Archive: News & Articles

Today around 41% of US weapons and defence infrastructure is reliant on Chinese semiconductors, while 91% of Navy weapons incorporate critical minerals whose supply is reliant on Chinese industry. As America pivots to the Pacific, it faces the stark reality that its military superiority increasingly depends on China – the very country it is preparing […]

Following the 15 August 2025 Alaska meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, and the 18 August meeting in Washington between Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy, along with several European leaders, the prospect of a diplomatically negotiated end to the Russo-Ukrainian War is back on the agenda. Over the course of three and a half […]

As Europe marks 30 years since the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina ended, Ukraine’s ongoing conflict has brought about urgent discussions on peace, security, and integration on the continent. Ties between Ukraine and the Western Balkans have deepened rapidly, shaped by shared histories, common vulnerabilities, and a mutual goal of EU membership. High-level summits have […]

The EU’s security policy has helped maintain peace in the Western Balkans since the early 2000s, but institutional reforms remain incomplete and external actors are gaining ground. This piece examines where the EU’s efforts have succeeded, and where they have fallen short. For decades, the region of South-Eastern Europe, now more commonly referred to in […]

International law – does it matter anymore? The more cynical among us might well question the extent to which it ever truly mattered to the most powerful actors on the world stage. They may be mostly right, yet it is also true that in prior decades, the leaders of even very powerful countries often tended […]

Having been barred from showing their systems at both France’s Eurosatory defence exhibition in June 2024 and Euronaval show in October 2024 in light of Israeli military operations against Hamas in Gaza, most Israeli defence companies, including Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Elbit Systems, Rafael, Aeronautics and UVision, have now been frozen out of the 2025 […]

On 18 March 2025, Ministers of Defence from Albania, Croatia, and Kosovo gathered in Tirana, Albania, to sign a trilateral security and defence agreement, an initiative that, while unsurprising to seasoned regional observers, introduced a new layer to an already complex strategic environment. This agreement marked a new twist in the already complex security environment […]

While US President Donald Trump often appears to thrive in sowing discord, the current chaos at the US Department of Defense (DoD) cannot serve any decent purpose – and comes with significant strategic risk. With US President Donald Trump having announced in early April 2025 that he planned to set the 2026 US defence budget […]

The Western Balkans are at risk of becoming increasingly forgotten amidst a resurgent US policy towards Russia. As the EU frantically races to fill the growing vacuum left by an increasingly uncompromising US foreign policy on Ukraine, some in the region may choose to find their own way and return to the darker side of […]

The Middle East enters 2025 burdened with multiple conflicts and tensions, all of which are contributing to significant geopolitical shifts. It is difficult to optimistically anticipate a peaceful year ahead. Certain dates in international politics hold both symbolic and transformative significance. For instance, 1989 marked the end of the Cold War, bringing fundamental changes to […]

Emerging threats observed in the ongoing Russo–Ukrainian conflict and a series of conflicts in the Middle East from 2022 to 2024 have sparked renewed interest in armoured vehicles and their protection. Contemporary solutions include various layers of protection designed to increase the survivability of armoured vehicles against multiple threats on the battlefield. Among other measures, […]

With the re-election of US President Donald Trump, questions regarding the transatlantic relationship between the US and Europe have once again come to the forefront, including the extent to which the US needs Europe. A sober reading shows that the US has good reason to remain engaged in Europe; most notably, US security depends on […]

Marking 20 years of NATO Life Cycle Management (LCM), the 20th edition of the NATO LCM Conference will be held on 21 and 22 January 2025 in Brussels. Gathering numerous government and industry representatives, and chaired by Thomas Espelund Pedersen (Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation) and J. Bo Leimand (LEIMAND Freelance Consultancy), the conference […]

Almost three years since Russia invaded Ukraine, the rules-based order that once governed security on the European continent lies entirely in shreds. Yet, one European security organisation, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was created during the Cold War to deal with precisely the threats that the European continent is faced with […]

In late 2024, the prospects for ending the war in Ukraine or at least suspending hostilities remained unclear; however, officials from both Ukraine and its partners in the West are increasingly discussing the possibility of such a scenario. The inauguration of US president-elect Trump on 20 January 2025 is considered the starting point for the […]

Pakistan’s journey to defence-industrial self-reliance has been marked by geopolitical challenges and shifting alliances. This article traces the evolution of Pakistan’s indigenous defence industry, highlighting key milestones along its journey from reliance on foreign arms to developing indigenous nuclear and conventional weapon systems. Upon independence in August 1947, Pakistan faced a significant problem as it […]

As the sun begins to set on 2024, it is time to look back at the state of key conflicts, how they have developed over the past year, and where things appear to be headed. For the most part, Ukraine has continued to steadily lose ground to Russia along the key frontlines, and while it […]

Much attention has been lavished on Russia’s strategic cyberwarfare waged against Ukraine’s critical national infrastructure. Russia’s use of cyberwarfare at tactical and operational levels, particularly in the land domain, receives less coverage, but has important implications for NATO and its Allies. London’s Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) thinktank recently published a paper by Daniel Black, […]

Driven in large part by the increasing proliferation of drones and loitering munitions, recent years have seen a resurgence of interest in very short-range/short-range air defence (V/SHORAD). This article examines recent developments in the field of V/SHORAD radars, as well as the direction these innovations are taking, and their growing significance on the modern battlefield. […]

A rapidly-changing strategic landscape demands additional flexibility from global and regional actors. President Biden’s mantra in his first days in the White House – “America is back” – indicated the renewed involvement of the USA in world affairs. It also meant that the US modus operandi as the most advanced actor in the great power […]

Over the past two years of war in Ukraine, a fairly broad consensus has emerged that small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), along with loitering munitions and low-cost alternatives such as first-person view (FPV) drones have drastically increased the risks to armoured vehicles on the battlefield. Given their low costs and high numbers, there is general […]