Pavel Podvig has some interesting points on his blog about the Soviet Union’s nuclear strategy and the value of silo-based missiles. Pavel’s point is that silo-based ICBMs are much more useful than they are typically made out to be: Silo-based multiple-warhead ICBMs have a consistently bad reputation with the arms control crowd and nuclear hawks […]
Some thoughts on HMS Dragon’s FONOPS off Crimea
Last week, first deputy director of FSB and leader of Russia’s border control service Vladimir Kulishov made some noticeable comments to RIA Novosti about an incident in October 2020 involving the British destroyer HMS Dragon. The British warship crossed the territorial waters off Crimea in what must be characterized as a Freedom of Navigation Operation […]
The future of the Russian Navy – Last episode of interview with Jonas Kjellén
Here is the third and last episode in my interview with Jonas Kjellén. Here we discuss the future trends and developments for the Russian Navy. According to Jonas, the future looks bright for the Russian Navy. They now have lead ships ready for many classes, and in the coming years we will see serial production […]
US needs a new Arctic security strategy
David Auerswald in War on the Rocks: The exercise in March highlighted increased Russian military activity in the Arctic, but that was not the sole Russian signal. U.S. Alaska Command, under U.S. Northern Command, reported that they had intercepted more Russian military aircraft near the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone in 2020 than at any […]
The ships in Russia’s Baltic Fleet – Part 2 of my interview with Jonas Kjellén
This is part two of my interview with Jonas Kjellén. We particularly discussed the Baltic Fleet’s abilities for minelaying and amphibious operations, but other types of maritime operations were touched on as well.
The history of Danish gendarmerie forces
Rasmus Dahlberg and Henrik Stevnsborg have an interesting look at the history of Danish gendarmerie forces in Scandinavian Journal of Military Studies: Since 1952, Denmark has had no border gendarmes, and since 1894, gendarmes have not patrolled the territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. The ghost of the gendarmes, however, has kept on haunting Danish […]
Interview with Jonas Kjellén about the Russian Baltic Fleet – Part 1
Here is an interview I did with Jonas Kjellèn from FOI about the Russian Baltic Fleet. Jonas recently authored a really good report on the topic. This is part one of the interview. The next ones will be available in the coming weeks.
The sorry state of collective European defense capabilities
Robert Dalsjö and Michael Jonsson in a great piece in War on the Rocks on the state of NATO and Europe’s ability to defend itself: This has led to at least two lively debates, one on just how deficient NATO’s defenses against Russia are, and the other on how to respond to the threat of […]
The risks of outsourcing merchant shipping to foreign owners
Sal Mercogliano has a thoughtful look in CIMSEC on the grounding of MV Ever Given that blocked the Suez Canal for six days: Today, international corporations, with ships flying the flags of open registries, dominate the world’s oceans but with little means of protection. This is readily apparent to the Indian crew, onboard the Taiwan-based […]
Decarbonization raises capacity questions for shipbuilding and wartime repairs
Benjamin Clark discusses in CIMSEC How the Decarbonization Dilemma Will Impact Shipbuilding and Great Power Competition: A decline in shipbuilding capacity is a clear and troubling trend, especially for those working in the U.S. maritime industry, and it is critical to assess the challenges this decline creates for the country’s ability to wage a protracted […]