War on the Rocks https://warontherocks.com Sun, 14 May 2023 12:32:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2 Great discussions with security, defense, and foreign policy experts recorded over drinks. War on the Rocks War on the Rocks War on the Rocks http://warontherocks.com/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/WOTR-Tumbler-1400px.jpg https://warontherocks.com c9c7bad3-4712-514e-9ebd-d1e208fa1b76 U.S. Military Observers And Why They Are Needed In Ukraine https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/u-s-military-observers-and-why-they-are-needed-in-ukraine/ Fri, 12 May 2023 07:45:14 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28755 After his first ride through the city, Capt. George McClellan remarked that “Sebastopol is knocked into a cocked hat.” The siege works outside the Crimean city had been “ploughed & reploughed up by shot & shell–exploded magazines–ruined traverses–broken guns, disabled carriages–charred timber.” Cockaded caps, bent bayonets, and bloodied blouses lay around the French, British, and […]

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How to Avoid a Bad Take on a Hard Target: Analyzing North Korea the Right Way https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/how-to-avoid-a-bad-take-on-a-hard-target-analyzing-north-korea-the-right-way/ Thu, 11 May 2023 07:45:35 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28745 The vexing security dynamic on the Korean Peninsula and the mysterious nature of the Kim family regime continue to whet the public and professional appetite for insightful analysis of North Korea. This attention, however, does not always translate to high-quality analysis. Too often, authors and readers alike fall prey to the same mistakes: They misunderstand […]

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Paying the Costs of Competition https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/paying-the-costs-of-competition/ Thu, 11 May 2023 07:45:27 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28751 Chris, Melanie, and Zack discuss a recent article by Rosella Cappella Zielinski and Samuel Gerstle in the Texas National Security Review. Zielinski and Gerstle explain why the United States should fund the defense budget with higher taxes, not more debt, while conceding that this will be a tough sell for a country trying to maintain […]

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Unspoken Assumptions https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/unspoken-assumptions/ Thu, 11 May 2023 07:44:43 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28746 Editor’s Note: This is the introductory essay for Volume 6, Issue 1 of the Texas National Security Review, our sister publication. Be sure to read the entire issue.   In April 1968, historian of modern Europe James Joll delivered an inaugural lecture at the London School of Economics entitled “1914: The Unspoken Assumptions.” He presented […]

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The Opponents of Marine Reform Have Lost, But Won’t Move On https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/the-opponents-of-marine-reform-have-lost-but-wont-move-on/ Wed, 10 May 2023 14:03:28 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28748 In the military, as in most public organizations, new leaders need to take stock. They are obligated to determine the state of the institution and its preparedness to execute its current missions, particularly during times of rapid technological change. Leaders must also assess whether the organization is ready to account for evident or anticipated changes […]

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In Brief: The Turkish Elections https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/in-brief-the-turkish-elections/ Wed, 10 May 2023 07:46:14 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28741 A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep on a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it. *** This is members-only content. Become a member today to read more!

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Disappearing Act: Integrated Training with Air and Ground Forces https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/28730/ Wed, 10 May 2023 07:45:37 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28730 During the Korean War, the atrophy of close air support skills following World War II undermined the war effort. With post-World War military budgets constricting, airpower services made choices about where to allocate increasingly scarce resources, and deprioritized close air support. Instead, the service chiefs prioritized air superiority, strategic bombing, and sea control. Caught flat-footed […]

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Rethinking Tradeoffs Between Europe and the Indo-Pacific https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/rethinking-tradeoffs-between-europe-and-the-indo-pacific/ Tue, 09 May 2023 07:45:35 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28727 How should the United States and its allies in Europe and the Indo-Pacific prioritize across these two key regions? Prioritization is central to any strategy, but today too many experts act as if U.S. strategy must be all or nothing. Some argue that Eurasia now comprises a single region and that standing together against Russia […]

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Failures in the “Deterrence Failure” Dialogue https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/failures-in-the-deterrence-failure-dialogue/ Mon, 08 May 2023 07:45:29 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28718 In reflecting on Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine over the past year, some observers have drawn a clear conclusion: deterrence failed.  It is unequivocally true that the United States failed to deter President Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine despite clear threats of a “swift, severe and united response” in the form of sanctions and “moving […]

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The Nuclear Club https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/the-nuclear-club/ Mon, 08 May 2023 07:44:56 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28720 On this episode of Horns of a Dilemma, Jonathan Hunt talks about his book, The Nuclear Club: How America and the World Policed the Atom from Hiroshima to Vietnam. Hunt starts out with an anecdote about the origins of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty under U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and his Special Assistant for National […]

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Mid-Afternoon Map: Where Did the Cold War Go? https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/mid-afternoon-map-where-did-the-cold-war-go/ Fri, 05 May 2023 17:30:48 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28715 Amidst growing speculation about a new Cold War — be it with Russia, China or both — something strange has happened with the way in which commentators discuss the original one. In recent years, nostalgic appeals to the “post-1945 liberal international order” have helped to gloss over the distinctly bipolar nature of the Cold War […]

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Lessons From A White House Intelligence Briefer https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/lessons-from-a-white-house-intelligence-briefer/ Fri, 05 May 2023 07:45:43 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28702 On this episode of Horns of a Dilemma, former Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Mission Integration Beth Sanner delivers a candid and enriching lecture about being an intelligence professional at the highest level in the White House. Among many duties, this job involved serving as U.S. President Donald Trump’s intelligence briefer. Ms. Sanner starts […]

