Articles by Alex Hempel


Chinese Defense Spending Should be PPP Adjusted

The Chinese type 052 destroyer Qingdao receives a warm welcome at Pearl Harbor. Nearly everyone has seen an infographic showing US military spending compared to the rest of the world, often accompanied with an admonishment…




An Analysis of the 2019 Missile Defense Review

A Patriot launcher unit equipped with PAC-2 missiles deployed in Turkey. The 2019 Missile Defense Review (MDR), a policy document outlining the way forward for American missile defense efforts, was released in January 2019 following…




National Security Strategies: Trump vs. Obama

From released internal memos and after-action reports to detailed doctrine manuals to capstone strategy papers, a deluge of written material emanates from the American defense establishment. While many of these obscure documents are of little importance…