Major Power Competition IFRI reports that the ‘Transformation of Russian Strategic Culture’ is evolving fast. With the Russian ruling regime maturing “into a more rigid autocracy, its ideological outlooks become increasingly conservative, which hampers the modernization of the strategic culture”. The pressure of actual military engagements and rapidly evolving technologies are also influencing changes. As a result, IFRI argues their next moves are almost impossible to predict, as “Russian strategic culture …

Insight into the strategic calculus of an opponent is a rare commodity. Intention is often inferred indirectly from an adversary’s actions, giving rise to misunderstanding, miscalculation and misfortune. Following World War II, Sir Basil Liddell Hart interviewed German Generals facing trial at Nuremburg, recorded in The Other Side of the Hill , which offered insight into the calculus informing decisions to execute particular actions at given times. This account critically forced review of British views of …

Ashton Robinson is an Honorary Fellow with the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne and the author of Meeting Saddam’s Men, Big Sky Publishing, Sydney, 2019. … Ashton Robinson …

Major Power Competition From The Diplomat , an analysis of the Type 076 LHD being developed by the People’s Liberation Army. Of note is that it is believed capable of conducting fixed wing flight operations via electromagnetic catapult, suggesting the intent to operate UAVs, in addition to the capability of conducting well-deck operations. If accurate, this might suggest an expanding scope of naval power projection made possible by using unmanned systems, at lesser expense than traditional aircraft carrier …

Major Andrew Maher presents the Hizbollah Case Study to combine other presentations and writings on the topic. … Hizbollah Case Study …

Saddam's Iraq: Strangely conceived strategy …

As the 19 year anniversary of September 11 approaches, Director of Terrorism Studies at Charles Sturt University, Levi West, will reflect on the current and future state of the terrorist threat landscape, and the successes of 19 years of international counter terrorism. As the threat landscape becomes increasingly diverse, dynamic, and complex, ensuring that we remain appropriately calibrated to respond to threats presented by non-state, proxy, and other irregular actors must remain at the forefront of our …

MAJGEN Noble discusses Strategy, Operations and Tactics in the 21st Century, acknowledging the environment we are in and our duty to determine courses of action. … No Country for Old Men …

Levi is currently a PhD student at the School of International, Political and Strategic Studies at the Australian National University where he is completing doctoral research into the impact of technology on insurgency, via a case study analysis of Al-Qaeda, the Sinaloa Cartel, and Anonymous. Levi has an extensive background in national security focused academia, with a focus on non-State violence and terrorism. Levi has lectured, studied and worked in Australia and overseas. Levi has lectured at the …

Major Power Competition From the Modern War Institute (MWI), a report analysing hybrid warfare in the Ukraine, with exploration of Russian activities across multiple domains. This report is important in that it highlights the breadth of this contemporary competition, much of which is not lethal, occurring off the battlefield. It also complements analysis also from MWI recommending joint force awareness of the US Marine Corps modernisation program as a microcosm of adaptation to the requirements of today’s …