Just two weeks ago the British Ministry of Defence placed contracts with 22 companies to plan a new generation of explosives factories, with feasibility studies due by the end of September and construction meant to begin before the end of the year. The goal is at least six new plants producing energetic materials: the explosives, propellants, and pyrotechnics that go inside every shell, bomb, and missile a military fires. Military chiefs are racing to break ground because Britain's stockpiles, drawn down by donations to Ukraine, cannot be rebuilt without them. It is the most instructive defense industrial story in the world right now, and Washington should be taking notes.

American pundits love a simple story. Squeeze the Iranian elites hard enough with sanctions, blockade their oil, freeze their accounts, and the men who live in the shadows of power will finally feel the pinch on their villas, their Swiss transfers, and their children’s overseas educations. They will grow pragmatic. They will come to the table. They will trade the bomb and the axis of resistance for the chance to keep their fortunes and their comforts.

The Joint Force Is Buying Autonomy Faster Than It Can Measure Whether It Can Fight Without It