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Preparing Canada for a New Generation of Security Challenges https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/preparing-canada-for-a-new-generation-of-security-challenges/ Fri, 05 May 2023 07:45:27 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28708 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau privately told NATO officials that Canada will never meet NATO’s defense-spending target of 2 percent of GDP. While this made headlines in Canada and abroad, it surprised few in Canadian foreign policy and defense circles. The war in Ukraine has raised new security concerns among America’s allies. For many in […]

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Russia’s Gains in the Great Arctic Race https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/russias-gains-in-the-great-arctic-race/ Thu, 04 May 2023 07:45:06 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28699 In 2007, a ceremonial (titanium) Russian flag was planted on the seabed at the North Pole. Then Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay quipped “this isn’t the 15th century, you can’t go around the world and just plant flags.” Russia’s flag, planted thousands of feet underwater, is quite the signal. The issue of extant overlapping international seabed claims for the […]

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In Brief: How Will AI Change Defense? https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/in-brief-how-will-ai-change-defense/ Wed, 03 May 2023 07:46:20 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28695 A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep on a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it. *** This is members-only content. Become a member today to read more!

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European Security After the War in Ukraine https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/european-security-after-the-war-in-ukraine/ Wed, 03 May 2023 07:45:49 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28687 On this episode of Horns of a Dilemma, William Inboden, editor-in-chief of the Texas National Security Review and executive director of the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas at Austin, sat down with Amb. Kay Bailey Hutchison, former United States senator from Texas and, later, the U.S. permanent representative to NATO. […]

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The Need to Invest in Long-Range Fires https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/the-need-to-invest-in-long-range-fires/ Wed, 03 May 2023 07:45:01 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28689 If a naval aviator quotes from the movie Top Gun in the wardroom, they are going to have to buy a round of beers for the squadron. We are prepared to be fined. “He’s too close for missiles, Goose. I’m switching to guns.” It’s an iconic quote. It is also outdated. With the advent and […]

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Are We Asking Too Much of Cyber? https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/are-we-asking-too-much-of-cyber/ Tue, 02 May 2023 07:46:47 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28686 The U.S. intelligence community’s 2023 Annual Threat Assessment contains some alarming estimates, especially as it relates to the cyber capabilities of the People’s Republic of China. It states that Beijing would “almost certainly consider undertaking aggressive cyber operations against U.S. homeland critical infrastructure and military assets worldwide” if they thought war was “imminent.” These operations […]

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U.S. Security Cooperation Deserves a Fair Evaluation https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/u-s-security-cooperation-deserves-a-fair-evaluation/ Tue, 02 May 2023 07:45:30 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28682 Security cooperation has been a critical pillar of U.S. statecraft for decades. However, the enterprise has gotten a bad reputation since the beginning of the 21st century because of the costly misadventures in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere. But perhaps the problem is that we are not evaluating it the right way.  Much of Washington’s […]

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Xi Jinping’s Worst Nightmare: A Potemkin People’s Liberation Army https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/xi-jinpings-worst-nightmare-a-potemkin-peoples-liberation-army/ Mon, 01 May 2023 07:46:37 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28678 A worst-case Taiwan scenario for Chinese leader Xi Jinping would be a major military operation in which the People’s Liberation Army fails spectacularly or displays shocking incompetence akin to Russia’s in Ukraine. Could this happen?  The good news is that while China’s military has undergone major upgrades and has long been preparing for a Taiwan […]

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Turkey’s Elections and Foreign Policy Options https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/turkeys-elections-and-foreign-policy-options/ Mon, 01 May 2023 07:44:11 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28674 On May 14, Turkey is scheduled to hold parliamentary and presidential elections, which many have called the most important votes of 2023. Most things in Turkey seem to be on hold, as everyone awaits the outcome. Yet diplomats in Turkey’s capital, Ankara, are busy, trying to figure out whether an opposition victory will produce a […]

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Reagan’s War Stories https://warontherocks.com/2023/05/reagans-war-stories/ Mon, 01 May 2023 07:40:38 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28680 In this week’s Horns of a Dilemma, Maj. Ben Griffin, the chief of the military history division at the United States Military Academy, discusses his new book, Reagan’s War Stories: A Cold War Presidency. In the book, Ben tells three stories about United States President Ronald Reagan and touches on Reagan’s relationship with many writers […]

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Why the French Army Will Continue to Prioritize Quality Over Mass https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/why-the-french-army-will-continue-to-prioritize-quality-over-mass/ Fri, 28 Apr 2023 07:45:42 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28667 Is the current French model of warfare viable? In 2021, I co-authored a study with Stephanie Pezard suggesting that the answer was no. We argued that the French military — now indisputably the most capable in Western Europe — could do a lot of things very well. But it also lacked the depth and the […]

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The Calm Before the Storm: Waiting for Ukraine’s Offensive https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/the-calm-before-the-storm-waiting-for-ukraines-offensive/ Thu, 27 Apr 2023 17:51:18 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28664 Ryan sat down with Mike Kofman at WOTR HQ in Washington, DC to talk about Ukraine’s coming offensive; the manpower, materiel, and politics behind it; and lingering questions about Team Biden’s theory of success.   Are you a member yet? If not, why not? Image: Ukrainian Ministry of Defense

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AI At War https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/ai-at-war/ Thu, 27 Apr 2023 07:45:59 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28655 Paul Scharre, Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2023). It is widely believed that the world is on the brink of another military revolution. AI is about to transform the character of warfare, as gunpowder, tanks, aircraft, and the atomic bomb have in previous eras. Today, […]

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Incentivizing Whistleblowers to Combat Sanctions Evasion https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/incentivizing-whistleblowers-to-combat-sanctions-evasion/ Thu, 27 Apr 2023 07:44:38 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28657 Earlier this year, a small drone flew over a Belarusian airfield, perched atop a Russian warplane, and blew up. The attack put out of action one of Russia’s last few A-50 radar aircraft, which helped hurl ballistic missiles towards Ukraine. Now Russia seems unable to replace the aircraft, because foreign suppliers don’t want to deal […]

