Call for inputs – The use of technology in the operations and activities of mercenaries, mercenary-related actors and private military and security companies Purpose: To inform the report of the UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries to the 63rd session of the Human Rights Council in September 2026. Issued by: Special Procedures Deadline: 23 March 2026 Background In accordance … Read more
Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. Admiral Cooper, the Warrior Diplomat Running Trump’s Fight in Iran 2. Hegseth Calls for Assessment, Alignment of DOW Legal Functions, Operations 3. These are Ukraine’s $1,000 interceptor drones the Pentagon wants to buy 4. We’re in a New Kind of War 5. Behind the Curtain: The big lie warping America 6. Pentagon seeks … Read more
The Middle East Institute (MEI) invites you to a discussion on the ongoing escalations in the US-Israeli war with Iran. WHEN: March 13, 2026 from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM WHERE: Online via zoom REGISTER HERE. The Middle East Institute (MEI) invites you to a discussion on the ongoing escalations in the US-Israeli war with Iran. The Islamic Republic’s newly … Read more
Two short videos from the Joint Special Operations University outline the growing importance of the “Gray Zone” in modern strategic competition. The Gray Zone is the space between peace and open war where states pursue strategic goals while deliberately staying below the threshold that would trigger direct military conflict. Russia’s Toolkit The first video, “JSOU Snapshot: Russia in the Gray … Read more
Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.’s Breaking Defense report “‘Simple plans, violently executed’: One Army unit’s old-school counter to high-tech chaos” examines how the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment approaches modern warfare at the National Training Center. Despite operating drones, jammers, and advanced sensors, the unit stresses that combat plans and organizations must stay simple enough to function under stress. Too many systems and … Read more
Recent confrontations between the United States and Iran have often been framed as a contest of resolve in which sufficient pressure could force Tehran to capitulate. Yet this assumption rests on a fundamental misreading of the political system policymakers sought to influence. Rather than confronting a problem susceptible to decisive solutions, American leaders were engaging with what policy scholars describe … Read more
A Compound-Security Net Assessment of the Munich Security Conference—and Why “Trump 2.0” Was Accelerant, Not Origin Story Opening: A Diagnostic Moment in International Politics The Munich Security Conference has long functioned less as a diplomatic summit than as a diagnostic instrument—an annual moment in which the transatlantic community pauses to take stock of its assumptions about the international system and … Read more
Abstract This paper analyzes terrorism perpetrated by lone actors, assessing its impact on internal European Union security. The research focuses on cases recorded in France and Germany between 2015 and 2025, examining the operational and ideological characteristics of the perpetrators. The analysis confirms the acceleration of non-linear radicalization processes, largely driven by online propaganda, as well as persistent challenges in … Read more
The Event Operations Coordinator reports to the Senior Director of Events and executes a variety of internal operational and administrative functions to support the Events Team. S/he is responsible for exhibitor and sponsor customer service and engagement at the GSOF Indo-Pacific Irregular Warfare Symposium (IPIW) and Modern Warfare Week (MWW). Location: Greater Tampa Bay, with ability to travel up to 10% of the … Read more
Streamed live on Feb 18, 2026 #EducatetoWin #DriveChange The International Military Student (IMS) Division of U.S. Army Command and General Staff College’s “Know Your World” presentation on February 18 at the Lewis and Clark Center. “Know Your World” lectures are monthly events in which an IMS presents a 45-minute lecture on their country’s geography, history, current culture, economy, and security. … Read more
Access National Security News HERE. Access Korean News HERE. National Security News: 1. Philippine Court Erases Final Duterte Bid to Crush Journalist Ressa 2. Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd confirmed as new leader of NSA, Cyber Command 3. What is the ‘FlyTrap’ Method, and How Can It Disable Autonomous AI Drones? 4. Around 140 troops wounded in 10 days of Operation Epic Fury, Pentagon says … Read more
Join us tomorrow 12 MAR, CASO’s “Euro-Atlantic Security: U.S. and European Partner Perspectives” Arnold Conf. Rm, Lewis & Clark Cntr, Ft Leavenworth, KS. IMPORTANT: Live-streaming has moved to YouTube. Find the event on CGSC’s YouTube page: USArmyCGSC#EducatetoWin #DriveChange pic.twitter.com/uYpEBSRtqk — U.S. Army CGSC (@USACGSC) March 11, 2026
Vigilance Is Not Enough is hosted by George Mason University (Mason Square Campus). WHEN: Thursday, 11 March 2026 7:00 pm ET WHERE: Online and in-person REGISTER HERE The Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security invites you to join us in person in Arlington, VA, or via livestream on March 11th at 7 pm ET for a timely and thought-provoking … Read more
JSOU Snapshot: Chinese Influence and Cognitive Warfare by Think JSOU | Feb 24, 2025 “JSOU Snapshot is a series of short learning videos made just for you, busy special operations professionals, to educate and inform on topics of interest, confusion, controversy, and question. The objective of these short videos is to teach or clarify concepts that are important for you … Read more
LISTEN: Drone fever — Is the U.S. forgetting what really wins wars? Dr. Amos Fox from Small Wars Journal joins Threat Status: Ben is joined by Washington Times Foreign Affairs Correspondent Vaughn Cockayne to break down the U.S.-Iran war, the struggle to evacuate Americans from the Mideast, and the growing pressure on defense companies to produce more munitions for the … Read more
Hyperconnectivity has implications for strategic decision-making: how do ends/ways/means align when online media is constantly shaping what objectives are acceptable and technology is seducing us into using military power? Over the few months we have seen how hyperconnected the contemporary battlefield has become. Civilian technologies, media platforms, and data infrastructures are now deeply entangled with military operations. This is reshaping … Read more
Abstract: Rising tensions in the Persian Gulf are beginning to ripple through global fertilizer markets just as shipments normally move toward farms ahead of the spring planting season. Because fertilizer deliveries are tightly synchronized with agricultural production cycles, disruptions during this window can shape harvest outcomes months before crops are even planted. If current instability continues to tighten fertilizer markets, … Read more
Russia and Ukraine; China and Taiwan. Can we predict an irridentist comparison between two similar yet different contexts? “Ukraine today; Taiwan tomorrow”. “Taiwan 2027”. We hear the parallels and implications of a Russian-esque invasion of Taiwan repeatedly, and the textual statement makes sense. But how legitimate is the parallel when context is provided? There is some level of justification to … Read more
This article is a follow-up to a previous article, located here. Introduction As discussed in my previous article, the complexity of tensions on the Korean Peninsula renders the region one of the most volatile in the world, with the North Korean nuclear program and gray-zone activities posing a persistent threat to stability. In that analysis, I outline how the Kim … Read more
What are small wars? | Irregular Warfare Podcast #1 l Irregular Warfare Initiative Jul 19, 2022 “This is the inaugural episode of a brand-new podcast the Modern War Institute is launching in collaboration with Princeton University’s Empirical Studies of Conflict Project. It’s called the Irregular Warfare Podcast, and in this episode, Kyle Atwell and Nick Lopez discuss the question “What … Read more