Author | Lightnews

Drones could replace large US Army units in Europe, expert suggests

Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · 2d

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

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

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.

Greenland radars vulnerable to hypersonic missiles, critics warn

Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · 5d

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...

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.

How the Army could customize tanks for future urban warfare

Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · 6d

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...

Is it time for the U.S. Army to develop a specialized tank for urban warfare?

US, Europe fly the same jets, but can’t always fix each other’s: Rand

Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · 6d

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/...

Variants within the same plane model, incompatible support equipment and a lack of shared data create barriers to interoperability, a Rand report warns.

Should the Army bring back the Pentomic Division?

Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · 7d

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...

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.

India fears its ballistic missiles are outmatched by China’s

Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · 12d

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-...

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.

Is it time for the Army to stop defending Air Force air bases?

Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · 16d

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...

An Air Force officer argues the Air Force can no longer rely on the Army for base protection.

China and Russia conduct joint sub patrols — should America worry?

Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · Sep 22

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-...

While the exercise only involved two subs, the warning was clear: America should contemplate the prospect of confronting a China-Russia alliance.

A Baltic Maginot Line Won’t Stop Russia

Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · Sep 22

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...

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

Ocean isn’t free-fire zone for US military drug interdiction: Analysis

Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · Sep 16

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...

A Center for International and Strategic Studies analysis warns that the Trump administration's use of strikes on alleged drug vessels poses serious risks.

www.militarytimes.com

What if Russia invades the Baltic? A tabletop game offers answers

Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · Sep 15

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...

“Littoral Commander: The Baltic” depicts a Russian invasion of the Baltic region around 2030.

Army mismanaged CENTCOM stockpiles of troop supplies modules: Audit

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Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · Sep 14

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...

The Army failed to properly maintain Force Provider modules, or containerized support facilities for troops, the Pentagon's IG found.

Attacking these targets could cripple Russia’s war machine: Experts

Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · Sep 9

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

@defensenews.bsky.social

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

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.

Why Green Berets want to join conventional combat discussion

Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · Aug 22

U.S. Army Special Forces have a new manual with a special mission: to convince the U.S. military that the days of cowboy special operators are over. And that the Green Berets can contribute to conventional warfare and joint ops My latest for Military Times. www.militarytimes.com/news/your-mi...

A new U.S. Army manual has a mission: to convince the regular Army that the Green Berets have value for conventional combat operations.

www.militarytimes.com

Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · Aug 20

Americans like to play offense, not defense. But as China grows stronger, the U.S. military needs to relearn how to conduct a retreat in the Pacific. My latest for Defense News.

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

Should America’s military plan for a retreat from the Pacific?

In the face of growing Chinese military power, America needs to relearn how to conduct a fighting retreat in the Pacific, a U.S. Army officer warns.

NATO beware: Drones can’t replace tanks, experts warn

Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · Aug 20

Beware the wrong lesson from the Ukraine war. Drones are not going to replace tanks. My latest for Defense News.

@defensenews.bsky.social

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

Rather than exploiting Russia’s weaknesses, a drone-centric NATO could be playing to Russia’s strengths, some experts warn.

China’s military wants to target US undersea sensor network: Analysis

Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · Aug 13

China fears its submarines are vulnerable to America's undersea sensor network. Some Chinese experts want to destroy those sensors, using sabotage, explosives and cyber. My latest for Defense News.

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

Chinese experts believe that “the U.S. undersea surveillance system suffers from a number of vulnerabilities," according to a U.S. Naval College professor.

Report unlocks mystery of why Chinese bombers flew near Alaska in 2024

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Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · Aug 12

Why did Chinese bombers fly near Alaska in 2024? A new report suggests the real reason was that China was training bomber crews -- and warning the U.S. not to station nuclear weapons in Korea and Japan. My latest for Defense News.

www.defensenews.com/air/2025/08/...

A new report reveals China's joint patrols with Russia near Alaska may have had motives beyond a political message.

A Chinese blockade could cripple Taiwan’s electricity, war game warns

Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · Aug 1

A Chinese blockade could cripple Taiwan's electricity, warns a new U.S. wargame. My latest for Defense News.

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

“Energy is the weakest element in Taiwan’s resilience against coercion,” warns a report by the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

These wargames explored drone attacks on US military bases

Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · Jul 25

U.S. government wargames explored how to defend military bases in the United States from drone attack. One lesson: no one really knows who has the authority to shoot down drones. My latest article for Defense News.

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

Many of the details of these wargames are classified, but one key finding is that protecting domestic U.S. bases can’t be just the military’s job.

US AWACS Cancellation Leaves NATO Scrambling

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Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · Jul 15

Why the U.S. Air Force's cancellation of the E-7 airborne early warning aircraft will leave NATO scrambling for a replacement. My latest for the Center for European Policy Analysis.

cepa.org/article/us-a...

@cepa.org

For 50 years, an airplane with a giant mushroom on top has been the crux of aerial warfare. As that era ends, it’s unclear what comes next.

NATO Should Stay In Europe — And Out of the Pacific

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Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · Jun 17

Why would NATO want to expand into Asia? Doesn't NATO have enough problems in Europe? My latest for the Center for European Policy Analysis. @cepa.org

cepa.org/article/nato...

NATO’s credibility rests on a strong deterrent on its home continent, not with ventures on the other side of the world.

The reign of the Reaper drone may be coming to an end

Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · May 19

For 30 years, the Reaper and Predator have symbolized the Drone Age. But have modern air defenses ended the Reign of the Reaper? My latest for Business Insider.

www.businessinsider.com/reign-of-dro...

The long dominance of expensive, long-endurance drones like the $30 million MQ-9 Reaper may be ending as threats to them proliferate.

www.businessinsider.com

Europe Cannot Repeat America’s Light Tank Fiasco

Michael Peck @michaelpeck.bsky.social · May 13

America's M10 Booker light tank project was a fiasco. As European nations rebuild their armored forces, they can't afford to make the same mistake. My latest for the Center for European Policy Analysis.

cepa.org/article/euro...

Defense programs and tanks designed in peacetime have a way of going way over-budget and failing even before they reach the battlefield.