From Balikatan to Taiwan: Why Firepower Beats Perfection

Commentary Balikatan 2025—the largest Indo-Pacific exercise in years—sent a clear message: the United States is preparing for a major regional fight. With anti-ship missile strikes, island defense scenarios, and Japanese ground forces participating, it was the most complex iteration yet. But exercises don’t win wars. Firepower does. The Pentagon must face a hard truth: victory […]