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Multipolarity: What Is It Good For? https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/multipolarity-what-is-it-good-for/ Thu, 27 Apr 2023 07:43:49 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28662 Chris, Melanie, and Zack debate whether the world is multipolar and discuss what the United States can do to win support for its preferred policies, particularly in the Global South. They disagree on multipolarity but agree that Washington must pay more attention to non-aligned countries in the months and years ahead. Chris gives a backhanded […]

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In Brief: What’s Happening in the Middle East? https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/in-brief-whats-happening-in-the-middle-east/ Wed, 26 Apr 2023 07:46:28 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28651 A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep into a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it. *** This is members-only content. Become a member today to read more!

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Germany’s Reluctant Approach to Space Security Policy https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/germanys-reluctant-approach-to-space-security-policy/ Wed, 26 Apr 2023 07:45:46 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28642 On Oct. 26, 2022, eight months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, reading the news felt something like watching a Star Wars movie. At the United Nations, Russia, represented by a senior Russian foreign ministry official, was threatening to attack commercial Western satellites. Providing intelligence or communication services to the Ukrainian army, the official said, […]

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A Conversation with Gen. CQ Brown, Chief of Staff of the Air Force https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/a-conversation-with-gen-cq-brown-chief-of-staff-of-the-air-force/ Tue, 25 Apr 2023 20:01:36 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28645 Ryan recently tagged along on a little trip to Alabama with Gen. CQ Brown, the chief of staff of the Air Force. They recorded this episode on the flight back to Washington. Gen. Brown discussed basing and posture in the Indo-Pacific, what the Air Force might be learning from the war in Ukraine, his vision […]

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Toward a More Constructive Conversation between Policymakers and Intelligence Analysts https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/toward-a-more-constructive-conversation-between-policymakers-and-intelligence-analysts/ Tue, 25 Apr 2023 07:45:23 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28639 Dear policymaker, if an intelligence analyst had the chance to offer you candid feedback about your relationship, what would they say? This question is largely hypothetical because intelligence analysts like me are primed to be deferential to policymakers. It is not in our nature to challenge you or critique your consumption of intelligence. And we […]

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The Human Element: The Army’s Competitive Advantage in the Age of Innovation https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/the-human-element-the-armys-competitive-advantage-in-the-age-of-innovation/ Mon, 24 Apr 2023 07:45:26 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28632 Innovation has become a buzzword almost to the point of cliché inside the U.S. Army. One need only to scan a few of the articles on this website to find a range of opinions, even contradictory ones, about innovation. The arguments include how defense innovation is falling short, how to fix it, how innovation is […]

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Money Isn’t Enough: Getting Serious About Precision Munitions https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/money-isnt-enough-getting-serious-about-precision-munitions/ Mon, 24 Apr 2023 07:44:27 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28634 “We’re expending munitions faster than we can replenish them … We need the funding in place to ensure we’re prepared for the long fight. This is a critical need.”  At first glance, one might assume this quote was drawn from recent testimony by U.S. military leaders about the “incredible consumption rates of conventional munitions” in […]

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Mid-Afternoon Map: Three Maps That Explain The Map https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/mid-afternoon-map-three-maps-that-explain-the-map/ Fri, 21 Apr 2023 17:30:54 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28627 If a steady stream of surveys is to be believed, declining geographic literacy is a growing threat to American security. Asked to identify Iran, for example, a surprising number of respondents put it in the Balkans. Some confused it with Greenland, and others, more inexplicably, located it Atlantis-like in the middle of the ocean. The […]

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Sustaining Distributed Forces in a Conflict with China https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/sustaining-distributed-forces-in-a-conflict-with-china/ Fri, 21 Apr 2023 07:45:34 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28624 Headquarters Pacific Fleet just sent out an alert after recent days of observing a few Chinese Type 075 amphibious assault ships amassing in the China Sea. The People’s Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps launched an unannounced brigade-level landing exercise near Taiwan, in order to practice amphibious landings. A total of six Luyang III destroyers also […]

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China, France, and the Shadow of History https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/china-france-and-the-shadow-of-history/ Thu, 20 Apr 2023 15:22:42 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28622 Ryan sat down at 1789 in Georgetown with Justin Vaïsse, a French historian and director general of the Paris Peace Forum, an independent NGO he started at the urging of French President Emmanuel Macron. Justin recently returned from China where he was traveling with Macron. They discussed Macron’s recent remarks about China that were so […]

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Bind Ukraine Closer to American Military Learning https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/bind-ukraine-closer-to-american-military-learning/ Thu, 20 Apr 2023 07:45:13 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28616 Is the United States doing everything it can for itself in Ukraine? Unfortunately not. While American support for Ukraine is admirable and worthwhile, Washington ought to be bolder in using the ongoing war as a testbed for emerging technologies and operational concepts that could be of use to deter or, if necessary, defeat its adversaries […]

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In Brief: The Ukrainian Spring Offensive https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/in-brief-the-ukrainian-spring-offensive/ Wed, 19 Apr 2023 07:45:40 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28609 A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep into a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it. *** This is members-only content. Become a member today to read more!

