Brandon J. Weichert

Brandon Weichert

Brandon J. Weichert is the Senior National Security Editor. He was previously the senior national security editor at The National Interest. Weichert is the host of The National Security Hour on iHeartRadio, where he discusses national security policy every Wednesday at 8 pm Eastern. He hosts a companion show on Rumble entitled "National Security Talk." Weichert consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. His writings have appeared in numerous publications, among them Popular Mechanics, National Review, MSN, and The American Spectator. And his books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China's Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran's Quest for Supremacy. Weichert's newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed on Twitter/X at @WeTheBrandon.

(October 30, 2007) - USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) conducts Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) following a six-month Planned Incremental Availability (PIA). All Naval vessels are periodically inspected by INSURV to check their material condition and battle readiness. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (AW) M. Jeremie Yoder.

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

Washington Says Hormuz Belongs to the World, Tehran Says Half Is Theirs — and Oman Just Said Nobody Should Control It at All

Day six of the renewed war brought expanded US strikes across Iran and wider Iranian attacks on America's Gulf partners — with only a...

Brandon WeichertJuly 16, 2026

President Donald Trump participates in a working lunch meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, Japan. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

Dollars and Sense

Before the War, Roughly 140 Ships a Day Moved Through the Strait of Hormuz — Now the Count Is Down to Maybe a Dozen

Commercial transits through the Strait of Hormuz have fallen to near-zero since fighting resumed — from roughly 140 ships daily before the war to...

Brandon WeichertJuly 16, 2026

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

The Iran Ceasefire Effectively Handed Tehran Control of Hormuz — Washington Realized It, Reversed Course, and the Deal Died in 18 Days

The Washington–Tehran MoU effectively ceded Hormuz control to Iran — so Trump forced ships onto the Omani route, and the deal collapsed in 18...

Brandon WeichertJuly 16, 2026

Putin in January 2019 Russian Federation Image

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

One Source Says Putin’s Nuclear Threats Were All an Act — a Way to Let China Talk Him Out of What He Never Meant to Do

Brandon Weichert weighs whether Russia will turn to tactical nuclear weapons as Ukraine's strikes bite — and argues it won't. Russian doctrine reserves them...

Brandon WeichertJuly 15, 2026

Dollars and Sense

There May Be a Hidden Reason Trump Keeps Pausing the Iran War — America’s Emergency Oil Is Closer to Empty Than Anyone Admits

Brandon Weichert argues Trump's repeated Iran-war pauses may be about something unspoken: America's Strategic Petroleum Reserve is hitting 'bottom barrel,' Cushing is nearing its...

Brandon WeichertJuly 14, 2026

Ukraine War

More Than 50 Russian Ships Have Fled the Sea of Azov Entirely — Hiding Farther South Rather Than Risk Ukraine’s Drones

More than 50 Russian vessels have reportedly fled the Sea of Azov as Ukraine's drone campaign chokes wheat exports from Russia's breadbasket — compounding...

Brandon WeichertJuly 13, 2026

President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks at the Republican Members Issues Conference at Trump National Doral Miami, Monday, March 9, 2026, in Miami, Florida. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

Dollars and Sense

The Strait of Hormuz Used to Handle 140 Ships a Day — During the Entire Ceasefire, It Managed That Many in a Week

Crude prices are softening while gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel climb — because the Iran War has turned an oil problem into a transportation...

Brandon WeichertJuly 13, 2026

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

Trump Just Bet the Iran War on America’s Emergency Oil Reserve — and Much of What’s Left May Not Even Be Usable

With the Iran ceasefire dead after barely 18 days, Brandon Weichert warns America is fighting an oil-shock war on a depleted Strategic Petroleum Reserve...

Brandon WeichertJuly 13, 2026

Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) transits the South China Sea, June 8, 2026. Boxer, flagship of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, is underway with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. U.S. 7th Fleet, the Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners to preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Eliora Sims)

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

A Panelist With Pentagon Sources Just Revealed Trump’s Possible Next Move on Iran: Marines Storming Kharg Island Within the Week

Brandon Weichert reports a panelist citing administration and Pentagon sources who claims the U.S. plans a Marine and Ranger landing on Kharg Island —...

Brandon WeichertJuly 11, 2026

National Security Journal

Brandon Weichert

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

Washington Says Hormuz Belongs to the World, Tehran Says Half Is Theirs — and Oman Just Said Nobody Should Control It at All

Dollars and Sense

Before the War, Roughly 140 Ships a Day Moved Through the Strait of Hormuz — Now the Count Is Down to Maybe a Dozen

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

The Iran Ceasefire Effectively Handed Tehran Control of Hormuz — Washington Realized It, Reversed Course, and the Deal Died in 18 Days

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

One Source Says Putin’s Nuclear Threats Were All an Act — a Way to Let China Talk Him Out of What He Never Meant to Do

Dollars and Sense

There May Be a Hidden Reason Trump Keeps Pausing the Iran War — America’s Emergency Oil Is Closer to Empty Than Anyone Admits

Ukraine War

More Than 50 Russian Ships Have Fled the Sea of Azov Entirely — Hiding Farther South Rather Than Risk Ukraine’s Drones

Dollars and Sense

The Strait of Hormuz Used to Handle 140 Ships a Day — During the Entire Ceasefire, It Managed That Many in a Week

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

Trump Just Bet the Iran War on America’s Emergency Oil Reserve — and Much of What’s Left May Not Even Be Usable

Military Hardware: Tanks, Bombers, Submarines and More

A Panelist With Pentagon Sources Just Revealed Trump’s Possible Next Move on Iran: Marines Storming Kharg Island Within the Week

Recent Posts

Recent Posts

Recent Comments