A recent Wall Street Journal article by Marcus Walker, outlines two main scenarios for the possible resolution of the ongoing war in Ukraine, as hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough faded after the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska. The first scenario envisions a partition with protection: Ukraine would lose about 20% of…
By Robbin Laird World leaders find themselves lurching from crisis to crisis with little time to catch their breath. This reactive scramble has become the defining characteristic of our era or what might be called the "anarchy of the moment." Unlike the grand ideological struggles or systematic breakdowns that marked…
Germany has emerged as Ukraine's most critical drone technology partner since February 2022, fundamentally transforming both nations' defense capabilities through unprecedented industrial cooperation. German companies have delivered over 900 advanced reconnaissance and strike drones to Ukraine while establishing full manufacturing facilities on Ukrainian soil - a level of wartime defense…
The world's power structures are undergoing their most profound transformation since the end of the Cold War. From the laboratories developing artificial intelligence to the missile ranges testing hypersonic weapons, a new kind of competition is emerging, one that threatens to make traditional notions of security, diplomacy, and national strength…
By Robbin Laird In 2021, my book entitled Training for the High-End Fight: The Strategic Shift of the 2020s was published. I am starting a series of article re-engaging on this critical issue in the run up to my visit this Fall to the Italian International Flight Training School where…
Australia's ambitious leap into nuclear submarine warfare through the AUKUS partnership represents one of the most significant strategic pivots in the nation's defense history. But a seemingly unrelated infrastructure project in Western Australia may be inadvertently creating a massive security vulnerability at the very heart of this cornerstone defense initiative.…
By Robbin Laird In an interview I did in Norfolk last year with Commander Mason Fox and his team. Fox is the Commander of Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 40, the “Mighty Bison.” In that interview he underscored a key point which is rarely noted in discussions about the way…
In an era of intensifying major power competition, China's diplomatic engagement with commodity-rich nations has emerged as a cornerstone of its global strategy. The contrasting yet complementary approaches Beijing has adopted toward Brazil under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Australia under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reveal a sophisticated…
