Thule U.S. Air Base. Photo credit: NASA By: Ashley Postler, Columnist At a time of rapid environmental change and newfound access to previously frozen polar resources, Greenland’s ambition for independence from the Kingdom of Denmark is gaining momentum, which could have profound impacts on Arctic security. If independence truly is a matter of when, … Continue reading Disrupting the High North: Great Power Competition Comes to Greenland
Category: Military & Defense
The Future of Stability Operations: Can the U.S. Do Better?
By: Alicia Chavy, Columnist Photo credit: Ian Leones, U.S. Marine Corps Over the past two decades, the U.S. has led or participated in an array of civilian and military efforts in unstable and conflict-ridden nations around the world, to rectify human rights abuses, restore peace, security, governance, and stability. The U.S. has been officially involved … Continue reading The Future of Stability Operations: Can the U.S. Do Better?
Conventional Weapons Are a Serious Threat to International Security
The “Non-Violence” (or “Knotted Gun”) sculpture by Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd on display at the UN Visitors’ Plaza. (UN Photo) By: Will Chim, Columnist Nuclear weapons have been responsible for zero deaths since 1945, whereas conventional weapons have been responsible for nearly all conflict deaths of the rest of the 20th century and the … Continue reading Conventional Weapons Are a Serious Threat to International Security
Power Projection in a Hostile Air Defense Environment: Lessons Learned from Syria
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford, UK Defence Attaché Air Vice Marshal Gavin Parker and French Defence Attaché Brigadier General Jean-Pierre Montague discuss the military response to the suspected chemical-weapons attack in Syria. By Katie Earle, Columnist Photo By: AP Last weekend, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France … Continue reading Power Projection in a Hostile Air Defense Environment: Lessons Learned from Syria
Time to Rethink the NATO Alliance for the 21st Century, Again
By: Eric Altamura, Columnist Photo by: Getty Images In the 1990s, NATO rebranded itself as an alliance that would ensure Euro-Atlantic stability by standing for unifying principles and norms, rather than posturing against a specific threat.[i] NATO’s most recent Strategic Concept reflects this pivot, describing the organization as “a unique community of values committed to … Continue reading Time to Rethink the NATO Alliance for the 21st Century, Again
Submarine Detection and the Future of the U.S. Fleet
By: Ryan Neuhard, Columnist Photo by: Navy Times Improvements in submarine detection capabilities are eroding the stealth that US submarines rely upon for survival.[[i]] Advances in instrument sensitivity, data processing, robotics, seabed infrastructure, and communications technology underpin these improvements.[[ii]] As these capabilities begin to expose US submarines to anti-submarine forces, the United States may need … Continue reading Submarine Detection and the Future of the U.S. Fleet
China’s “Three Warfares” In Theory and Practice in the South China Sea
PRC Maritime Militia leave a harbor in China's Zhejiang Province, September 2012. By: Doug Livermore, Columnist Photo by: Reuters News Chinese military theory has long valued stratagems focused on undermining the morale of an opposing force. In his penultimate work, The Art of War, famed Zhou dynasty strategist Sun Tzu wrote, “Supreme excellence consists in … Continue reading China’s “Three Warfares” In Theory and Practice in the South China Sea
Is Mutually Assured Destruction Back? It Never Left
By: Katie Earle Photo by: Reuters Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered his annual address to the Federal Assembly, outlining his legislative priorities for the year ahead. Customarily the speech occurs in December, but this year the Kremlin delayed the event until March 1, just two weeks before yesterday's presidential election. Putin’s promises … Continue reading Is Mutually Assured Destruction Back? It Never Left
Reckoning with Defeat: How to Move Forward in Afghanistan
By: Evan Cooper, Columnist Photo by: Getty Images Defeat is always a possibility in war, but it is not a possibility in the minds of most Americans. Nowhere is this pathology more evident than the war in Afghanistan. The Taliban controls substantial territory and is estimated to threaten 70 percent of Afghanistan.[i] The Afghan government, … Continue reading Reckoning with Defeat: How to Move Forward in Afghanistan
Ukraine Set to Go Ballistic
By Alexander Begej, Columnist Photo by: Ukraine Defense and Security Council The Ukrainian defense industry is on the verge of implementing several independently developed missile projects, which will enhance Ukraine’s tactical capabilities, strategic deterrence, and defense of maritime assets in the Black and Azov Seas. Advancements in Ukraine’s missile program Ukraine’s domestic missile program remained … Continue reading Ukraine Set to Go Ballistic