Mission
At TWZ, we stand at the nexus of military technology, strategy, and foreign policy, and answer the glaring questions of today that will impact the globe tomorrow. TWZ has become an essential resource for the defense industry, national security community, and public at large. From our early beginnings in 2016 to the present day, our mission has remained the same: to make topics that are extremely complex and deeply technical not just understandable, but as fascinating to the reader as we find them.
As a full-spectrum defense news and analysis website, we cover the air, sea, land, space, and cyber domains of warfare, with an infusion of geopolitical context and technological analysis, to offer readers deeper, yet easier-to-consume, insights than they’ll find anywhere else. A key facet of TWZ’s reporting is our pioneering approach to open-source intelligence (OSINT), especially on global conflicts and international technological developments.
Our readers have, and always will, come first.
Objectivity, Transparency, and Ethics
TWZ has a unique voice and writing style that has been honed over thousands of articles, and while many things have changed, TWZ is as editorially independent today as it was when we launched in 2016. Our core news product – which includes but isn’t limited to original reporting, news contextualization, technological analysis, OSINT assessments, and breaking live coverage – is assigned, written, edited, and published by TWZ’s team of writers and editors, led by Editor-in-Chief Tyler Rogoway, without influence from any outside stakeholders.
We maintain the highest standards, based on the foundation of journalism’s bedrock principles, for all stories published on TWZ.com – our readers expect nothing less. TWZ has become an essential resource across the defense industry and national security community because we have earned our readers’ trust over the past decade. We also understand that such trust, built up over years, can be lost overnight, and the TWZ team strives to report the news objectively and honestly, without political bias, as we see it within a defense and foreign policy context.
The national security world is rarely spelled out in black and white, and TWZ comfortably operates in the gray. But successfully navigating a world of unknowns requires transparency, which is why we clearly articulate what we know, what we don’t know, and what we think. Our readers’ belief in our levelheaded, no-nonsense coverage is cherished by our editorial team, and we strive to maintain transparency throughout the reporting process – including making clear corrections when we make a mistake. Our approach is simple: if a correction is needed, it will be disclosed upfront without reservation or hesitation.
Original reporting is a hallmark of TWZ, and maintaining the integrity of our sources is critical. As a rule, we use on-the-record sourcing whenever possible, but due to the nature of our reporting, background or off-the-record sourcing is sometimes required. The latter is something we use sparingly and only when absolutely necessary, and we have the highest confidence in the material being conveyed. We will never abuse this type of reporting, which has become all too common in the mainstream media landscape today. TWZ’s editors and writers vet and verify sources independently to assess the veracity and trustworthiness of the claims, and qualify information accordingly if we cannot.
Diligently crediting authors of stories and their outlets that we build upon with our own coverage or blog is a zero tolerance policy for all editorial staff at TWZ. We celebrate the incredible works of our peers and we would not be able to do what we do without them. The same is to be said for the fantastic photographers we work with around the globe daily. So we do everything possible to properly credit them and highlight their work, not in a footnote, but prominently directly in the body of the text. Still, mistakes can be made and confusion can occur. We ask anyone to contact us directly with any concerns over attributions.
Editorial and business operations are strictly separated at TWZ, and our business teams operate independently from the core newsroom. We occasionally, and selectively, publish branded content if it aligns with our readers’ interests. Sponsored content is abundantly labeled and is produced separate from the operations of our core newsroom. Decisions about what we write and cover are determined solely by the editorial team. We very rarely participate in press junkets hosted by private companies, but if we do, we’ll disclose if they have paid for any portion of the trip or reporting costs.
Accuracy and Accountability
At TWZ, every member of our editorial team is held individually accountable for the accuracy and reliability of the facts and sources in our reporting and on the site. Additionally, everything we publish on the TWZ site is edited by a designated editor who is ultimately responsible for ensuring accurate and objective reporting. This includes fact checking and asking very hard questions of our authors to ensure the work being published is accurate and thorough.
We prioritize accountability and, if an error is made, we let our readers know as soon as possible with full disclosure: what it was, and the appropriate fixes we’re making. Any substantive changes or corrections made to a story after publishing, excluding simple grammatical corrections and secondary supporting evidentiary additions, are appropriately labeled with a note preceding or following the body of the story.
We deeply value our readership and all the feedback they give us, both positive and negative. If we got something wrong, send us an email here, and we will do everything possible to investigate the error and fix whatever issues may exist.
TWZ stories are updated regularly and in real time, especially while covering live breaking news and ongoing conflicts and crises. TWZ’s featured “rolling” coverage is updated throughout the day and marked with timestamps so readers around the globe can follow the evolution of a story in real time. Updates and corrections are materially different and clearly distinguished.
Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT)
TWZ continues to pioneer the use of open-source intelligence (OSINT) in the defense media space, and our innovative approach remains a key facet of the site’s reporting, especially in active conflict zones and on international technological developments. Our team leverages and synthesizes both publicly available and commercially-acquired OSINT – which includes but isn’t limited to satellite imagery, geospatial analysis tools, flight and ship tracking data, government filings, and procurement documents, as well as a curated community of online OSINT enthusiasts – to break stories, verify original reporting, identify emerging technologies, and deliver the unique insight and analysis our readers have come to expect.
Open sources are tagged with links to the original content whenever possible so readers can evaluate the evidence for themselves. We are committed to transparently and openly sharing where and how we get our information when appropriate, but we cannot always disclose sources and methods. Any updates or corrections to reporting based on the constantly changing OSINT environment and information domain are also labeled with an appropriate note and timestamp.
Our Editorial Team
TWZ is run by a highly motivated and agile editorial team, along with a curated group of contributors, who have an absolute passion for the subject matter and a deep understanding of the topics covered. Led by Editor-In-Chief Tyler Rogoway, one of the military sector’s most influential journalists, TWZ’s unique form of in-depth reporting and breaking news is viewed by an audience of millions of readers per month. The editorial team has collectively worked at or contributed to publications including Foxtrot Alpha, Military Times, Reuters, The Tampa Bay Times, Task & Purpose, AirForces Monthly, Small Arms Review, Small Arms Defense Journal, We Are the Mighty, and more. You can find the full masthead here.
Originally launched in partnership with The Drive, TWZ began operating as a stand-alone media brand in January 2024 under its new web address TWZ.com. Today, we’re part of the Recurrent Ventures team.
Revised March 27, 2026