Image Source: Breaking Defense The United States has long maintained that it can defend the homeland against limited North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) strikes. The 2022 Missile Defense Review (MDR) reaffirmed that the United States “will continue to stay ahead of North Korean missile threats to the homeland” through homeland missile defense, missile defeat, … Continue reading The Case for U.S. Homeland Ballistic Missile Defense Against North Korea
Category: Regions
Remembering a Forgotten War: United States Policy Options to Resolve Sudan’s Civil War
Image Source: Sudan War Monitor Wars have dominated this year’s election news cycle, with the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza featuring prominently in President Biden’s 2024 State of the Union Address. In contrast, the Sudanese Civil War, which erupted just over one year ago on April 15, 2023, remains notably underreported, garnering the unfortunate moniker … Continue reading Remembering a Forgotten War: United States Policy Options to Resolve Sudan’s Civil War
Why the Armenians of Artsakh Surrendered: Takeaways from Interviews with Refugees
Image Source: AP News By guest contributor Sarkis Karabashian, a student in the Security Studies Program (SSP). As the war between Russia and Ukraine rages on, another longstanding conflict simultaneously flared up unnoticed. After a 10-month siege that held the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh starved and without gas, electricity, or Internet, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive on … Continue reading Why the Armenians of Artsakh Surrendered: Takeaways from Interviews with Refugees
The End of MINUSMA: Russia Competes with the UN for Global Influence
Image Source: United Nations In late December 2023, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, finalized its withdrawal from the country after over a decade on the ground. Its exodus came after Mali’s transitional military government withdrew its consent for the UN peacekeeping mission, citing the UN’s inability to curb the violence they had been … Continue reading The End of MINUSMA: Russia Competes with the UN for Global Influence
Looking Beyond the Politics at the Southwest Border
Members of the Texas National Guard give directives to migrants at the United States-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, Thursday, May 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez). Image Source: Spectrum 1 News. The Southwest land border, also known as the United States-Mexico border, has been at the forefront of national political attention. Republican leaders have called … Continue reading Looking Beyond the Politics at the Southwest Border
Beyond Conflict: The Ripple Effect of Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea
Image Source: AP On October 19, 2023, the U.S.S. Carney intercepted three Houthi cruise missiles and several drones in the Red Sea. The missiles were launched from Yemen and targeted commercial vessels, decidedly marking the beginning of ongoing confrontations with Houthi insurgents in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. This takes place against … Continue reading Beyond Conflict: The Ripple Effect of Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea
Giving Dracula Some Teeth: Modernizing Romania’s Military
Image Source: Military Images Romania has been affected by the dramatically deteriorated security situation in Europe, precipitated primarily by the specter of Russian imperialism. The first Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion of the entirety of Ukraine in 2022 brought national defense to the top of the political agenda. Due to … Continue reading Giving Dracula Some Teeth: Modernizing Romania’s Military
Out of Depth: Strengthening American Conventional Deterrence by Expanding Magazine Depth
Image Source: Militarnyi Russia’s invasion of Ukraine underscores a dire reality –conventional military conflicts are resurging globally without prospects for abatement. The deterioration of the security landscape should move the United States to rethink its kinetic deterrence capabilities. While the United States retains the world’s premier fighting force, a lack of magazine depth – the … Continue reading Out of Depth: Strengthening American Conventional Deterrence by Expanding Magazine Depth
A New Turn for BRI in South Asia?
Image Source: Wikimedia Fall 2023 marked the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, first announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazakhstan in 2013. The BRI consists of a series of infrastructure projects, including ports, power plants, and rails, that support maritime and overland routes across Eurasia. It serves as an extension of … Continue reading A New Turn for BRI in South Asia?
Breaking the Ice: The Prospect of a Joint Nordic Military
Submitted as a guest post by Gauti Jónsson, a student in the Security Studies Program (SSP). Image Source: Finish Defense Force In March 2023, leaders of the Nordic air forces of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland signed a joint declaration to integrate their collective air forces in the coming years. This so-called ‘Air Commanders’ Intent’ … Continue reading Breaking the Ice: The Prospect of a Joint Nordic Military