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Ukraine

"Small wars are operations undertaken under executive authority, wherein military force is combined with diplomatic pressure in the internal or external affairs of another state whose government is unstable, inadequate, or unsatisfactory for the preservation of life and of such interests as are determined by the foreign policy of our Nation."

— Small Wars Manual, 1940

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Journal

NATO’s Moral Imperative
by Daniel Rice | Tue, 09/27/2022 - 12:16am | 0 comments
Russia indiscriminately targeted civilians with air-dropped cluster bombs in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Georgia, Donbas, Crimea, Syria and again in the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Targeting civilians is a blatant and clear war crime. Russia has never been charged for these intentional war crimes which represent a pattern of behavior that should not only be charged as war crimes, but should cause it to be designated a State Sponsor of Terror.
How Renewable Energy Could Set the Stage for Future Resource Conflict
by Tom Johansmeyer | Mon, 09/26/2022 - 10:14pm | 0 comments
We’ve heard about wars fought for oil for the past century, even if the concept has been exaggerated a bit. In the future, the contested commodity could shift from fossil fuels to water. More than 15% of the world’s water conflicts over the past 4,000 years have arisen since 2020. The notion that wars are fought for resources is almost beyond dispute, and there could be more drivers of conflict coming. Often seen as an alternative to fossil fuels, for which wars clearly have been fought, renewable energy could lead to its own resource conflicts.
Iran’s soft power offensive in eastern Syria
by Hannah Wallace | Sat, 09/24/2022 - 2:30am | 0 comments
Along the Iranian border in Syria’s Deir Ezzor province, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) recently purchased two homes and tracts of adjacent land for 700 million Syrian pounds (US$150,000) with the funds provided by Iran’s Hajj organization. A massive new hotel will soon be built on the spot, according to Abdulaziz Al-Sawadi, head of the Political Bureau of the Liberation and Construction Movement, to accommodate Iranian and Iraqi pilgrims.
China’s Securitization of Taiwan
by James Steels | Sat, 09/24/2022 - 2:22am | 0 comments
In September 2022 Taiwan intercepted and shot down a Chinese surveillance drone that Taiwan said had violated the airspace over one of the islands that they control located off the coast of China. China responded by stating that this was an attempt by Taiwan to ‘hype up tensions’. Was the shooting down of this drone a reckless response from Taiwan, or is China creating a provocation in an attempt to deliberately construct a security issue with Taiwan
Neuro-Cognitive Warfare:  Inflicting Strategic Impact via Non-Kinetic Threat
by R. McCreight | Fri, 09/16/2022 - 5:26pm | 1 comment
What is the strategic value of a covert technology that has consistently displayed a capability to disable and permanently impair basic thought, perception and inflict degrading effects on human neuro-cognitive motor skills?  Is it significant but far less than strategic?  Non-kinetic yet still strategic in impact?  What if an adversary intent on harming US military and civilian leadership could unleash and deploy this technology without fear of detection? What if that adversary knew the US targets had no way to protect themselves from the insidious effects of this covert technology? This is neuro-cognitive warfare which has been taking place during the last decade and which allows an aggressor to attain a degree of strategic leverage and influence literally without firing a shot.
When the War Came – Reexamining a Classic Account of the Afghan Wars
by Benjamin Van Horrick | Fri, 09/16/2022 - 4:38pm | 1 comment
What can a small place tell us about a big war? Carter Malkasian’s 2013 work War Comes to Garmser dissects a single district in southern Afghanistan, offering readers a penetrating account of the war Afghans fought and how America affected that war on the margins. Malkasian foretells the difficulties both nations would experience when America withdrew its support. The 2021 rapid collapse of the Afghan government and return of the Taliban regime requires a reappraisal of Malkasian’s work. Released following the withdrawal of surge forces from Afghanistan, War Comes to Garmser provided a cogent analysis of an Afghan district, how Afghans made decisions under the near-constant threat of violence, and how the United States could have better affected outcomes in Afghanistan. All politics remained local in Garmser. decisions based on historical relationships, the redressing of grievances, and self-interest. The study of a small place offers theorists and practitioners of conflict valuable insights. 
Dispatch from Southern Ukraine
by Marc Belciug | Fri, 09/16/2022 - 4:27pm | 0 comments
Settled on the great river Danube, Izmail (Ishmael) is a city that was once associated with Russian military achievements. It was here that in 1790 the Tsarist generalissimo Alexander Suvorov conquered the Ottoman fortress through a combination of incessant infantry attacks on the fortress walls and a daring beach landing. So important was the battle that it became memorialized in song becoming the unofficial Russian national anthem in the early 19th century. For the people living here, the Siege of Izmail was central to its history. Particularly important was the famous Russian General Suvorov who not only was honored with a great statue in the city square but also with the main street bearing his name. That is until the 24th of February, when Russian declared a special military operation and invaded Ukraine.
The AUKUS Submarine from an Australian Strategic Viewpoint
by Josh Phillips | Mon, 09/12/2022 - 10:58am | 0 comments
In September 2021, Australia cancelled a $66 billion deal with the government of France to acquire a dozen new ‘Shortfin Barracuda’ diesel-electric submarines and, instead, finalized a replacement within the agreement known as the Australia, United Kingdom, United States pact - the AUKUS agreement. In this deal, the U.S. and the U.K. are to build and deliver eight new Virginia-class nuclear-powered subs to the Royal Australian Navy. This has many implications, but one factor in Australia’s decision to acquire nuclear submarines is their superior range, and the Lombok Strait in Indonesia is one area in which this range matters
Ukraine Writes the Textbook on Twenty-First Century Warfare, Conducts Masterclass
by Brian E. Frydenborg | Mon, 09/12/2022 - 9:45am | 0 comments
In many ways, Ukraine’s victories are the products of a mathematical equation involving Putinism, the nature of Russian forces and behaviors, the nature of Ukraine’s forces and behaviors, and the two sides relative places in the wider world..The sum of the parts, in most cases, not going to look terribly different from what we are seeing now. The Russian failures were the almost natural outcomes of years of Putinism, years of one man above all others running the show.  This Ukraine war is the pinnacle of years of Putin’s rule, the best representation of him and the system he built, the people he elevated, the institutions he molded, the natural outcome of his leadership, and it will consume him and his system, an utterly predictable Frankenstein monster utterly predictably doing its father and creator in as can only be the case at this point.  No one can, should, or will be blamed more inside Russia (let alone the rest of the world) for this debacle, just as he would have received most of the praise from Russians had this “special military operation” succeeded (calling it a war in Russia can get you arrested).
The Privatization of State Violence: A Review of Explanations of Death Squads, Paramilitaries, and Irregular Forces
by Matthew P. Arsenault | Sun, 09/11/2022 - 8:22pm | 2 comments
Paramilitary and death squad violence characterize much of 21st century conflict. Such political violence is “intrinsic to internal warfare."  Its most recent manifestation emerged in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin’s mobilization of Kadyrova paramilitaries and ``private” military companies - coupled with the recent slaughter of civilians in Bucha - suggest a high likelihood of increased paramilitary or death squad violence.  Although initial reports suggest atrocities were committed by the Russian military, we are but a short step from non-military, or paramilitary terror.