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Competition is Inevitable, War is Not: Using Games to Rethink the U.S.-Chinese Relationship https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/competition-is-inevitable-war-is-not-using-games-to-rethink-the-u-s-chinese-relationship/ Wed, 19 Apr 2023 07:45:18 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28605 Elected leaders need tabletop exercises, crisis simulations, and wargames to help them visualize and describe modern strategy. From questions about technology and intellectual property to food security and economic concerns, the new era of great-power competition transcends narrow bureaucratic definitions of national security that defined much of the Cold War. U.S. military might alone will […]

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Europe at a Strategic Disadvantage: A Fragmented Defense Industry https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/europe-at-a-strategic-disadvantage-a-fragmented-defense-industry/ Tue, 18 Apr 2023 07:45:31 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28598 When Russia invaded Ukraine last year, the European continent was unprepared for war. European rejection of large-scale conflict had become so deeply ingrained that many leaders were incapable of believing that Russia would conduct such an invasion despite repeated Russian warnings, such as the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. The end of the Cold […]

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Prime Time for Software: Reimagining the Future of Defense Acquisition https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/prime-time-for-software-reimagining-the-future-of-defense-acquisition/ Mon, 17 Apr 2023 07:46:57 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28594 Some of you might be surprised to learn that captains of the U.S. Navy’s largest, most complex, and most expensive combat ships — aircraft carriers — are typically not surface warfare officers with extensive experience commanding other navy ships. Instead, they are typically career naval aviators. This is not because a carrier’s only important task […]

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More than a Hobby: Informal Security Assistance to Ukraine https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/more-than-a-hobby-informal-security-assistance-to-ukraine/ Mon, 17 Apr 2023 07:44:52 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28592 “We are where NATO should be,” says Rima Žiūraitienė, Managing Director of Blue/Yellow Ukraine. Her non-governmental organization communicates directly with combat units at the brigade level and uses trusted drivers to deliver much-needed equipment directly to units on the frontline, bypassing Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense.  Debates about appropriate military equipment for Ukraine continue a year […]

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Iraq: Twenty Years on, Two Narratives Emerge https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/iraq-twenty-years-on-two-narratives-emerge/ Fri, 14 Apr 2023 07:45:23 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28588 I recently had the privilege to participate in a retrospective symposium marking the 20th anniversary of the American war in Iraq. Hosted by Columbus State University and the National Infantry Museum, the conference brought to the newly renamed Fort Moore, Georgia a diverse assembly of panelists. As a historian and veteran, I had the chance […]

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Powering American Renewal with Innovation https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/powering-american-renewal-with-innovation/ Thu, 13 Apr 2023 15:11:32 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28585 Ryan sat down with two old friends for a rich conversation on wielding innovation and smart policies to create an American renewal. Listen to his conversation with Dave McCormick, author (along with James Cunningham) of Superpower in Peril: A Battle Plan to Renew America and Chris Brose of Anduril Industries. The first 15 people that email […]

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It’s Time to Re-Evaluate the Officer Evaluation System https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/its-time-to-re-evaluate-the-officer-evaluation-system/ Thu, 13 Apr 2023 07:45:39 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28569 The recently-passed James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 contained an inconspicuous provision that could significantly impact how the military services evaluate their officers. What started in the House-passed version as section 508, directing the Army to review its evaluation system, expanded to include a review of all services’ evaluations in the compromise bill between […]

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Technology, Defense, And American-Chinese Competition https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/technology-defense-and-the-american-chinese-competition/ Thu, 13 Apr 2023 07:44:30 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28580 Chris, Zack, and Melanie sit down to talk about a new article by Eric Schmidt on whether the United States can win an innovation race with China. Where is the United States ahead and where is it behind in the tech competition? How should the U.S. government work with private enterprise to maximize defense innovation […]

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How Large-Language Models Can Revolutionize Military Planning https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/how-large-language-models-can-revolutionize-military-planning/ Wed, 12 Apr 2023 07:46:19 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28565 It is 20XX. Col. Luddite was upset with Maj. Turing. The kid had once again brought him facts, figures, and math which contradicted what the old warrior knew to be true: It was time to press the attack. For days, the two had been locked in a secure facility as part of a planning team […]

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In Brief: Taiwanese President Visits United States https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/in-brief-taiwanese-president-visits-united-states/ Wed, 12 Apr 2023 07:46:00 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28572 A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep into a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it. *** This is members-only content. Become a member today to read more!

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Renewing Democracy Through Oath Education at the Air Force Academy https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/renewing-democracy-through-oath-education-at-the-air-force-academy/ Tue, 11 Apr 2023 07:45:23 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28541 America is experiencing declining trust in democratic institutions and an erosion of the democratic norms essential to maintaining them. The U.S. military, which historically has enjoyed the status of being the most trusted national institution, has seen its trust levels decline in recent years. Some attribute this to the perceived politicization of the armed forces. […]

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Be Skeptical of Reagan’s “October Surprise” https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/be-skeptical-of-reagans-october-surprise/ Mon, 10 Apr 2023 07:46:16 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28559 Conspiracy theories, by their very nature, are not easily debunked. It is hard to prove definitively that something did not happen. Conspiracies involving politics can be especially murky. Rough-and-tumble presidential campaigns often do feature dirty tricks for electoral advantage, but false accusations of such skullduggery are arguably even more routine. Which, then, is the case […]

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AI’s Inhuman Advantage https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/ais-inhuman-advantage/ Mon, 10 Apr 2023 07:45:42 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28556 When an AI fighter pilot beat an experienced human pilot 15-0 in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s AlphaDogfight competition, it didn’t just fly better than the human. It fought differently. Heron Systems’ AI agent used forward-quarter gunshots, when the two aircraft were racing toward each other head-to-head, a shot that’s banned in pilot training […]

