While at Stanford last month, we had a long conversation with former Secretary of Defense William Perry about the nuclear dangers facing the world. We were struck by his provocative and frightening outlook: that the possibility of a nuclear catastrophe today is greater than it was during the Cold War. North Korea’s recent bluster only…
Category: Strategy
What the 2016 Presidential Candidates Get Wrong About the Future of War
They fail, they lack, they misunderstand, they pander, they don’t get, and they just don’t know national security – not according to our Future of War roster of experts. “The President shall be Commander in Chief…” This clause that leads Article Two, Section II of the U.S. Constitution is without a doubt the most important of…
Russian Subs Are Reheating a Cold War Chokepoint
As the GIUK gap returns to importance, NATO must look to regenerate its anti-submarine force. The recent U.S. promise to fund upgrades to Iceland’s military airfield at Keflavik is no diplomatic bone thrown to a small ally. The improvements will allow the U.S. Navy’s new P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to keep an eye on…
How NATO Can Disrupt Russia’s New Way of War
Here are a few things the West can do against Moscow’s potent combo of special forces and electronic warfare. The Ukrainian soldiers peered over the cold dirt edge of their trench. The artillery had abated, but the whine of a nearby spotter UAV promised its imminent return. In the distance, they could see camouflaged spetsnaz…
ISIS Corner: ISIS’ Expansion Strategy in Libya
Bottom Line Up Front: • On March 1, the UK announced that it will send a contingent of soldiers to help Tunisia secure its border with Libya • The announcement comes a week after reports that French special forces are operating against the Islamic State in Libya • International concern is growing about the spread of the…
Is Putin Really Dr. Moriarty?
An excellent article on understanding how Russian Hybrid Warfare manipulates the current geo-political spectrum. -SF We know ISIS is bad because it killed people in San Bernardino and Paris. We know Iran is bad because it’s still developing nuclear weapons. We know Russia is bad…because…well, didn’t Charlie Rose once say something about that? Or was…
1914: Yet Another Cautionary Tale
For several years now many states and organizations in the Middle East and elsewhere have become involved in the situation in Syria. Though there are many players and overlapping interests, there is little evidence that they have established a common goal or common objectives, nor that common practical plans have been made to achieve them….
Matthew Bracken Talks SHTF and Dirty Civil War
MATTHEW BRACKEN is a former Navy SEAL (BUD/S Class 105), a Constitutionalist, and a self-described “freedomista”. This interview was first published in the Fall 2014 issue of Forward Observer. You might think that the most courageous thing Matt Bracken’s ever done is taking a SEAL team to Beirut, Lebanon in 1983, the same year of…
Quick Facts: Iran is Waging Textbook 4th Generation Warfare Against Israel
At this moment Iran is waging a clinic on 21st Century 4th Generation Warfare against Israel. Consider the facts: Israeli Infrastructure such as Electrical Power Grid and Water Supply has had repeated hacker attacks Hezbollah has launched a HUGE Cyber-Attack on Israel to include hacking a Former IDF Army Chief of Staff Computer Social and Political Unrest…
What is an Existential Threat?
A short, concise 3 minute read that I think nails the MAIN issue regarding U.S. Foreign Policy currently. Now I don’t play Politics, but ask yourself; out of all the Presidential hopefuls, which one would you want making a decision like the one described below? If you are like me, your answer is NONE OF…