Blog Posts

9/26/22 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Mon, 09/26/2022 - 7:34pm | 0 comments

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9/25/22 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Sun, 09/25/2022 - 5:51pm | 0 comments

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9/24/22 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Sat, 09/24/2022 - 7:37pm | 0 comments

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New AUKUS Resource - SECURITY & DEFENCE PLUS ADVANCING AUKUS
by SWJ Editors | Sat, 09/24/2022 - 5:52pm | 0 comments

This new website will be very useful for all researchers and practitioners who work on AUKUS issues.

Access Home Page HERE.

9/23/22 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Fri, 09/23/2022 - 7:50pm | 0 comments

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9/22/22 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Thu, 09/22/2022 - 8:55pm | 0 comments

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9/21/22 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Wed, 09/21/2022 - 5:19pm | 0 comments

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9/20/22 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Tue, 09/20/2022 - 4:59pm | 0 comments

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9/19/22 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Mon, 09/19/2022 - 4:13pm | 1 comment

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9/18/22 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Sun, 09/18/2022 - 8:59am | 0 comments

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9/17/22 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Sat, 09/17/2022 - 11:16am | 0 comments

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9/16/22 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Fri, 09/16/2022 - 9:23am | 0 comments

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9/15/22 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Thu, 09/15/2022 - 7:26am | 0 comments

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9/14/22 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Wed, 09/14/2022 - 9:51am | 0 comments

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9/13/22 National Security and Korean News and Commentary
by Dave Maxwell | Tue, 09/13/2022 - 5:45am | 0 comments

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