Russia’s latest mini-drones are communications killers

The Russian military continues to develop innovative electronic warfare technologies that could secure a crucial advantage in a future conflict. The latest addition to the Russian arsenal is the upgraded Leer-3 mini-drone system. According to Samuel Bendett, a research analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses, the Russian drones (usually Orlan-10s) operate in teams of three, […]

European army? Don’t hold your breath

Recently, there have been numerous calls for the establishment of a European army. Proponents of an all-European force argue that it will diminish Europe’s dependence on the United States when it comes to defence. The context behind these calls is the desire of many European officials to pursue a more autonomous defence and foreign policy. […]

Germany joins France in calling for a European army after Trump’s trip to Paris

Tensions have been unusually high between NATO allies over the past week, despite coming together in Paris to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the conclusion of World War I. President Trump, who has been playing defense domestically over not attending a wreath laying ceremony for American soldiers that died during the first World War, found […]

Russia’s sole aircraft carrier may never sail again

Russia’s only aircraft carrier, the long-troubled Admiral Kuznetsov, last saw action in 2016 in support of Pro-Assad forces in Syria. That deployment proved embarrassing for the Russian military, with its support mission marred by losing two aircraft as they attempted to land on the ship’s flight deck. When it’s rotation was over, the Admiral skulked […]

Norwegian frigate sunk in collision with oil tanker

November 8th. At 0403 hours local time, the Norwegian frigate KNM Helge Ingstad, F303, collided with the Maltese-flagged ship Sola TS — a 60,000-ton oil tanker which had just taken on a load of crude oil at the Sture Oil Terminal on Alvøyna Island, twenty-two miles North-West of Bergen Norway. The Ingstad had been participating in […]

Watch: Russian fighter hits its afterburners right in front of US Navy recon plane

Tensions between the United States and Russia further escalated on Monday after a Russian fighter jet intercepted a U.S. Navy reconnaissance aircraft flying over the international waters of the Black Sea. With both a large scale NATO deterrence exercise ongoing and Russian ballistic missile tests expected any day in the region, the Russian fighter executed […]

Is Afghanistan a lost cause? Taliban control most territory since 2001

Kabul, Afghanistan — The Taliban now control more territory than they ever did since 2001 and the U.S. led intervention. According to the quarterly report of the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR), the Kabul government and its international partners directly control or indirectly influence only 55.5 percent of Afghanistan’s districts. The Taliban control […]

Geopolitics made simple: You’re just a guy in a bar

The problem with foreign policy and geopolitics has never been about the mechanisms of international relations. For all intents and purposes, our global powers interact quite a bit like patrons at a crowded bar: trying to manage polite dialogue with familiar strangers, all the while maintaining closely held ulterior motives. That guy in the corner […]