Stephen Bryen is a defense policy analyst, Asia Times contributor, and former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Trade Security Policy. He wrote the April 24, 2026 analysis “Spy Drones Are Compromising America’s Nuclear Triad” (see src-spy-drones-nuclear-triad-2026-04), which synthesizes the March 2026 Barksdale drone incursions, the April 2026 Offutt AFB spy arrest, and the 2023 Malmstrom spy balloon as elements of a coordinated Chinese intelligence campaign against all three legs of the U.S. nuclear-triad.
Bryen assesses that U.S. nuclear bases lack meaningful air defenses and that the government response reflects deliberate concealment rather than incompetence.