Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Chris Miller explains why Russia has not used more precision-guided “smart” munitions in its invasion of Ukraine. The answer, Miller says, lies in not only a mere shortage of advanced components but also Russia’s dearth of high-tech innovation and industry.

As the Pentagon struggles to muster matériel, Mackenzie Eaglen and William C. Greenwalt argue that multiyear procurement contracts—instead of the current yearly procurement negotiations—could cut costs and stabilize the Armed Forces’ supply of vital equipment. “Contractors need stability to produce systems at meaningful rates for sustained periods of time,” write Eaglen and Greenwalt.

Andrew G. Biggs disputes popular claims that Social Security payments leave retirees just above the poverty line. According to Biggs, Social Security benefits are generous but not well targeted at the retirees most in need.

Permanent expansions in unemployment benefits have become a facet of federal policymaking as generations of lawmakers have attempted to plan for future recessions. Matt Weidinger illustrates how this costly trend started and why it is unlikely to stop.

Writing in the Dispatch, Jonah Goldberg challenges the growing embrace of “Old World conservatism” by some on the American right. He contends that these “populist, corporatist, nationalist” ideas have more in common with forms of American progressivism than with the traditions of the founding.