The writings of Alfred Thayer Mahan are an essential part of an education in strategy for those charged with the conduct of war at sea and for explaining the strategic importance of the maritime commons in determining the rise and fall of great powers. His Influence of Sea Power works examine the role navies played in determining…
After the tragedy of the Vietnam war and a defeat in Iraq, now Afghanistan is demonstrating us that the US is actually incapable of winning wars. As a matter of fact, every instance of US military aggression was triggered by the unparalleled self-confidence of American authorities, who were confident that they had the necessary military…
History books record that there were a mere handful of cases in which generals plotted the overthrow of a far-right regime to institute moderate or leftist government. In the vast majority of cases, however, generals’ putsches are fascist affairs having dire consequences for the rule of law and human rights. Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General…
President Trump’s unceremonious termination of his defense secretary following a contentious election has rightly raised eyebrows. But it is not, as some have suggested, a precursor for an unconstitutional coup. In what has become a force of habit for President Donald Trump, he announced the termination of his Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper, and the…
The Zircon hypersonic missile will reportedly be tested three more times by the end of the year. Fired from the Russian Navy frigate Admiral Gorshkov, it will be expected to strike an ‘aircraft carrier’ type of naval target. The first of the three planned tests is expected to take place in late October or early…
With Covid-19 incapacitating startling numbers of U.S. service members and modern weapons proving increasingly lethal, the American military is relying ever more frequently on intelligent robots to conduct hazardous combat operations. Such devices, known in the military as “ autonomous weapons systems ,” include robotic sentries, battlefield-surveillance drones, and autonomous submarines. So far, in other…
