How Finland and Sweden Joining NATO Would Impact NATO

05/18/2022
According a recently posted video by The Wall Street Journal on May 16, 2022, the subject was addressed of how the two states joining NATO would impact the organization.  We have focused for several years on how the Nordic defense dynamics are part of the reshaping od direct defense…

A Canadian Perspective on the Biden Administration and the Russo-Ukrainian War

05/17/2022
By LGen (ret) Michel Maisonneuve U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited Kyiv on April 24th to provide support and highlight the determination of the U.S. to stand with Ukraine as Russia’s invasion continues its attempt to conquer a free country. Austin stated “We want to see Russia weakened so that it…

Shaping a Way Ahead for German Defense in the Near to Mid Term: Where Does the Lift Helicopter Decision Fit In?

04/20/2022
By Robbin Laird When the Chancellor of Germany announced at the end of February 2022 the need for Germany to up its defense spending and to shape a new approach to defense, perhaps a new phase in German defense is underway. But overcoming the atrophy of strategic culture, and a…

Australian Allies Provide Assessments of Ways Ahead for Networked Integrated Force

04/18/2022
By Robbin Laird The March 24, 2022, Williams Foundation Seminar on “Accelerating the Transition to a Networked, Integrated Force” provided perspectives of core allies of Australia which assessed the state of current affairs with regard to such a force and providing insights with regard to the way ahead. Because the…

China’s Solomon Islands Agreement: What China in Djibouti Presages

04/14/2022
Recently, the Solomon Islands leadership announced a security arrangement with China. As noted by The Economist in an article published on April 2, 2022: "To the alarm of Australia and New Zealand, the Solomon Islands has reached a security agreement with China. The prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, confirmed this on…

The Russian Invasion of Ukraine: Driver of Change in European Defense

04/05/2022
by Pierre Tran Paris - It looks like Kremlin’s bloody advance through Ukraine has boosted Europe’s resolve to forge its own operational defense and security identity. The European Union added Feb. 24 a redrafted forward to its Strategic Compass policy paper on defense and security to refer to the Russian…

Saudi Arabia and the UAE Look Beyond Washington for New Partners

04/04/2022
By James Durso The U.S. and its main Persian Gulf partners, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have had a falling out in recent days. The causes are both immediate and long-term and each party feels the blame lies with those ingrates on the other…