As Americans watched the stunning military parade in Washington, D.C., commemorating 250 years of the U.S. Army's storied history, many were left asking why progressive groups chose this moment to stage nationwide protests under the "No Kings" banner. Critics claimed that such displays of military might resemble the pageantry of authoritarian regimes like North Korea or Russia, not the spirit of a democratic republic.
But that line of reasoning is disingenuous. For decades, Americans have flocked to airshows featuring the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels, marveling at the precision and daring of pilots executing complex maneuvers in billion-dollar aircraft. These events allow civilians to explore helicopters and fighter jets up close, fostering admiration—not fear—for the nation's defense capabilities. The only difference in this week's parade was that the military hardware moved while the people stood still.
Yet as tanks and missile launchers rolled past, evoking memories of past wars and heroic victories, there was a sobering realization: the nature of warfare has changed. The days of large-scale military mobilizations like the Gulf War are over. Warfare has evolved beyond traditional battlespaces—and with it, so has the risk to the American homeland.
Just a few days ago, modern warfare played out dramatically halfway across the world. In a highly coordinated operation, Israel launched a covert drone strike deep inside Iran. The strike killed a cadre of senior Iranian military officers and demonstrated a terrifying new capability: remote-activated weapons systems smuggled into enemy territory and triggered at will. Some of the drones and explosives were reportedly hidden inside Iran for years before activation.
While Israel's Prime Minister emphasized the "surprise" factor, open-source intelligence suggests the attack was the culmination of a sophisticated campaign involving infiltration, surveillance, and precise technological coordination. It was a stunning reminder that conventional military hardware—like the tanks of General Patton's era—are no longer the gold standard in this new paradigm.
Just a few weeks prior, Ukraine showcased its own version of modern asymmetric warfare. In a coordinated strike, Ukrainian forces used inexpensive, homemade kamikaze drones to destroy several high-value Russian bombers stationed thousands of miles away in Siberia. These drones, transported covertly across Russia's vast territory in inconspicuous vehicles, bypassed traditional radar defenses and struck their targets with devastating precision.
It was a repeat of the Israeli blueprint—arguably, even more refined. Ukraine's ability to conduct deep strikes into Russian territory underscored the weakness of vast land-based defenses. It proved that a nimble, determined force can punch far above its weight using 21st-century tactics.
And what works for one side works for the other. Iran's retaliatory strike on Israel involved launching hundreds of drones and missiles, many of which were intercepted by Israel's highly vaunted Iron Dome and David's Sling systems. But even a 5-10% penetration rate was enough to expose Israeli vulnerabilities. One such strike ignited oil tanks in Haifa; another caused damage in the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan, sending civilians fleeing into the streets.
Notably, Iran's strategy wasn't merely about inflicting physical damage. It was psychological warfare, a page ripped from Saddam Hussein's own "terror war" playbook during the Gulf War. The goal was to instill fear, uncertainty, and doubt in the public's mind.
Equally significant was the economic dimension. Each cheap Iranian drone forced Israel to launch an expensive missile to intercept it. If a $20,000 drone requires a $500,000 interceptor, the imbalance in cost becomes strategically unsustainable over time. War is, ultimately, a contest of attrition—and attrition favors those with cheaper, abundant munitions.
All of which brings the issue home—literally.
President Donald Trump has spent years warning that lax immigration enforcement could allow terrorists and criminals to enter the country undetected. That warning, once dismissed as alarmist, now seems prophetic. Recall that the former acting chief of President Biden's Immigration and Customs Enforcement had released a letter to Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican Congressman, which said that under Kamala Harris, the border czar, America had caught and released into the country over 662,000 migrants with criminal records. Worse, more than 15,000 of them were murderers convicted in their home countries, and 16,000 were convicted of sexual assault. Other crimes included 100,000 assaults, 70,000 drug violations, 90,000 invasions of privacy, and 16,000 weapons offenses.
While most border crossers seek economic opportunity or exploit loopholes for birthright citizenship, there is mounting evidence that nationals from hostile regimes—including China, Iran, and rogue states in Africa—have used the porous border to infiltrate the United States. The risk of sleeper cells operating undetected for years, awaiting activation, is no longer a far-fetched Hollywood plot. It mirrors precisely the tactics used by Israeli agents in Iran and the Ukrainian military deep inside Russia's territory. Some red states have already taken action, passing laws to prevent Chinese nationals and entities from purchasing property near military bases. This follows an alarming incident in 2023 when a Chinese surveillance balloon traversed the continental U.S., likely collecting intelligence on sensitive infrastructure before it was finally shot down.
The mission of war has remained unchanged for 4,000 years—to weaken or destroy the enemy's will to resist. But the tools and terrain of that war have shifted dramatically. Inexpensive, ubiquitous drone technology, cyber warfare, remote-controlled ordnance, and psychological manipulation have leveled the playing field, rendering even the most powerful militaries vulnerable to relatively low-tech actors.
If Ukrainian drones can breach Russian borders and Israeli agents can penetrate Iran, then the U.S. cannot assume immunity. The American homeland, for the first time in decades, faces a real and growing threat from adversaries willing to exploit new warfare paradigms. We would do well to recognize this now and act decisively—before we, too, find ourselves on the receiving end of a modern war we never saw coming.
TIPP Market Brief – June 16, 2025
Your Morning Snapshot
📊 Market Snapshot
- S&P 500: ▼ 5976.97 (1.13% )
- 10-Year Yield: ▲ 4.424%, (6.7 basis points)
- Crude Oil (WTI): ▲ $73.18 (7.55%)
- Bitcoin (BTC): ▲ $106,995.37
- US Dollar Index (USD): ▼ 97.98 (0.21%)
- Gold: ▲ $3,432.03 (1.36%)
Bigger Charts: $SPX | $TNX | $WTIC | $BTCUSD | $USD | $GOLD
📈 Featured Stock
Our pick for today’s featured stock
📰 News & Headlines
Allegheny Technologies (ATI) Increases Despite Market Slip: Here's What You Need to Know—Zacks
Wall Street Analysts See Allegheny Technologies (ATI) as a Buy: Should You Invest?—Zacks
⭐Recent Featured Stocks
Mr. Cooper Group Inc (COOP) (6/13)
Nuscale Power Corp (SMR) (6/12)
Centrus Energy Corp (LEU) (6/11)
Irhythm Technologies, Inc. (IRTC) (6/10)
Tutor Perini Corp (TPC) (6/9)
Aeva Technologies, Inc. (AEVA) (6/5)
Zscaler, Inc. (ZS) (6/4)
NRG Energy (NRG) (6/3)
Life360, Inc. (LIF) (6/2)
GE Aerospace (GE) (5/30)
More here
🧠 Macro Insight
● Futures rise as markets shrug off Mideast conflict. Dow +0.4%, Nasdaq +0.5%, S&P +0.5%.
● Oil gains as Israel-Iran strikes continue. WTI at $71.64, Brent at $74.53.
● G7 summit begins in Canada with a focus on de-escalating the Israel-Iran conflict and Trump’s tariff diplomacy.
● Activist investor Barington targets Victoria’s Secret (VSCO), seeks board overhaul and end to poison pill.
📅 Key Events Today
Monday, June 16
● No key events today
