The hottest National Security Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top U.S. Politics Topics

Trump’s Plan to Make Gaza Great Again

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 245 implied HN points • 23 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. He proposed a "Board of Peace" and a plan to rebuild Gaza that includes a luxury "Gaza-Lago" resort city as part of a broader peace effort.
  2. The initiative is driven by a philosophy of positive thinking rooted in Norman Vincent Peale, prioritizing optimism over detailed political or historical solutions.
  3. Many see the vision as wildly optimistic and possibly naive given the deep, complex realities of the Israel–Palestinian conflict.

How America Lost Its Voice Overseas

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 120 implied HN points • 11 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. American international broadcasters like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe, which for decades spread U.S. values, have been mothballed and America has lost a key voice overseas.
  2. The administration has used military force and bold actions abroad while avoiding U.S. casualties, but those moves haven’t produced the intended long-term results, such as stopping Iran’s programs or securing peace in Gaza.
  3. Without traditional broadcasting and consistent diplomatic follow-through, the U.S. can demonstrate strength but lacks the sustained influence and outreach needed to achieve its foreign-policy goals.

March 2, 2026

Letters from an American • 34 implied HN points • 03 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. The decision to strike Iran looks improvised and driven more by media praise and pressure from allies than by a clear strategic plan. It appears the president is testing justifications and taking cues from trusted broadcasters rather than presenting a coherent goal.
  2. A growing ideology of violent dominance is replacing the post–World War II reliance on diplomacy and international rules, privileging unilateral shows of force over institutions like the U.N. and the Geneva Conventions. This mindset treats dominance itself as the objective rather than a defined endgame.
  3. The strikes have real, damaging consequences: U.S. service members have died, Americans abroad are stranded, and officials’ claims are under increasing scrutiny. People are rightly asking why the country is fighting, whether the effort is legal or planned, and who will bear the costs.

Killing Narco Speedboat Survivors Is a War Crime

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 755 implied HN points • 30 Nov 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. Two men reportedly survived an initial strike on a narco speedboat but were then killed in a follow-up attack, and killing survivors at sea would be unlawful and could amount to a war crime.
  2. The story moved from a smaller outlet to a major paper with fuller details, and the Defense Department called it fabricated but did not specifically deny the reported particulars, leaving the account contested.
  3. This raises urgent legal and ethical questions about the use of force and accountability; claims that lawyers approved the strikes do not resolve the need for a transparent investigation.

Transcript- America This Week, Dec 5, 2025: "Murder, War, or What? The Venezuela Conundrum"

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 684 implied HN points • 06 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. Allegations have emerged that US forces fired on survivors of Venezuelan maritime strikes, and if true that would be a clear violation of the laws of war.
  2. Senior officials are publicly defending the strikes as necessary deterrence, which normalizes aggressive tactics and makes it harder to tell when orders cross legal lines.
  3. The dispute has triggered a heated debate over refusing illegal orders and has already caused political and security disruptions; legal experts say shooting wounded or shipwrecked survivors is explicitly prohibited.
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Trump just rug-pulled the China hawks on TikTok

Noahpinion • 21470 implied HN points • 11 Mar 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. Trump's recent actions regarding TikTok have stunned many conservative China hawks, revealing potential ulterior motives and alliances.
  2. The debate on forcing ByteDance to sell TikTok involves concerns about data privacy, propaganda dissemination, and national security, highlighting the app's significant influence.
  3. The situation with TikTok exemplifies broader international conflicts, potential financial influences, and political interplays that impact policymaking and national security strategies.

Ben Buchanan on AI

ChinaTalk • 252 implied HN points • 14 Jan 26
🕹 Technology National Security
  1. Compute power and scaling laws are the fulcrum of modern AI breakthroughs. Having more compute gives the U.S. time, not permanent safety, unless it pairs that lead with energy capacity, enforcement, and fast government adoption.
  2. Inventing frontier models isn’t enough — national security wins require integrating those models into military and intelligence workflows. Without a deliberate effort (a 'Rickover for AI') to operationalize AI, a country can invent the technology and still lose to an opponent that better applies it.
  3. AI is reshaping cyber operations by automating vulnerability discovery and accelerating intrusions, while also boosting defensive tools. The balance of power will come down to who best deploys AI across both offense and defense and who embeds defensive checks into software development.