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Mid-Afternoon Map: British Empire Edition https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/mid-afternoon-map-british-empire-edition/ Fri, 07 Apr 2023 17:30:33 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28550 London has been described as a city built on the spoils of empire, prompting visitors, at least over a damp weekend in March, to wonder why more of these spoils weren’t spent on proper indoor heating. And with ethical debates raging over the looted holdings of the British Museum, these same visitors might decide they […]

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How the Anti-Woke Campaign Against the U.S. Military Damages National Security https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/how-the-anti-woke-campaign-against-the-u-s-military-damages-national-security/ Fri, 07 Apr 2023 07:45:36 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28545 According to critics of the U.S. military, its civilian and military leaders are overly fixated on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at the expense of the military’s warfighting mission and organizational well-being. These commentators and politicians accuse the military of everything from making servicemembers uncomfortable in the ranks by requiring their participation in diversity training to wasting time and money and damaging […]

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Why The Marines Matter https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/why-the-marines-matter/ Wed, 05 Apr 2023 07:45:34 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28535 Dear Next Commandant: Congratulations on your appointment as the 39th commandant of the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps’ radical redefinition over the last four years under your predecessor’s guidance sought to prepare the service for the future with an even more capable and well-postured force, armed with new weapon systems and operating concepts that will provide […]

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Mind the Middle Powers https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/mind-the-middle-powers/ Tue, 04 Apr 2023 07:45:06 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28525 Asked to provide a recipe for World War III, many historically minded analysts might mention growing belligerence by dissatisfied great powers; inconsistent system responses; and a succession of economic downturns and domestic political upheavals, followed by a short-term crisis that pushes the system to the brink. Yet a new set of risks is emerging. Today, […]

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Russia Will Soon Be on the Defense, But Then What? https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/russia-will-soon-be-on-the-defense-but-then-what/ Mon, 03 Apr 2023 20:06:33 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28531 Mike Kofman joins the show yet again. This time, he explains why the debate over the wisdom of the Battle for Bahkmut is so important while still overshadowing other important debates. As Ukrainian forces are being pressed out of the city of Bahkmut, they preparing to go back on the offensive, which will put Russia […]

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In Defense of Denial: Why Deterring China Requires New Airpower Thinking https://warontherocks.com/2023/04/in-defense-of-denial-why-deterring-china-requires-new-airpower-thinking/ Mon, 03 Apr 2023 07:45:03 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28521 “There was a distinct difference between the objectives of the opposing sides,” Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding, commander-in-chief of Fighter Command, reflected on the Battle of Britain. Whereas the German military sought to end the war by invading across the English Channel, he explained, “Now, I was trying desperately to prevent the Germans from succeeding […]

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The Bureau of Things That Keep You Up At Night https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/the-bureau-of-things-that-keep-you-up-at-night/ Fri, 31 Mar 2023 10:36:16 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28518 Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Ann Ganzer of the State Department’s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation recently visited the University of Texas, Austin. In this episode of Horns of a Dilemma, Ganzer sits down with Clements Center Associate Director Paul Edgar to discuss many of the issues she discussed with students. The issues under […]

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Building A New American Arsenal https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/building-a-new-american-arsenal/ Fri, 31 Mar 2023 07:45:00 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28516 Alarm bells are ringing at the Pentagon. The United States is rapidly depleting its munitions stockpiles to support the Ukrainian military. This support comes amid a serious backlog on the  delivery of over $14 billion worth of arms shipments to Taiwan. The war in Ukraine has confirmed what was already widely known: America’s industrial base […]

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Better Burden Sharing With Allies https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/better-burden-sharing-with-allies/ Thu, 30 Mar 2023 07:45:46 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28514 Chris, Melanie, and Zack discuss several recent articles focused on alliance burden sharing. Should America want Europe to be dependent on it for Europe’s defense? Is the leverage the United States obtains over European allies because of their dependence worth the cost? Is it even possible for Europe to have collective defense? Should the American […]

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Russia Won’t Sit Idly by after Finland and Sweden Join NATO https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/russia-wont-sit-idly-by-after-finland-and-sweden-join-nato/ Thu, 30 Mar 2023 07:45:27 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28510 When Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership last spring, Russia’s reaction was negative but muted. It consisted only of words, not actions — in all likelihood due to Russia’s preoccupation with its war against Ukraine. Yet we should not assume that Russia will refrain from responding in the future. The Kremlin made its position clear […]

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Building R2-D2 https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/building-r2-d2/ Wed, 29 Mar 2023 07:45:16 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28496 When Star Wars debuted in 1977, it marked a major departure from the depiction of sci-fi robots. R2-D2 was a cylindrical, round-headed, three-legged “astromech” droid that communicated in whistles, although it understood human speech. As the trilogy progressed, several things became clear — the little droid was brutally mission-focused, unfailingly loyal, flat calm under pressure, […]

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The Iraq War’s Intelligence Failures Are Still Misunderstood https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/the-iraq-wars-intelligence-failures-are-still-misunderstood/ Tue, 28 Mar 2023 07:45:27 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28500 The United States invaded Iraq 20 years ago under false pretenses. Historians and social scientists have spent two decades investigating what went wrong. George W. Bush and other senior officials in his administration claimed former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. They also claimed that the Iraqi government had ties to nefarious […]

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What Frederick the Great’s Army Can Tell Us About Russia’s Private Military Company https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/what-frederick-the-greats-army-can-tell-us-about-russias-private-military-company/ Mon, 27 Mar 2023 07:45:26 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28489 In describing the Wagner Private Military Company forces fighting in Ukraine, some Western commentators have used the term “mercenaries,” while others have preferred “penal battalions.” Neither term is particularly flattering. For Americans, mercenaries evokes the Hessians who served alongside the British during the American Revolution. Penal battalions brings to mind the prisoners used by both […]

