The Weekly Preflight: 5 Things to Watch in Global Security | Week of May 25, 2026

Have a thoughtful Memorial Day today. A little light on humor as I’m rushing to get out the door for a Memorial Day speaking engagement.

The photo shows an Israeli Merkava MK4 tank from Hezbollah’s FPV drone’s POV in southern Lebanon at an unspecified time. (Photo via Telegram)

Think of this as your weekly strategic weather report exclusively for paid subscribers. Five things to watch and what could break next in war, defense tech, and geopolitics. Just the pressure points most likely to shape the next seven days.

If you want to understand how I build my OSINT dashboard, I wrote about my workflow here:

My Guide to OSINT, Noise Reduction, and Modern War Forecasting

If you’re Stateside, have a thoughtful Memorial Day today. Let’s jump in. As always, links in the text if you want to read the source:

BLUF:

A deal that may or may not be negotiated, a tank that was supposedly protected, an enrichment double standard, a train bombing that deserved more coverage, and a supreme leader who may be communicating by messenger. Stay sharp.