The End of the Polish-Ukrainian “Honeymoon”

06/04/2026 By Robert Czulda The period of sympathy and mutual understanding between Poland and Ukraine has effectively ended. The authorities in Kyiv have once again taken a provocative step, antagonizing their key strategic partner. By mid-2026, what seemed possible just a few years ago feels like distant history. Following the 2022 invasion, Poland was the first nation to provide Ukraine with… Read more »

Learning Before the Hulls Arrive: Applying Transformation Lessons to Australia’s Hybrid Fleet

06/03/2026 By Robbin Laird The Royal Australian Navy is crossing a dangerous bridge. On one side sits the fleet it has today: three Hobart‑class air warfare destroyers, a diminishing number of Anzac‑class frigates, and a support structure increasingly strained by the weight of strategic demand. On the other side sits the fleet Australia intends to build: Hunter‑class frigates, general‑purpose frigates, optionally… Read more »

Mastering Chaos: Why Leaders Need a New Playbook for a World That Will Not Sit Still

06/02/2026 By Robbin Laird In every sector today, leaders are discovering the same uncomfortable truth: they can no longer plan their way through genuine chaos. The familiar script, stabilize the crisis, restore normal, move on, no longer fits a world where disruption is constant, tightly coupled, and accelerating. Mastering Chaos is written for that world. It is a book for senior… Read more »

FCAS at a Crossroads: France and Germany Search for a Way Forward

06/01/2026 By Pierre Tran Paris - French and German ministers are due to meet this summer, providing a timely target for concluding a dispute over a European project for a new generation fighter, a senior German government official said May 29. “I hope that we will come to a conclusion this summer,” the official said. “There will be a German French… Read more »

Weather Intelligence at the Speed of Operations: Vaisala Xweather and the New Meteorological Frontier

05/31/2026 By Robbin Laird The history of warfare is inseparable from the history of weather. At Normandy in June 1944, Dwight Eisenhower held four stars and command of the largest amphibious operation in history and deferred to a meteorologist. The 24-hour delay that enabled D-Day was not the product of a committee, a requirements process, or a procurement cycle. It was… Read more »

The Hull Gap Decade as Strategic Opportunity: Learning to Build the Hybrid Fleet Before the New Hulls Arrive

05/29/2026 By Robbin Laird The Royal Australian Navy is crossing a dangerous bridge. On one side sits the force it has today, three Hobart-class air warfare destroyers, a diminishing number of Anzac-class frigates, and a support structure increasingly strained by the weight of strategic demand. On the other side sits the force Australia intends to build: Hunter-class frigates, general purpose frigates,… Read more »