March 3, 2026

Letters from an American • 29 implied HN points • 04 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. The U.S. has launched a large-scale military offensive against Iran called Operation Epic Fury, involving tens of thousands of troops, aircraft carriers and jets, and has suffered casualties while military leaders warned the strike is risky because of depleted missile defenses and limited allied support.
  2. The fighting has triggered a scramble to evacuate hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals as airports and airspace are disrupted, and the operation has already cost U.S. taxpayers over $1 billion with more emergency funding likely to be requested.
  3. The president invoked the War Powers Act without citing an urgent threat, sidestepping the Constitution’s design that Congress debate and authorize wars and the necessary military spending, which removes a layer of public accountability.

Fab Whack-A-Mole: Chinese Companies are Evading U.S. Sanctions

SemiAnalysis • 10102 implied HN points • 28 Oct 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. Chinese companies, particularly Huawei, are successfully finding loopholes to avoid U.S. export controls on advanced semiconductor technology. This allows them to enhance their domestic chip production capabilities.
  2. The current U.S. sanctions have not significantly harmed Western wafer fabrication equipment suppliers; in fact, these companies have been thriving during the period of restrictions.
  3. Future U.S. export controls need to be stricter and updated regularly to effectively combat the evasion strategies used by Chinese firms, ensuring that national security interests are maintained.

Target practice

Lucian Truscott Newsletter • 2928 implied HN points • 31 Jan 24
🌍 World Politics National Security
  1. The U.S. military is facing attacks by Iranian-backed militias in the Middle East.
  2. The complex proxy war in the region involves various groups fighting against the U.S. and its allies.
  3. American troops are stationed in bases in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan for strategic purposes, amidst threats and conflicts.

Let's map every tree on the planet

Jeff Giesea • 259 implied HN points • 28 Aug 24
🌞 Climate & Environment National Security
  1. The U.S. should create a new intelligence discipline called Climate & Natural Resources Intelligence (CNRINT) to better understand and manage the world's resources.
  2. Using advanced technology like drones and satellites, we can map and monitor natural resources globally, helping countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo protect their wealth from outside exploitation.
  3. There is an urgent need for the U.S. to lead in natural resources intelligence, ensuring that gathered data is used for good and benefits humanity for future generations.

The Bad Law Behind the FBI’s Raid on a Reporter

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 227 implied HN points • 18 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. A century-old Espionage Act gives the government a legal tool to target journalists who handle leaked classified information.
  2. The FBI’s seizure of a reporter’s devices shows how that law can be used in practice and has worried newsrooms about protecting sources and reporting materials.
  3. Press freedom isn’t guaranteed by law alone — it depends on each administration and agency, and recent hostile actions have made it harder for reporters to do accountability journalism.

Poll and open thread on the Iran war

Unreported Truths • 44 implied HN points • 02 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. U.S. forces eliminated Iran's top leaders and the opening days of the conflict have gone well from a military standpoint, though four American troops were killed.
  2. Iran so far seems unable to defend itself or mount meaningful counterattacks, and stocks rose as investors bet the war won't disrupt oil supplies or trigger a recession.
  3. The situation is only a few days old and highly uncertain, so a public poll and an open discussion are being offered to gather readers' views; the poll is open to all while comments are for subscribers.

New technologies, new totalitarians

Noahpinion • 18882 implied HN points • 27 Feb 24
🕹 Technology National Security
  1. The rise of new technologies like smartphones and social media has presented democracies with a formidable opponent in the form of techno-totalitarian regimes.
  2. China employs a strategy of 'sharp power' to manipulate foreign entities and influence global affairs, utilizing tactics like espionage, social media manipulation, and economic coercion.
  3. China's unique totalitarian approach extends beyond its borders to control the narrative about China, influence the diaspora, and emphasize supremacy of ethnicity over citizenship, posing a new challenge for democracies and liberal principles.

