Russian soldiers marching in Red Square. Photo Credit: The Kremlin. Pivot to Near-Peer Competition Currently, the United States possesses unmatched military power projection capabilities, spending almost as much on its military as the next eight highest-spending countries combined, as well as possessing the greatest number of forward-deployed forces in the world.[I] However, as the U.S. … Continue reading Breaching Fortress Russia: The Uncertain Future of U.S. Expeditionary Warfare
Author: Madison Creery
The Russian Edge in Electronic Warfare
A Russian serviceman prepares to launch a drone during a military exercise. Photo Credit: RIA Novosti. By: Madison Creery, Columnist The U.S. has spent nearly two decades dedicated to counterterrorism operations where it enjoyed significant qualitative and quantitative advantages over adversaries. In these conflicts, the U.S. was able to quickly gain local air, sea, and … Continue reading The Russian Edge in Electronic Warfare
Russia’s Race for Next-Gen Weapons Has Turned Into a Crawl
Russian T-14 tanks drive during rehearsal for the Victory Day parade in Moscow. Photo Credit: Reuters. By: Madison Creery, Columnist While the U.S. is concerned about competing against Russia’s next-generation weapons, Russia is struggling to get them off the production line. The legacy of economic turmoil following the collapse of the Soviet Union continues to impact the … Continue reading Russia’s Race for Next-Gen Weapons Has Turned Into a Crawl
Hacker Militias or Cyber Command? The U.S. and Russian Institutionalization of Cyber Warfare
Russia’s reliance on proxy “hackers-for-hire” to accomplish strategic objectives have led some to question why Russia has yet to institutionalize its cyber workforce into its military. However, instead of creating its own "Cyber Command," Russia’s reliance on the hacker network for talent maximizes the country’s deniability in cyber operations (plausible or not), while remaining low-cost. … Continue reading Hacker Militias or Cyber Command? The U.S. and Russian Institutionalization of Cyber Warfare
Russian Cyber Operations: Closing the Gap on U.S. Conventional Supremacy
Photo Credit: Getty Images By: Madison Creery, Columnist Last year the U.S. National Defense Strategy highlighted Russia as a central challenge to U.S. national security.[i] Yet, during that same year headlines across the globe predicted Russia’s military modernization program and international influence would soon decline.[ii] A May 2018 announcement claimed that Russia’s 2017 defense budget … Continue reading Russian Cyber Operations: Closing the Gap on U.S. Conventional Supremacy
Russia Strategic Understanding of Cyber: Not an Information War – A War on Information
Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov at a military academy reception. Photo Credit: Mikhail Klimentyev/AFP via Getty Images By: Madison Creery, Columnist Although Russia’s latent cyber capabilities are only ranked sixth in the world, Russia is the second most active state in the realm of offensive cyber operations.[i] … Continue reading Russia Strategic Understanding of Cyber: Not an Information War – A War on Information
A Crumbling Foundation: The Future of Arms Control
President Barack Obama signs the instrument of ratification of the New START Treaty in the Oval Office, Feb. 2, 2011. Participants include, from left: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen; Energy Secretary Steven Chu; Defense Secretary Robert Gates; Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.; Sen. Richard Lugar, … Continue reading A Crumbling Foundation: The Future of Arms Control
Circumventing MAD: Nuclear War Without the Nukes?
An artist's impression of a Hyper Glide Vehicle. Photo Credit: Forbes By: Madison Creery, Columnist Since the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the mere suggestion of the offensive use of nuclear weapons has received instant global condemnation. Luckily, the strategy of deterrence, underpinned by the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), has thus … Continue reading Circumventing MAD: Nuclear War Without the Nukes?