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A Simpler World https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/mid-afternoon-map-a-simpler-world/ Fri, 24 Mar 2023 17:30:34 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28465 This is the fourth installment of Mid-Afternoon Map, our exclusive members-only newsletter that provides a cartographic perspective on current events, geopolitics, and history from the Caucasus to the Carolinas. Subscribers can look forward to interesting takes on good maps and bad maps, beautiful maps and ugly ones — and bizarre maps whenever possible. Maps, inevitably, […]

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Corps Capabilities: Redesigning the Marine Corps for the Modern Indo-Pacific https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/corps-capabilities-redesigning-the-marine-corps-for-the-modern-indo-pacific/ Fri, 24 Mar 2023 11:05:39 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28483 In this week’s episode of Horns of a Dilemma, Marine Corps Gen. (Ret.) Robert Neller joins University of Texas, Austin Professor Paul Pope to discuss the recent force structure and doctrine changes in the Marine Corps, intended to create a force ready to fight a war with China. Neller begins with a basic overview of the […]

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Using 1202 Authorities to Counter China’s Maritime Militia https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/using-1202-authorities-to-counter-chinas-maritime-militia/ Fri, 24 Mar 2023 07:45:15 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28478 In early April 2020, a Chinese Coast Guard vessel and a Vietnamese fishing boat collided near Woody Island in the South China Sea. The Chinese government claims this island as sovereign territory. Accounts of the incident differed at the time. China claimed the Vietnamese fishing boat had illegally entered the area and refused to leave […]

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The Military and Great Powers: The Latest From Latin America, Part 2 https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/the-military-and-great-powers-the-latest-from-latin-america-part-2/ Thu, 23 Mar 2023 07:45:50 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28473 Nicholas Danforth recently sat down with Agustina Giraudy, Adam Isacson and Anya Prusa to discuss the latest political developments in Latin America. This the second installment of our two-part podcast on Latin America. The conversation began with an overview of the role of the military in different Latin American countries, before pivoting to an examination […]

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Thinking Big with Small Drones: An Allied Approach to Swarming https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/thinking-big-with-small-drones-an-allied-approach-to-swarming/ Thu, 23 Mar 2023 07:45:49 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28475 NATO has taken a combined approach towards defending against drones. Now, it should show the same collaborative effort in deploying them.   Enabling interoperable drone swarms across the alliance could yield immediate benefits for the Department of Defense while simultaneously strengthening allies with rapid information sharing and common operating pictures. It would create increased opportunities […]

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The Sinking Ship of Theseus: Adapting the U.S. Military to the Modern Family https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/the-sinking-ship-of-theseus-adapting-the-u-s-military-to-the-modern-family/ Wed, 22 Mar 2023 07:45:51 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28460 In Greek mythology, the ship of Theseus slowly replaces individual pieces over time. Eventually, all of the pieces that comprise the ship are replaced, presenting a philosophical question: Is it still the same ship? One could argue the United States military’s approach to personnel policy reform through the continued use of incremental, patchwork policy updates […]

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How the Ukraine War Accelerates the Defense Strategy https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/how-the-ukraine-war-accelerates-the-defense-strategy/ Tue, 21 Mar 2023 07:46:02 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28447 Defense strategists have long held that rigorous — if not ruthless — prioritization is the key to success. Frederick the Great captured this sentiment best when saying: “Little minds try to defend everything at once, but sensible people look at the main point only; they parry the worst blows and stand a little hurt if […]

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Fighting Autocracy Means Fighting Corruption https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/fighting-autocracy-means-fighting-corruption/ Tue, 21 Mar 2023 07:45:39 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28443 President Volodymyr Zelensky’s appointment of a new director for the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine is the most recent in a series of actions taken to eradicate the country’s endemic corruption and move closer to the European Union. This move comes on the heels of a government shakeup under a renewed anti-corruption campaign, which saw […]

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Central Command’s Big Technology Bets https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/central-commands-big-technology-bets/ Tue, 21 Mar 2023 07:40:08 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28450 On this episode, Ryan sat down with Schuyler Moore, the chief technology officer for U.S. Central Command, to discuss how it is planning to fight and win the next war with new and exciting technology.     Image: U.S. Army photo by Specialist Natianna Strachen

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For the Sake of Ceremony: Should the U.S. Navy Continue its Airborne Forward Air Controller Program? https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/for-the-sake-of-ceremony-should-the-u-s-navy-continue-its-airborne-forward-air-controller-program/ Mon, 20 Mar 2023 07:45:17 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28438 No one knows precisely when the last naval sword was used in combat. After centuries of being considered standard military-issued weaponry, the sword’s utility waned in the gunpowder age. The enlisted cutlass disappeared entirely by the 1940s. The officer’s sword, steeped in centuries of military tradition, was spared for the sake of ceremony. A required […]

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Hard Power, Hard Choices, and Cold, Hard Cash https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/hard-power-hard-choices-and-cold-hard-cash/ Fri, 17 Mar 2023 11:05:49 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28418 In this week’s episode of Horns of a Dilemma, Mackenzie Eaglen, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, addresses the challenging questions of how to allocate defense spending to meet American strategic interests around the globe. Eaglen discusses the relationship between strategy and budget, as well as how “reality always gets a vote” and […]

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Launch Under Attack: A Sword of Damocles https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/launch-under-attack-a-sword-of-damocles/ Fri, 17 Mar 2023 07:45:57 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28428 On Jan. 10, 1984, a guidance computer in a U.S. Minuteman-III missile suffered a glitch. As a result, operators in the nearby command center received a message that the missile, aimed at Russia, was entering its launch sequence all on its own. It carried three nuclear warheads. Security forces scrambled to park a truck on […]