March 1, 2026

Letters from an American • 30 implied HN points • 02 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. The U.S.-led offensive has already killed and wounded American service members, and major combat operations are ongoing.
  2. The administration appears unclear about its objectives and the intelligence basis for the strikes, offering conflicting claims and openly hoping the attacks will spark an Iranian uprising without a clear plan for what comes next.
  3. The conflict is widening across the region—Israel, Iran, and Iran-backed groups like Hezbollah are exchanging strikes—and global oil flows and markets are being disrupted as a result.

America's AI Action Plan Is Pretty Good

Don't Worry About the Vase • 2419 implied HN points • 25 Jul 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. America's AI Action Plan has many solid proposals aimed at improving AI innovation and regulation. These ideas focus on removing barriers and ensuring safety without being overly restrictive.
  2. The plan emphasizes building American AI infrastructure, including improving energy resources and semiconductor manufacturing. This aims to keep the U.S. competitive in the global AI landscape.
  3. Overall, the plan is seen as a positive step, but there are concerns about potential overreach and its impact on state regulations. The absence of certain key discussions, like risks associated with advanced AI, is also noted.

The 2025 NonZero Awards

Nonzero Newsletter • 372 implied HN points • 31 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. The U.S. escalated military strikes and adopted more warlike language, while governments broadened labels like “terrorist” and “WMD,” creating legal and moral concerns about how force is justified.
  2. AI developments produced worrying behavior from large language models that hinted at unexpected agency and also a flood of low-quality “AI slop,” underscoring urgent alignment and governance problems.
  3. New surveillance and weapons technologies blurred ethical lines—tiny sensor-equipped insects and autonomous systems show how commercial tech can become military tools, and political PR moves made accountability harder.

Stuck In Another Disastrous Middle East War: Ron Paul

QTR’s Fringe Finance • 29 implied HN points • 04 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. The U.S. launched a surprise, pre-planned strike on Iran during ongoing negotiations, killing top leaders and undermining trust in diplomacy.
  2. The attack backfired quickly: Iran retaliated, U.S. service members and equipment were lost, bases and embassies were attacked, and the conflict risks becoming a costly, prolonged war.
  3. The advocated solution is to end the intervention now by returning U.S. bases to their host countries, bringing troops home, and respecting that Congress — not foreign leaders — should decide on war.

What Is The AOC Doctrine?

JoeWrote • 76 implied HN points • 19 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. The AOC doctrine collapses the wall between domestic and foreign policy. It says imperial practices abroad boomerang home and that a working-class, class-based internationalism is needed to block rising authoritarianism.
  2. It calls for shifting resources from military spending into domestic investments like health and science research, green energy, and stronger safety nets to strengthen national security and compete with rivals without escalating conflict.
  3. The approach has limits: there are gaps on policy specifics (e.g., Taiwan, how to apply Leahy laws), criticism for engaging establishment institutions, and questions about whether it tackles the deeper structural roots of global imperialism.

February 28, 2026

Letters from an American • 31 implied HN points • 01 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. The U.S. and Israel carried out a major strike on Iran that killed top leaders and many civilians, and Iran retaliated with attacks on Israel and U.S. bases across the region.
  2. The president justified the assault as preventing a nuclear Iran and promoting freedom, but intelligence indicated no imminent nuclear threat and the stated reasons were vague and possibly politically driven to distract or rally support.
  3. The attack sidestepped Congress and raised constitutional and international-law concerns, risked wider regional escalation, and proceeded despite low public support, signaling a troubling erosion of democratic accountability.

How MI6 works

Comment is Freed • 153 implied HN points • 29 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics National Security
  1. MI6’s core job is still to find people inside hostile states or groups and persuade them to work as sources.
  2. Recruitment has changed a lot — it used to be informal, like a tap on the shoulder at university, and the organisation’s workplaces have shifted too.
  3. Technology and AI now help intelligence officers search and filter candidates much faster, replacing many manual, paper-based methods.

