A Forecast International blog about the arms trade, geopolitics, defense and security, and military spending.
A fragile ceasefire appears to be holding between Iran and Israel following a period of escalating violence, culminating in a covert U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. In the days …
Tentative Ceasefire Takes Hold Following Iran’s Retaliatory Strikes Read More
Between June 21 and 22, 2025, during a nighttime mission dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer,” U.S. B-2 Spirit bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri struck Iran’s underground nuclear sites …
With GBU-57s, U.S. Finally Deploys Weapon Designed Specifically for Iran’s Hardened Nuclear Sites Read More
Just over a week after Israel began Operation Rising Lion, a major air campaign against Iran, the U.S. carried out its own series of strikes on Iran on Saturday night, …
Operation Midnight Hammer: U.S. Strikes Iranian Nuclear Sites Read More
There is a lot of talk back and forth, here and there, around and around, concerning the weapons of the future. Candidates for this title include small drones and inexpensive …
Israel’s Drone-Missile Operation Shows Future War Is About the Right Tool, Not the Best Read More
On early Sunday morning, Tehran launched over two hundred drones and missiles toward Israel in response to an Israeli airstrike in Damascus, Syria on April 1, 2024. Below is an …
From Damascus Strike to Drone Barrage: A Timeline of Rising Tensions Between Iran and Israel Read More
President Biden promised to respond to an attack in northeastern Jordan that killed three U.S. troops and wounded at least another 34 close to the Syrian border. Of those injured, …
President Biden Promises Response to Attack that Killed Three U.S. Troops in Jordan Read More
U.S. Naval Forces Central Command announced last week that Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) vessels shined a laser multiple times at a U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z helicopter in …
Iranian IRGCN Vessels Shine Laser at USMC Helicopter Read More
By Dan Darling, Derek Bisaccio and Aja Melville The war between Russia and Ukraine, initiated by Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014 and subsequent invasion in February 2022, has had …
China Seizes Arms Exporting Opportunity in the Middle East Read More
The Senate Armed Services Committee released a proposed defense policy bill that would increase defense spending by $45 billion in FY23, which would bring the Pentagon budget up to $817.3 …
Senate Panel Recommends $45 Billion Increase for Defense Read More
U.S. coalition forces saw an uptick in attacks against their facilities this week, likely due to the January 3 anniversary of a U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani …
Explosive Drones and Rockets Target U.S. Coalition Forces in Iraq and Syria Read More