Everything is going according to plan
The Russian president routinely asserts the ‘special military operation’ is ‘going according to plan.’ To Western ears, the declaration is ridiculous. But Putin is...
Category : Domains
Defence Procurement: Shake Up or Fall Behind
In times of conflict, innovation moves at a faster pace. However, in UK Defence Acquisition a linear and whole-life approach does not keep up with...
Defence Command Paper Refresh – Every Soldier Counts
The UK Defence blogosphere is awash with articles about the forthcoming Defence Command Paper Refresh. Many consider the British Army’s priorities within the wider geopolitical...
Russian airpower in Ukraine – Nuisance or Menace?
Introduction and Purpose – After Hubris came Nemesis One year after Vladimir Putin unleashed his war machine for what he thought would be a short...
A battlegroup commander’s perspective on battlegroup operations
I was lucky to have the privilege of commanding the 2nd Battalion of The Rifles for a deployment which ran from late August 2021 to...
The Strategic Utility of Raiding
What role does amphibious raiding play in British defence strategy? What historical precedents can we draw upon for today’s Commando forces? The strategic utility of...
Why North Korea’s seventh test matters and why it doesn’t
Since early 2022, North Korea has been gearing up for its seventh nuclear test. It’s likely to be held at the Punggye-ri test site, the...
Rethinking British Military Policy
The debate prompted by the “refresh” of the 2022 United Kingdom Integrated Review is striking for the strong sense of déjà-vu it engenders. None of...
Worm at the core of human security
There’s this idea, captured in terror management theory, that the unique awareness of our own mortality is the ‘worm at the core’ of the human...
1,500 new and modernised tanks – really?
In the last week of March 2023 the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, travelled to the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant to chair a meeting...