Russia has approved legislation to permit citizens of South Ossetia to sign up for Russian military service. They will be enrolled on a military base in South Ossetia. That reports Ria Novosti. The step is controversial because South Ossetia is disputed territory. Most countries still recognize South Ossetia as a part of Georgia, but after […]
Archives for January 2018
Denmark increases military spending, still far from 2 percent
Denmark has a new political Defense Agreement for 2018-2023. The old agreement ran out four weeks ago, and it is unusual in Denmark that a new agreement is not in place before the last one expires. The politicians have decided to increase the Danish defense budget as a reaction to a perceived threat from Russia. […]
Nuclear weapons aren’t actually a deterrent on their own
Mark Galeotti makes an interesting point in this post on War on the Rocks titled Britain’s Nuclear Deterrent Isn’t a Military Asset, and Shouldn’t Be Funded as One. The financial aspect of the argument is less interesting than the military point. Galeotti argues that two expensive projects, namely the two new aircraft carriers with accompanying […]
SOF supported guerrilla warfare is the realistic military scenario in the Baltic States
This terrific article by James K. Wither is a must-read for everyone concerned with military strategy in the Baltic region. It is published in Small Wars Journal under the title ”Modern Guerrillas” and the Defense of the Baltic States. The best prospect to deter or if necessary defend an attack on the Baltic States remains […]
Russian sea denial in the Baltic Sea
Tobias Oder has this interesting analysis of Russia’s sea denial capabilities in the Baltic Sea on cimsec.org. Essentially, the point is that they can close the Eastern part of the Baltic Sea quite effectively, should they want to. Oder’s analysis is written from a German perspective, but I think many of his recommendations could be […]
Russia’s foreign policy toward USA is not schizophrenic
Professor Kimberly Marten tries to explain an apparently schizophrenic Russian foreign policy toward the United States in this policy memo on PONARS Eurasia. She comes up with four possible explanations: Putin succumbed to his own ignorance and biases. Putin’s advisors are afraid to tell him the truth. Inconsistent foreign policy is the result of infighting […]
Cyber attack targeted Lithuanian defense minister
Defense minister Raimundas Karoblis and government institutions were the targets of a small cyber attack against Lithuania on Thursday. The attack consisted of three different elements. First institutions from the government, ministries, and embassies received emails containing an attached file with a virus. Then at 19.15 hackers took over the website tv3.lt and posted a […]
Homicide charges for US warship collisions are a big mistake
Four officers from USS Fitzgerald and one from USS John S. McCain including both commanding officers will face criminal charges for negligent homicide. As Navy Times notes, this is a very rare step, and now the internet is boiling over with discussions about it. I think the criminal charges are a big mistake.
More US soldiers and Baltic Sea Policing Mission among ICDS recommendations for NATO
How should the United States and NATO prioritize their resources to the Baltic States? That is the topic of this policy paper that Erik Marmei and Gabriel White have written for ICDS. The policy paper outlines a series of weaknesses with the defense in the Baltic States. It is pointed out that despite the fact […]
A military reserve of cyber security experts
Monica M. Ruiz argues in War on the Rocks that the Estonian voluntary Cyber Defense Unit is a model that the United States should implement. I think this is a great idea for many countries, including other countries in the Baltic region. The idea is that citizens who are specialists in cyber security or have […]
