"A Russian serviceman is seen behind pro-Russian activists at the Belbek Sevastopol International Airport in the Crimea region, March 4, 2014." Photo credit: Business Insider What do a South Asian statesman from the fourth-century BCE and current members of Russia’s Ministry of Defence have in common? The belief that war should be conducted by incorporating … Continue reading Kautilya in the Gray Zone: How Russia has Successfully Adopted Two-Thousand Year Old Teachings
Category: Military & Defense
Turkey’s New Joint Operational Concepts Foreshadow the Future of Armed Conflict
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stands in Front of a Bayraktar TB-2 Drone. Photo Credit: AA Following the July 15, 2016 coup attempt and subsequent violent purges, Turkish Armed Forces launched major military operations in Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Libya and continued to expand basing across North Africa.[i] These operations exhibited characteristics indicative of the … Continue reading Turkey’s New Joint Operational Concepts Foreshadow the Future of Armed Conflict
Joint Artificial Intelligence Center: An Opportunity for Transparency
Stylized representation of Joint All Domain Command and Control. Photo Credit: Raytheon Intelligence and Space. In 2018, the Department of Defense (DoD) set up the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) to consolidate the DoD’s artificial intelligence R&D projects under one organization. The JAIC is currently responsible for over 30 projects with broad applications, including battlefield … Continue reading Joint Artificial Intelligence Center: An Opportunity for Transparency
The Future for Unmanned Surface Vessels in the US Navy
Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) concept renderings from shipbuilder Austal USA. Photo Credit: Austal USA In the past few years there has been an increasing focus on expanding the US Navy’s capabilities through the use of unmanned surface vessels. On September 17th, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said “Unmanned will enable us to grow the United … Continue reading The Future for Unmanned Surface Vessels in the US Navy
Keeping the Navy Ship Shape: Assessing Lessons from the Past
Dreadnoughts of the German High Seas Fleet. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons. One of the most prominent challenges confronting today’s Navy is lack of manpower. Despite calling for an increase in fleet size to 355 ships, the Navy has struggled to keep enough sailors to maintain operational readiness for the 285 ships it currently has. While … Continue reading Keeping the Navy Ship Shape: Assessing Lessons from the Past
The Paralysis of the International Norm against Conventional Weapons Proliferation
President Trump holding an executive order pulling the United States out of the Arms Trade Treaty. Photo Source: Lucas Jackson/Reuters. The norm against conventional weapons proliferation is a relative newcomer on the international legal scene. The first major multilateral treaty regulating the global arms trade, the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), was only signed in 2013. … Continue reading The Paralysis of the International Norm against Conventional Weapons Proliferation
Beam Us Up Donnie: The Future of Boost Phase Missile Defense
Concept art of a laser-armed aircraft destroying a missile. Photo Credit: Defense One. North Korea remains a clear threat to American security. Despite demonstrating a willingness to carry out major diplomatic spectacles and “dismantle” satellite launch sites such as the Sohae facility, North Korea continues to develop its ballistic missile and nuclear arsenal. The Kim … Continue reading Beam Us Up Donnie: The Future of Boost Phase Missile Defense
Breaching Fortress Russia: The Uncertain Future of U.S. Expeditionary Warfare
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
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
Comparing PMCs and Their Private Force Antecedents
Battle of San Romano. Photo Credit: National Gallery By: Nikolai F. Rice, Columnist The last time private military forces were so widely employed as today, America was a confederacy without a constitution, every currency depended on the value of precious metals, and sailing ships were the fastest mode of transportation. Simply put, the two-hundred-year norm … Continue reading Comparing PMCs and Their Private Force Antecedents