By Robbin Laird I have visited Belarus in the past and have very clear memories of my time there. And with my recent visit to Poland, was reminded again of how Belarus is a border country in many respects, but one dominated by Russia. The use of migrants by the…
By Pierre Tran Paris - Britain and France, once close friends and military allies, are at each other’s throat. The cultural approach of the British is pragmatism, while the archetypal French character is the intellectual. A sample of both those qualities may be what is needed to defuse the tension,…
According to a UK Ministry of Defence article published on October 20, 2021, HMS Prince of Wales hosted the Pacific Future Forum. The Royal Navy’s next generation aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales is hosting the international defence, security, trade and technology summit, the Pacific Future Forum (PFF). PFF provides…
Joint statement, European Intervention Initiative, Meeting of the ministers of Defence in Stockholm, Sweden, 24. September 2021. Since the launch of the European Intervention Initiative in 2018, it has grown to include thirteen European states who share the aim to develop a common strategic culture to meet the challenges facing Europe.…
By Robbin Laird and Pierre Tran The European Union’s pursuit of military and security capabilities can be seen in the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) project, a cooperative framework for the 25 EU member states which have signed up to work together. One of the largest PESCO projects is the European Patrol…
By Robbin Laird and Pierre Tran On September 22, 2021, we had a chance to meet Army General (retired) Didier Castres and discuss the evolution of military operations and strategy under president Macron. Castres is a highly experienced staff officer who has been engaged in activities associated with crisis management…
By Robbin Laird During my visit to France in the Fall of 2021, I had a chance to talk with my old friend and colleague, Jean-Louis Gergorin. Jean-Louis is a noted European strategist with many years of experience both in government and in the private sector. We first met in…
By Robbin Laird The opportunity to attend the Defence 24 conference on Polish defense provided a significant opportunity to learn about Polish assessments of the current strategic situation and ways Poland should shape a way ahead. In addition to attending the conference, I had a chance to talk to Polish…
