Defense & Modern War
How wars are fought and paid for, as they stand in October 2026: a record $2.9 trillion of world military spending, the drone age and its cost exchange, the interceptor arithmetic of the Iran war, the nuclear order after New START's expiry, the arms industry and trade, the forces of the United States, China, Russia, a rearming Europe, and the middle powers, the new technologies, and the economics underneath. Brought to October: the Iran war from February's strikes to the stalled talks of October 11, the front in Ukraine, which barely moved in 2026, and Russia's 2027 budget, the fiscal 2027 request and Golden Dome, China's emptied military commission, NATO's 5% pledge after Ankara, and Israel's October 27 election. Four worked examples, from the drone exchange to a Taiwan blockade's first month.