On today’s Land Warfare Series program, sponsored American Rheinmetall, Melanie Marlow of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Dan Roper of the Association of the United States Army join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss takeaways from last week’s AUSA conference and trade show including the imperative for overdue change across the force and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s new drone command; budget outlook and whether the Army will remain a “bill payer” for other priorities; the US Army’s drive to engage allies and partners worldwide; continuing lessons from Ukraine; and more. Our coverage of AUSA is sponsored by Lockheed Martin.

On today’s Land Warfare Series program, sponsored American Rheinmetall, Dan Roper, a retired US Army colonel who is now the director of national security studies at the Association of the United States Army’s Land Warfare Institute, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the theme of the upcoming AUSA conference and tradeshow; and Matt Warnick, the CEO of American Rheinmetall, discusses the Pentagon’s drive to accelerate production; the land systems supply chain; working with the Pentagon and the Army to strip programs of unnecessary requirements and red tape; developing a new generation workforce; continuing Ukraine war lessons; implications of Secretary Hegseth’s new drone command; an update on the XM30 program; and lessons from the recent loss in the US Army’s competition for a new wheeled self-propelled howitzer. Our coverage of AUSA is sponsored by Lockheed Martin.

On today’s Land Warfare program, sponsored by American Rheinmetall, Sam Bendett of the Center for Naval Analyses and Dr. Eugene Rumer, the director of the Russia and Eurasia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the latest on the Ukraine war and trends for future ground conflict.

On this Land Warfare episode, sponsored by American Rheinmetall, Dr. Michael O’Hanlon, the Philip H. Knight Chair in Defense and Strategy as well as the director research for the foreign policy program at the Brookings Institution and author of the new book — “To Dare Mighty Things: U.S. Defense Strategy Since the Revolution” — joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss lessons from the Ukraine and Iran wars for ground forces worldwide; the role of drones in the close fight and future of land vehicles; magazine depth and deterrence; recent moves by the acting Army Chief Gen. Chris LaNeve including his decision to convert a new drone battalion to an airborne infantry unit; deterring Russia as its provocations against NATO increase; and the US defense budget outlook and importance of oversight.

On today’s Land Warfare program, sponsored by American Rheinmetall, Sam Bendett of the Center for Naval Analyses and Dr. Eugene Rumer, the director of the Russia and Eurasia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the tenuous nature of the Ukraine war as both sides grapple for advantage over the front; use of autonomy, AI and unmanned ground systems; how Ukraine can defend itself from Russian ballistic missile attacks; role of North Korea in supporting Russia and the lessons Pyongyang is learning from the conflict; Vladimir Putin’s stability as the war becomes increasingly unpopular wi the Russians as Duma elections loom; and the Russian leader’s visit to the Kuril Islands last week.

On today’s Land Warfare program, sponsored by American Rheinmetall, Sam Bendett of the Center for Naval Analyses and Dr. Eugene Rumer, the director of the Russia and Eurasia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the latest on the Ukraine war as Kyiv strikes ever deeper into Russia and Moscow retaliates with heavier strikes on the Ukrainian capital; the both static and changing nature of ground as well as air and deep strike operations as both sides continue to adapt to the other’s novel approaches; whether Vladimir Putin’s grip on power is as vulnerable as some analysts suggest; how much longer Moscow can bear the internal economic stresses caused by the war; and implications of President Trump’s decision to allow Ukraine to license produce Patriot air and missile defense weapons at NATO’s annual summit in Ankara July 7-8, 2026.

On this Land Warfare episode, sponsored by American Rheinmetall, Franz-Stefan Gady, a defense analyst and consultant in Vienna who is also an adjunct fellow with Center for a New American Security think tank and author of several books including his newest, “Surprise Attack: When War Comes to Us” available in German and “How the United States Would Fight China,” joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the latest on the Ukraine war; why it’s hard to judge progress or advantage in the conflict; lessons European powers should be learning from the conflict as they seek to bolster their land forces; how the war will change the design land vehicles and how they are employed in concert with unmanned air capabilities; why Russia remains a threat to Europe despite the bloodying it’s taken in Ukraine; and the applicability of Ukraine lessons to the Indo-Pacific;

On this Land Warfare episode, sponsored by American Rheinmetall, Dr. Gian Gentile, a retired US Army colonel who is now a senior historian at the Rand Corporation think tank’s Arroyo Center, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the latest on the Ukraine war including on the role of unmanned ground vehicles, lessons from the conflict, how armies learn lessons and whether the US Army is inculcating those lessons in its $252 billion 2027 spending request, how the need for more powerful electromagnetic and air defense capabilities as well as drones for surveillance will shape future vehicles, his new Korea Regional Review article “Ukraine War Ground Combat and its Implications for a Possible Future War Along the Korean DMZ,” the threat posed by Russia as Moscow continues to fight in Ukraine and increasingly provoke NATO’s Baltic nations, priorities for Europe as nations rebuild their ground combat capabilities, and the role of land forces in the IndoPacific.