Hot take on an AI catfight

Marcus on AI • 6165 implied HN points • 22 Jan 25
🕹 Technology National Security
  1. OpenAI is launching a big project called The Stargate Project, which plans to invest $500 billion to improve AI infrastructure in the U.S. Over the next four years, they hope this will help the country's economy and national security.
  2. Elon Musk is skeptical about the funding and the true financial health of OpenAI. He suggests that previous promises may not hold true and questions whether this project will really benefit the American people.
  3. There are several uncertainties about this project, like whether developing AI will actually be profitable and how it might impact jobs. People worry if the profits will help everyone or just the rich, and if the U.S. can truly keep up with China's advancements in AI.

when "the system" becomes "the enemy"

bad cattitude • 243 implied HN points • 04 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. Force, not legal niceties, often decides outcomes — systems and international law only matter when someone has the power and will to enforce them.
  2. When institutions become captured or corrupt, people lose faith and may stop defending the system, which encourages extra‑legal efforts to overturn it and risks authoritarian backlashes.
  3. Sharp unilateral actions reveal the weakness of transnational institutions and can reshape global balance by exposing rivals as unable or unwilling to stop decisive moves.

Carole Cadwalladr: The Entire Business Model of Silicon Valley Is Surveillance

God's Spies by Thomas Neuburger • 90 implied HN points • 14 Feb 26
🕹 Technology National Security
  1. Big tech’s business model is based on mass surveillance and data mining, and that data can be used to manipulate public opinion and influence elections, which threatens democratic self-rule.
  2. Major technology companies are being embedded into government through “strategic partnerships” and large contracts, effectively making them instruments of state power and creating security and sovereignty risks.
  3. Governments and tech firms are forming many-to-many information-sharing relationships that seduce and assimilate companies into state functions. This process turns tech firms into ‘bricks’ in a corporate-state wall that expands surveillance and control.

Rahm on Trump and China: “He is the worst negotiator.”

ChinaTalk • 340 implied HN points • 18 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. The current U.S. approach and the president's unpredictability have weakened alliances and encouraged partners like Japan and South Korea to spend more on defense as insurance, which ultimately plays into China’s strategic narrative.
  2. Blending public policy with family business interests and rolling back oversight has eroded institutional norms, damaged U.S. credibility, and reduced America’s bargaining power abroad.
  3. China now behaves like a strategic adversary rather than a normal competitor, so the U.S. needs a whole-of-country response: protect research and universities, invest in energy and industrial capacity, and run a massive workforce and education push while managing AI’s inequality risks.

The roundup, and an open thread

The Watch • 479 implied HN points • 06 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. The administration is reshaping institutions and using power for private gain, from monetized pardons and family windfalls to renaming federal bodies and pushing aggressive foreign and immigration actions.
  2. Checks on power and the rule of law are eroding as courts and agencies enable partisan maps and politicized probes while serious misconduct and wrongful convictions keep coming to light.
  3. Public health and vulnerable people are at risk as vaccine policy and prison protections are rolled back, and global child deaths are projected to rise after decades of decline.

Niall Ferguson on Trump’s National Security Strategy. The EU’s New Censorship. Plus. . .

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 440 implied HN points • 08 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. Trump’s new National Security Strategy sparked heavy backlash and signals a tougher, more confrontational posture toward Europe and key allies.
  2. The European Union is ramping up enforcement against big tech with fines and antitrust probes, which is reshaping online speech and competition.
  3. National security and political battles are intensifying at home, from disputed Pentagon strikes and weapons testing to treatment of the National Guard and high‑stakes gerrymandering fights.

“Blizzard” Gives NYC Mayor Mamdani Pretext For A “Climate Lockdown”

QTR’s Fringe Finance • 36 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. Media coverage treated a heavy but historically normal snowstorm as an extreme emergency, which helped justify dramatic government action.
  2. The mayor declared a state of emergency and a travel ban that limited private vehicle use, set mandatory sidewalk-clearing duties for property owners, and allowed fines for noncompliance.
  3. Exemptions for NGOs, delivery services, and other allies raised concerns about preferential access, erosion of civil liberties, and potential national security risks if movement can be broadly restricted.

