On March 28, Vladimir Putin, returning home from the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) Durban summit, ordered Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu to mobilize the Black Sea Fleet—immediately. More than 7,000 troops, and some 36 warships, 250 armored vehicles, 50 cannons, and as many as 20 fighter jets were …
The Chinese yesterday announced new defense and internal security budgets. In keeping with the average double-digit annual increases of the past 20 years, Chinese military spending will rise by 10.7 percent. These consistent massive increases, announced ahead of the 12th National People’s Congress—the world’s largest parliament—have allowed Chinese military modernization …
Futurists who applaud Obama for gutting conventional forces—ships, planes, and boots on the ground—and (allegedly) shifting to emerging, asymmetrical, or hybrid threats (pick your adjective of the week) ought to think again. The distinctions with how our military will have to deal with challenges like cyberconflict and shooting wars are …
Yesterday’s topic at the New York Times “Room for Debate” blog series was on the President’s Afghanistan withdrawal announcement and what to do with the resulting “peace dividend”. Heritage’s Mackenzie Eaglen weighed in: Politics matters in war. It’s why the Army Chief of Staff after Vietnam tried to institute a …
