Source Files · Files collected November 2 to 8, 2026
This edition tracks where defense power is being built, funded, and rethought. Two Indo-Pacific pieces chart the submarine counts and strategic culture behind the US-China naval contest, while two CRS briefs show Congress wrestling with Iran sanctions blowback and military construction dollars. A technical look at autonomous weapons and a doctrinal review of NATO's deterrence pivot round out a set spanning hardware, funding, and alliance strategy.
1. Sea Power in the Indo-Pacific
Dongkeun Lee · 411 pages · 2026 · Indo-Pacific sea power
A 411-page thesis comparing how geopolitics and maritime strategic culture shape naval power in the US, China, Japan, Australia and South Korea from the pre-Cold War era to the 2020s. It offers a long-horizon framework for judging which Indo-Pacific navies can convert ships into actual strategic effect. Headline finding: Sea power development accelerates when a politico-military establishment adopts a maritime strategic culture, leading to deployment of naval assets for sea control or SLOC protection. (p. 343)
Library page · Original source
2. Dialogue Social Science Review (DSSR)
Dialogue Social Science Review (DSSR) · 17 pages · Jan 22, 2026 · US-China rivalry
An analysis of US-China strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific covering naval buildups, alliances, infrastructure projects and regional hedging strategies. It lays out the hard numbers behind the naval arms race shaping Indo-Pacific security planning today. Headline finding: China expanded its naval capabilities between 2017 and 2025, increasing its submarine fleet to 73 and commissioning the Fujian aircraft carrier to enhance power projection. (p. 9)
Library page · Original source
The two files above are free. The next four are where this week gets interesting.
3. U.S. Sanctions on Iran: Background and Political Context (CRS). Could the sanctions meant to isolate Iran actually be driving it toward its rivals' allies?
4. FY2027 Proposed Military Construction Appropriations: A Summary (CRS). How far below that request did the House actually fund military construction and family housing?
5. Artificial Intelligence and Human-out-of-the-Loop: Is It Time for Autonomous Military Systems? (Miskolc). What kind of attack could trick an autonomous weapon system into targeting the wrong thing?
6. NATO'S STRATEGIC ADAPTATION IN THE ERA OF SYSTEMIC RIVALRY: FROM (Nato Adapt). What exactly pushed NATO to abandon its old crisis-management paradigm for deterrence?