After more than four years of war and sanctions, Russia’s defense industry is still producing weapons at scale. But counting the weapons leaving Russian factories captures only part of the picture. It says far less about what it takes to keep those production lines running. The more important question is what makes Russia’s mass-production model […]
For more than two decades, Russia has built one of the world’s most extensive integrated air defense networks. Inherited from the Soviet Union and extensively modernized since the end of the Cold War, this architecture protects the country’s major cities, air bases, nuclear forces, and critical strategic infrastructure. For years, the system relied on two […]
When the Russian frigate Neustrashimy conducted a live-fire exercise south of Plymouth on 20 July 2026, the event immediately triggered a political response in the United Kingdom and attracted widespread media attention. The British government described the exercise as “performative and irresponsible,” while the Royal Navy confirmed that it had monitored the warship throughout its […]
Since 2022, the war in Ukraine has profoundly transformed the military use of drones. Russian forces regularly use Shahed-type attack drones to strike energy infrastructure, military installations, and urban areas. In response to these repeated attacks, Ukraine has sought to develop interception solutions that are less expensive than traditional air defense systems. The STING drone, […]
Naval debates have long illustrated the idea of the “cheap shot”: a relatively inexpensive means, used intelligently, can force a disproportionately costly response. On land, the concept is discussed less as a formula than as a reality. What can be described as imposed-cost warfare has become a fully developed operational grammar. In Ukraine, the change […]
Undersea cables are the backbone of Europe’s digital and energy infrastructure. They carry more than 95 percent of intercontinental data traffic and support critical cross-border electricity interconnections. In practical terms, they are strategic assets. Since 2023, a series of cable incidents in the Baltic Sea has exposed just how vulnerable those assets are. Investigations were […]
Attacks by drones and other “attritable” vectors have changed what naval defense really means. The key issue is no longer just radar quality or missile range. It’s endurance. How many days can a warship hold out before it runs down its missiles, decoys, chaff, and its ability to sustain fire? Saturation is not simply “a […]
Private military companies (PMCs) are playing an increasingly prominent role in contemporary conflicts, offering services ranging from logistics to direct combat participation. Their historical evolution, current characteristics, and impact on global security raise crucial questions about the What is a Private Military Company? What is a Private Military Company? Private military companies (PMCs) are businesses […]
Confronted with aging, opaque tankers in the shadow fleet, Europe is no longer relying solely on blacklists and port bans. It is deploying a web of sensors (SAR and RF satellites, coastal radars, VTS, “sniffer” RPAS), tying them into fusion centers (EMSA/IMS, SafeSeaNet, THETIS), and projecting air and naval assets to turn suspected sanctions-evasion into […]
Defense companies worldwide are unveiling a new generation of drones, airborne loyal wingmen and naval autonomous systems, set to reshape combat. Programs from Lockheed Martin, Dassault, Boeing, and others highlight a shift toward affordability, survivability, and autonomy. A new wave of air combat drones In September 2025, Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works introduced the Vectis, a […]
