Archive: News & Articles

With low-cost drones and missiles threatening even well-defended naval assets, this analysis examines a systems approach to integrating electronic warfare that could rebalance the cost equation. Recent experience of naval combat in theatres such as the Red Sea and Black Sea has illustrated several challenges which navies will face with respect to air and missile […]

The large-scale use of unmanned weapons platforms in Ukraine reflects the rapid evolution of modern warfare, where tactical advantages are often short-lived due to the emergence of countermeasures. With Ukraine ramping up production of long-range unmanned aerial vehicles, this surge highlights Ukraine’s growing reliance on unmanned systems for defence. Lessons from the war show that […]

BAE Systems’ Herne extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle (XLAUV) completed initial in-water trials in late 2024, barely a year after commencing development. What was behind this fast-track effort, and how was it achieved? Recent years have seen growing interest in the utility of long endurance, large payload robotic submersibles as ‘force multipliers’. This reflects a view […]

While neither as reliable as high-end bespoke munitions, nor as overwhelming as traditional massed artillery, the growing array of affordable precision strike options offers militaries a third way forward. The tradeoff between mass and precision has often characterised discussions regarding warfare. Militaries can either achieve statistical effects (for example that a given weight of fire […]

The growing and increasingly-quiet submarine fleets of potential adversaries present Western navies with a resource-intensive challenge using traditional ASW approaches. This article examines a number of more cost-effective and scalable alternative methods that may allow navies to do more with less. The prosecution of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) represents one of the most complex aspects of […]

Ever since the NATO Prague summit in late 2002, NATO has fundamentally changed. This change can be witnessed by the addition of new members and the transformation of the alliance that has strengthened its deterrence posture. As an intrinsic part of the transformation process training has had a major part to play and this role […]

The US Army is moving ahead with efforts to ensure that manoeuvre forces enhance their mobility with requisite on-the-move networking and command-and-control capabilities. One of the key takeaways from the ongoing war in Ukraine sounds like one of the most obvious, particularly for land manoeuvre forces: Movement is life, staying still is death. Manoeuvre formations […]

It is remarkable how a change in leadership in one country can so radically alter the overall strategic picture for many others, especially when this country is the US. In the wake of the Munich Security Conference, and the disastrous 28 February 2025 meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Europe finds itself at […]

Since the outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has maintained the ban on arms exports, naturally directing all supplies to sustain its own effort to repel Moscow’s onslaught. Now, three full years into the war, there are more and more voices highlighting the need to lift the restrictions. In October 2024, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem […]

The demand for anti-tank guided missiles is expected to grow in the near future, with a clear need for new capabilities. Since their introduction in the 1950s and 1960s, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) have evolved from purely anti-tank assets into versatile weapons capable of engaging a wide range of targets, including armoured fighting vehicles, low-and-slow […]

The issue of legal and procedural forensics does not come up very often in this publication. However, the collection, handling, storage, and exploitation of evidence of use of chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) weapons and materials is actually an issue of vital importance. The idea that forensics is something that police and courts need […]

The market for armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) is growing, and the vehicle turret market is following suit. The armoured fighting vehicle and vehicle turret markets are closely linked, both influenced by shared dynamics and various factors—political, technological, and tactical. Some of these factors were present during the past decade, while a number of new factors […]

Protected patrol vehicles balance mobility with protection from mine and ballistic threats. While they come in various size, weight and protection configurations, the current trend is pointing towards prioritising enhanced mobility over heavy armour. What follows is a selected overview of currently marketed systems. Protected patrol vehicles (PPVs) are versatile or multi-mission-capable vehicles. The British […]

The personal defence weapon is a relatively recent development in terms of small arms, emerging in the 1980s in response to a NATO requirement for a new weapons system that would potentially replace the submachine gun and the pistol in certain applications. Yet thus far, disruption seems to have been relatively minimal. The military pistol […]

Transmissions play a decisive role in the performance profile of wheeled and tracked vehicles, especially when used off-road on construction sites, off-road and in the military. At its production facility in Szentgotthárd (Hungary), US transmission manufacturer Allison Transmission presented its transmission assembly and selected examples in practical tests. In motor vehicles, transmissions distribute engine power […]

As the range of battlefield threats proliferates to include systems such as mini-UAVs and loitering munitions, AFV situational awareness capabilities are rapidly expanding to match them. While the ‘iron triangle’ of armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) design – firepower, protection and mobility – still holds true, it is increasingly an AFV’s situational awareness systems that are […]

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 […]