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The Latest From Latin America, Part 1 https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/the-latest-from-latin-america-part-1/ Thu, 16 Mar 2023 18:03:57 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28435 Nicholas Danforth recently sat down with Agustina Giraudy, Adam Isacson and Anya Prusa to discuss the latest political developments in Latin America. This two-part podcast covers the rise of the Left in the region as well as its implications for relations with Washington, Moscow and Beijing.     Image: The White House    

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Munitions Return to a Place of Prominence in National Security https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/munitions-return-to-a-place-of-prominence-in-national-security/ Thu, 16 Mar 2023 07:45:35 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28421 Munitions are the currency of exchange in armed conflicts. The existing acquisition and procurement process exposes the defense industrial base to significant short- and long-term risks: hampering America’s capacity to surge production and impairing military effectiveness in a sustained peer or near-peer conflict. At present, the availability of ammunition is becoming a key determinant of […]

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Imposing the Past: Putin’s War for History https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/imposing-the-past-putins-war-for-history/ Wed, 15 Mar 2023 07:45:39 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28409 A great deal has been written about Vladimir Putin’s relationship with history: the way it fascinates him, the way it inspires him, and the way it distorts his thinking. Yet, insightful as much of this analysis is, it does not always convey the extent to which Putin is actually fighting the West over control of […]

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Is AUKUS Flawed By Design? https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/is-aukus-flawed-by-design/ Wed, 15 Mar 2023 07:45:25 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28414 Is AUKUS flawed by design? Chris, Melanie, and Zack debate the AUKUS deal, particularly the newly announced plan for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. Is this the best way to get a critical capability in Australian hands? Does it make sense from a cost or capability perspective? And should the United States be worried about […]

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How to Think About Bakhmut and a Ukrainian Spring Offensive https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/how-to-think-about-bakhmut-and-a-ukrainian-spring-offensive/ Tue, 14 Mar 2023 13:22:36 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28407 Fresh back from his research trip to Ukraine, Mike Kofman joins Ryan for a discussion about what he learned. They discuss the battle for Bakhmut, munitions shortages and force structure, artillery and attrition, Russia’s unimpressive offensive, and what else the West could be doing to set Ukraine up for success in a widely anticipated spring […]

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A Year After Germany’s “Sea Change,” Policy Change Remains Elusive https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/a-year-after-germanys-sea-change-policy-change-remains-elusive/ Tue, 14 Mar 2023 07:45:26 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28405 Nine days before Russian President Vladimir Putin began his war of conquest in Ukraine, Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Moscow. He summed up his meetings by repeating a phrase made famous by Egon Bahr, West Germany’s emissary to Moscow in the 1970s: “Without Russia, a peace order in Europe is not possible.” This line was […]

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The Liberal Cyber Order  https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/the-liberal-cyber-order/ Mon, 13 Mar 2023 07:45:39 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28399 This month the Biden administration released its National Cybersecurity Strategy, ending months of speculation about its contents. The document focuses on public-private collaboration, which is unsurprising given that the private sector owns and operates most of the internet. Because it calls for stronger regulations, the issue of public-private relations has already received a lot of […]

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The Axis in Arkansas https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/the-axis-in-arkansas/ Fri, 10 Mar 2023 18:30:32 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28383 This is the third installment of Mid-Afternoon Map, a cartographic perspective on current events, geopolitics, and history from the Caucasus to the Carolinas, for members only. Paying members can look forward to interesting takes on good maps and bad maps, beautiful maps and ugly ones — and bizarre maps whenever possible. Nothing brings the scale […]

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Dealers in Hope? Leadership in the Russia-Ukraine War https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/dealers-in-hope-leadership-in-the-russia-ukraine-war/ Fri, 10 Mar 2023 12:05:56 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28394 Napoleon once said that leaders are “dealers in hope.” While such a label might seem to fit Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelensky, it fits more awkwardly on Russian President Vladimir Putin. How has the leadership of these two men shaped the onset and current progress of the Russian invasion of Ukraine? Would the invasion have happened […]

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Addressing the U.S. Military Recruiting Crisis https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/addressing-the-u-s-military-recruiting-crisis/ Fri, 10 Mar 2023 08:46:00 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28388 The all-volunteer force may finally have reached its breaking point. During the first years of the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, many military experts worried that the constant deployments would “break” the force since they expected that fewer young Americans would volunteer to serve in a wartime military. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. Yet a […]

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Pipeline as a Product: How Project Linchpin Plans to Deliver Artificial Intelligence for the Army https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/pipeline-as-a-product-how-project-linchpin-plans-to-deliver-artificial-intelligence-for-the-army/ Thu, 09 Mar 2023 08:45:18 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28379 The U.S. Army knows that artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are critical to maintaining an edge over current and future threats in data-driven operations. AI-enabled systems will be needed to support a broad range of tasks rapidly and accurately, and on the modern battlefields in Ukraine and in any future conflict, success comes from […]

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Miscalibration of Trust in Human Machine Teaming https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/miscalibration-of-trust-in-human-machine-teaming/ Wed, 08 Mar 2023 08:45:31 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28374 A recent Pew survey found that 82 percent of Americans are more or equally wary than excited about the use of artificial intelligence (AI). This sentiment is not surprising — tales of rogue or dangerous AI abound in pop culture. Movies from 2001: A Space Odyssey to The Terminator warn of the dire consequences of […]

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Army at 250: Beyond a Slogan, the Army Needs a New Narrative Strategy https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/army-at-250-beyond-a-slogan-the-army-needs-a-new-narrative-strategy/ Tue, 07 Mar 2023 08:45:26 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28368 Fifty years ago, the Army left Vietnam and entered the American consumer market. The shift to an all-volunteer force in 1973 compelled the Army to define, shape, and communicate a public narrative in ways it had never previously contemplated. For much of the past two decades, that narrative proved remarkably resilient and strong, sustaining high […]

