"It’s hard for me to comprehend that it’s really been a decade," wrote Tyler Rogoway, Editor‑in‑Chief of TWZ, summing up a milestone that the site marked with nearly 11,000 published pieces and a claim of firsts — including being "the first news outlet that has the ability to task an imaging satellite."
Ten years, nearly 11,000 articles, and an unchanged mission
TWZ went live ten years ago and, as Rogoway put it, has produced "nearly 11,000 articles" since launch. The site's stated mission remains the same: to provide deep insights into military technology and strategy, and to tie those perspectives into broader foreign‑policy contexts when applicable. Rogoway says he has edited every single article posted to the site "aside from maybe a dozen," reflecting a hands‑on editorial approach.
Audience metrics: eight million monthly page views and strong direct traffic
The site reports an average of around eight million page views per month, with peaks as high as 16 million depending on world events. Rogoway emphasized that roughly half of that readership "at any given moment comes straight to the homepage" — "around 50% of TWZ’s traffic are people literally typing in the URL or hitting their bookmarks." He framed this direct‑visit pattern as a central strength: "We do not rely on Google or social media or other referrers to stay alive."
Direct engagement channels are part of that strategy: Rogoway highlighted email and X as ways readers contact the staff, and credited the audience for providing leads and stories. Onsite community engagement remains robust, with "thousands upon thousands of comments a week" and the site's Bunker Talk weekend segments averaging "well over 4,000 comments each."
Editorial model: a five‑person core and an integrated workflow
TWZ’s editorial operation is deliberately small. Rogoway noted a "tiny but extremely dedicated editorial team of five people" and described a highly collaborative process: "Nearly every article, even those with a single byline, have been molded in some way by other members of the team." The staff emphasizes open‑source intelligence (OSINT) work, which Rogoway said requires fusing "massive amounts of info" under short deadlines, and credited the team's "unmatched work ethic and a true passion for the subject matter" for sustaining that pace.
Ownership, advertisers, and the sales team
Rogoway named Recurrent as the outlet’s owner and praised management for letting editorial operate freely: "Recurrent has supported TWZ consistently over the years, through thick and thin. They have always been there when they are needed and, most importantly, they have been absent when they are not. THIS is the magic sauce. They don’t screw with our program."
He identified CEO Andrew Perlman and Recurrent Military General Manager Kathy Torres‑Pummill as particularly supportive. Rogoway also thanked advertisers and the sales team — led by Phil Hladky — saying sponsors have been "incredibly understanding of our editorial standards" and that editorial retains veto power over ad content.
Video expansion under Jamie Hunter; Special Access and Showtime
TWZ is making a "big push into video" with Jamie Hunter leading the effort. Rogoway named two established segments that will anchor that push: Special Access, which "puts TWZ in the field with the technologies we write about and with those who build and operate them," and Showtime, which delivers interviews and insights from major industry expos and conventions. Rogoway encouraged readers to subscribe on YouTube and indicated more segments are planned.
Subscriptions, audience development, and new formats — Ian Ellis‑Jones's remit
TWZ will introduce a supporter subscription tier but will keep the site free for general readers "for the foreseeable future." The initial paid offering is explicitly framed as a supporter tier that provides "a nearly ad free (ad light) experience," with advertising limited to one ad per article and those ads coming only from direct sponsors — and often none at all. Rogoway said later tiers will add features but stressed "there is no pressure to join."
On staff growth and format innovation, Rogoway announced the hiring of Ian Ellis‑Jones as head of audience development. Ellis‑Jones will lead interpretive graphics and short‑form OSINT posts and will roll out a new, lighter section dedicated to visual topics. Rogoway also said Ellis‑Jones is "rapidly evolving our social media strategy" and that TWZ will "be showing up in more places than ever before." Additional hires are planned to "really evolve certain areas of our coverage."
Rogoway closed his letter with repeated thanks to readers, staff, ownership, advertisers, and the sales team, framing the next phase as an expansion of formats and audience options built on a decade of work. The concrete next steps he named — formalizing the TWZ brand, expanding video, launching a supporter tier, and growing the team with roles like Ian Ellis‑Jones's — establish a narrowly defined roadmap rooted in the facts he laid out.
