.

17 June

A view shows a heavily damaged shopping center in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 24, 2026, after Russian strikes.

Imran Khalid

Russia’s Bombardments Reveal a Military Running on Empty

Russia's most intense strikes are signs of industrial depletion and political theater, not military strength. The West should exploit that window rather than fear it.

5 June