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Libya’s Fragile Deadlock https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/libyas-fragile-deadlock/ Mon, 06 Mar 2023 08:45:17 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28370 Central Intelligence Agency Director Bill Burns made whirlwind visits to Benghazi and Tripoli on January 12, asking contending Libyan leaders to expel roughly a thousand Russian personnel and help organize nationwide elections. But despite being the most senior U.S. official to set foot in Libya in years, Burns is unlikely to get his wishes any […]

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The Hard Politics of Soft Power https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/the-hard-politics-of-soft-power/ Fri, 03 Mar 2023 12:05:40 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28363 In this week’s Horns of a Dilemma, Daniel Runde of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, speaks about his new book, The American Imperative: Reclaiming Global Leadership Through Soft Power.  Liberals and conservatives are frequently divided over foreign policy preferences, with conservatives favoring hard power, such as military might, and liberals emphasizing soft power elements, […]

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U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine is Going to Get Complicated https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/u-s-security-assistance-to-ukraine-is-going-to-get-complicated/ Fri, 03 Mar 2023 08:46:29 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28361 As the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approached, Senate Republican Whip John Thune warned, “every time we’ve had to do additional funding [for Ukraine], it’s gotten harder. I mean there is a constituency out there that doesn’t see the value of it.” The United States has been counted on to help fund Ukraine’s war […]

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No Time to Hide: The Future of Irish Defense and Security https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/no-time-to-hide-the-future-for-irish-defense-and-security-and-how-our-partners-can-help/ Fri, 03 Mar 2023 08:45:42 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28358 As the Irish say, things are “banjaxed”. In the last year, the Emerald Isle has shown that it is incapable of tracking and deterring Russian naval activity over key transatlantic fiber optic cables near its southwest coast, is hemorrhaging experienced Irish Defence Forces officers and non-commissioned officers over pay, conditions, and opportunities, just as reports […]

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Breaking the Cycle of Incremental Acquisition Reform https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/breaking-the-cycle-of-incremental-acquisition-reform/ Thu, 02 Mar 2023 08:45:40 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28352 In 1960, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Maxwell Taylor testified before Congress and lamented that, “In spite of the fact that modern war is no longer fought in terms of a separate Army, Navy, and Air Force, nonetheless we still budget vertically in these service terms. Yet, if we are called upon to fight, we […]

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Turkey’s More Independent Foreign Policy https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/turkeys-more-independent-foreign-policy/ Thu, 02 Mar 2023 08:45:33 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28356 Chris and Melanie sit down with Aaron Stein, chief content officer at War on the Rocks and co-author of a new report on Turkey’s new, more independent foreign policy. Why has Ankara changed its foreign policy course over the last few decades? What does this foreign policy mean for United States interests? How should Turkey’s […]

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The Ukrainian Army Is Leveraging Online Influencers. Can the U.S. Military? https://warontherocks.com/2023/03/the-ukrainian-army-is-leveraging-online-influencers-can-the-u-s-military/ Wed, 01 Mar 2023 08:45:07 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28347 On May 11, 2022, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Twitter account highlighted the results of a deadly artillery assault on a failed Russian pontoon crossing of the Siverskyi Donets river. The tweet generated over 14,000 likes and nearly 2,000 retweets. Another tweet, posted by a Ukrainian soldier that same day, on the same assault, read […]

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Winning the Air Battle for Taiwan: Lessons from Ukraine’s Drone Operations https://warontherocks.com/2023/02/winning-the-air-battle-for-taiwan-lessons-from-ukraines-drone-operations/ Tue, 28 Feb 2023 08:45:40 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28344 Military strategists will be studying the reasons behind Russia’s confounding failure to rapidly defeat Ukraine for years to come. But there is one point upon which they seem to have quickly reached agreement: low-cost, easy-to-use drone technologies are playing a pivotal role in repulsing Russia’s advances. Drones have transformed what were once “dumb” artillery rounds […]

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The War Will Grind On: Reflecting on A Year of War in Ukraine https://warontherocks.com/2023/02/the-war-will-grind-on-reflecting-on-a-year-of-war-in-ukraine/ Mon, 27 Feb 2023 08:45:06 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28336 “So it begins!” This was the message shared among my team at the Royal United Services Institute on Feb. 22, 2022 as Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the recognition of Luhansk and Donetsk and additional Russian forces poured into eastern Ukraine. Since late November, when it became clear that Russia would launch a full-scale invasion, […]

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The Russian Bear Returns https://warontherocks.com/2023/02/the-return-of-the-russian-bear/ Fri, 24 Feb 2023 18:30:13 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28323 This is the second installment of Mid-Afternoon Map, our exclusive members-only newsletter that provides a cartographic perspective on current events, geopolitics, and history from the Caucasus to the Carolinas. Subscribers can look forward to interesting takes on good maps and bad maps, beautiful maps and ugly ones — and bizarre maps whenever possible. Since last year’s […]

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Transition in a Time of Transition https://warontherocks.com/2023/02/transition-in-a-time-of-transition/ Fri, 24 Feb 2023 10:27:44 +0000 https://warontherocks.com/?p=28318 The turnover between U.S. presidential administrations can be a time of uncertainty and vulnerability. In this week’s episode of Horns of a Dilemma, we hear from former National Security Advisor Stephen J. Hadley, who discusses the forthcoming volume, Hand-Off: The Foreign Policy George W. Bush Passed to Barack Obama. This book, a collection of transition memoranda prepared […]

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