Mike Sweeney - Defense Priorities

Military analysis, Basing and force posture, Burden sharing, China, Foreign and defense policy, Middle East, NATO, and Russian military

Mike Sweeney

Non-Resident Fellow

Mike Sweeney is a non-resident fellow at Defense Priorities.

Sweeney previously spent 13 years as think tank analyst in Washington, DC, where he focused on U.S. foreign policy and defense planning, undertaking research and studies, including for the Department of Defense. His areas of research include U.S. national security, such as NATO relations and enlargement, Middle Eastern politics and security relations, Russian military and doctrine, long-range defense planning scenarios, and U.S. overseas presence and basing options. From 2001 to 2005, he served as the rapporteur for the Defense Policy Board. He is the co-author of the monograph, Central Asia in U.S. Strategy and Operational Planning (2004) and two books published by Brassey’s, Strategic Paradigms 2025 (1999) and Strategic Dynamics in the Nordic-Baltic Region (2000). His articles and essays have appeared on sites such as Divergent Options, West Point’s Modern War Institute, and War on the Rocks, among other outlets.

Naval power, China, Military analysis

The shipbuilding empire fueling China’s naval rise is a juggernaut, but tough questions remain

Featuring Mike Sweeney

September 28, 2024

“Perhaps the PLAN can run its fleet more economically than the US Navy would,” Mike Sweeney, a non-resident fellow at […]

China, Asia

The D Brief: US soldier detained in Russia; UK boots accused spy; Defense > offense?; Police kill SOF airman; And a bit more.

Featuring Mike Sweeney

May 9, 2024

China, Asia

Helicopter flare up should highlight China’s base instincts

Featuring Mike Sweeney

May 7, 2024

The shipbuilding empire fueling China’s naval rise is a juggernaut, but tough questions remain

The D Brief: US soldier detained in Russia; UK boots accused spy; Defense > offense?; Police kill SOF airman; And a bit more.

Helicopter flare up should highlight China’s base instincts

The shipbuilding empire fueling China’s naval rise is a juggernaut, but tough questions remain

The D Brief: US soldier detained in Russia; UK boots accused spy; Defense > offense?; Police kill SOF airman; And a bit more.

Helicopter flare up should highlight China’s base instincts

Challenges to Chinese blue-water operations

How would Europe defend itself?

In the dark depths of the Pacific, US submarines patrol with an eye fixed firmly on China

Expert updates and analysis to enhance your understanding of vital U.S. national security issues

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Expert updates and analysis to enhance your understanding of vital U.S. national security issues