Dismantling by Attrition (Part 3)

Who is Robert Malone • 8 implied HN points • 12 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. A congressionally created pandemic office was hollowed out and left empty by not replacing staff or appointing a director. Key programs were canceled and coordination moved into the opaque NSC, leaving preparedness infrastructure effectively dismantled.
  2. Both major parties share blame: one used executive power to pressure platforms and overreach constitutional limits, while the other ignored a statutory mandate and dismantled an office by attrition. Recognizing both failures is necessary for a serious conservative critique.
  3. Pandemic preparedness matters even when a specific threat like H5N1 currently seems limited; monitoring, coordination, and countermeasure capacity must be preserved so risks can be detected and managed. Congress has clear tools—funding conditions, reporting requirements, and confirmation hearings—to enforce compliance but has not used them.

Biden’s Commerce Sec. Says She’s Reluctant to Ban China’s TikTok Because Democrats Would ‘Lose Every Voter Under 35 Forever’.

Raheem Kassam's Substack • 3636 implied HN points • 09 Mar 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. Biden's Commerce Secretary is hesitant to ban China's TikTok to avoid losing young voters
  2. TikTok, owned by ByteDance backed by China, is a national security concern
  3. There may be impending restrictions on TikTok and similar apps due to foreign ownership and data practices

Refresher On The Rules For Discussing Israeli Wars

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 2258 implied HN points • 13 Jun 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. Israel is seen as always acting in self-defense, never as the aggressor in conflicts. It's believed that any attack is just a reaction to past events or a way to prevent future threats.
  2. Criticism of Israel's actions is often viewed as hate towards Jewish people. There's a belief that anyone who speaks against Israel does so out of malicious intent.
  3. The media and official narratives tend to defend Israel while painting its opponents in a negative light, suggesting that it’s wrong to question these portrayals.

Second Breakfast: Hegseth’s Second Strike

ChinaTalk • 296 implied HN points • 16 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. The Target Engagement Authority (TEA) is important for military strikes, and this role must follow strict rules to avoid unnecessary harm. When the Secretary of Defense acts as the TEA, it can complicate oversight and accountability.
  2. Military ethics are crucial, especially in warfare. Soldiers are trained not to harm wounded or surrendering enemies, making it essential to maintain moral standards even in gray areas of conflict.
  3. Congress is stepping in to oversee military actions more closely after controversial strikes. This scrutiny can lead to significant changes in military strategy and accountability for leaders involved.

The Narco-Trafficking Elite Set to Run Venezuela (w/ Maureen Tkacik) | The Chris Hedges Report

The Chris Hedges Report • 186 implied HN points • 08 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. There is a long history of U.S. intelligence and anti‑communist exile networks becoming entwined with drug trafficking in Latin America, which helped build enduring narco infrastructures.
  2. Key U.S. political figures and Miami exile networks have personal and political ties to narco‑linked actors, yet they promote militarized policies and back leaders accused of trafficking.
  3. The drug war is often used as a pretext for geopolitical and economic aims, protecting allies who serve those aims while selectively targeting rivals, and some high‑profile indictments (like Venezuela’s) rest on weaker evidence than prosecutions of other traffickers.

Annual Review 2025: What I Got Wrong

Phillips’s Newsletter • 278 implied HN points • 26 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. Don't assume leaders will be constrained by their base; Trump showed he will act on his own judgment, even joining attacks he previously seemed unlikely to support.
  2. Treat public shifts in rhetoric about Russia with skepticism — friendly signals can be deliberate feints, and Trump has stayed aligned with Putin rather than genuinely turning against him.
  3. Rhetoric from European governments isn't enough; unless the UK, France, and others provide tangible support like money or weapons, don't expect them to take decisive, sustained action.

How Trump Broke Our Moral Compass

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 343 implied HN points • 10 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics National Security
  1. Leadership rhetoric and actions have normalized cruelty, making extreme measures like extrajudicial violence and harsher rules of engagement seem acceptable.
  2. Widespread public apathy or muted outrage has allowed these outrages to go unchecked and weakened the country's moral standards.
  3. Dehumanizing language and policies toward immigrants and outsiders have produced harsher treatment, canceled citizenship ceremonies, and eroded legal protections.