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As we close out 2024, War on the Rocks reflects on the stories and analyses that resonated most with our readers during a year marked by evolving geopolitical tensions, transformative military technologies, and the enduring echoes of history. From strategic challenges in Europe and Asia to the complexities of warfare in Ukraine and Gaza, our top articles reflect the depth and breadth of both our interests and the turbulence of our world. This year’s most-read pieces reveal a continued focus on the intersection of technology and strategy, as debates over drone warfare, economic resilience, and the future of military force structure have taken center stage. They also underscore an enduring curiosity about the lessons of history and how they inform today’s challenges.

1. Trevor Phillips-Levine and Walker D. Mills, “Outgunned in the Drone Fight: The U.S. Military Is Failing to Adopt the Next Machine Gun”
2. Zack Cooper and Gregory Poling, “The South China Sea Dog that Hasn’t Barked … Yet”
3. Ryan Gingeras, “Brices Cross Roads: The Greatest Battle in World History?”
4. Pierre-Marie Meunier, “Russia Is on a Slow Path to Bankruptcy, But How Slow?”
5. Nick Danby, “By, With, and Through at the Second Thomas Shoal”
6. Michael Kofman, Rob Lee, and Dara Massicot, “Hold, Build, and Strike: A Vision for Rebuilding Ukraine’s Advantage in 2024”
7. Kori Schake, “Longstreet and How Much Work Remains to Be Done”
8. Cole Livieratos, “Cutting Army Special Operations Will Erode the Military’s Ability to Influence the Modern Battlefield”
9. Brian Petit, “Send in the A-Team: A Graduated Response for Ukraine”
10. Graeme Callister, “Why Napoleon’s Makeshift Army Ultimately Lost the Most Famous Battle in European History”
11. Mike Studeman, “China Is Battening Down for the Gathering Storm over Taiwan”
12. Nick Danforth and Aaron Stein, “Coming to Terms with the Loss of Turkey”
13. Bruce Stubbs, “I Blame the Navy’s Strategic Woes on the Chiefs of Naval Operations”
14. Thomas Lattanzio and Harry Francisco Stevens, “Wounded Veterans, Wounded Economy: The Personnel Costs of Russia’s War
15. David Barno and Nora Bensahel, “Drones, the Air Littoral, and the Looming Irrelevance of the U.S. Air Force
16. Andrew Erickson, “What the Pentagon’s New Report on Chinese Military Power Reveals About Capabilities, Context, and Consequences”
17. James F. Jeffrey, “U.S. Troops in Syria Are Critical For Multiple Missions: Keep Them On”
18. Haroro J. Ingram, “Archipelago of Resistance: The Philippines Is Rising to Meet the China Threat, But It Has a Crucial Year Ahead”
19. Rob Geist Pinfold, “Hamas Is Returning to Northern Gaza Because Israel Has No Plan for the “Day After””
20. Philippe Lagassé and Justin Massie, “Don’t Count on Us: Canada’s Military Unreadiness”
21. Clifford Lucas, “The Drone Dilemma and the U.S. Air Force”
22. Stacie L. Pettyjohn, “Drones are Transforming the Battlefield in Ukraine But in an Evolutionary Fashion”
23. Dara Massicot, “Russia’s Post-War Military Recruiting Strategy Emerges”
24. Taren Sylvester and Katherine Kuzminski, “Preparing for the Possibility of a Draft Without Panic”
25. Ben Connable, “Russians Do Break: Historical and Cultural Context for a Prospective Ukrainian Victory”

Image: Tech. Sgt. Rose Gudex via DVIDS.