Forward Defense quick reads

Russian nuclear anti-satellite weapons would require a firm US response, not hysteria

By Clementine G. Starling-Daniels, Mark J. Massa

If fielded, such weapons would directly challenge norms of responsible behavior in space and present a serious risk to all nations’ satellites.

Experts react: What to know about Russia’s apparent plans for a space-based nuclear weapon

By Atlantic Council experts

Reports that Russia is developing a space-based nuclear anti-satellite weapon have raised national security concerns in Washington.

Reading between the lines of the new US National Defense Industrial Strategy

By Kathryn Levantovscaia

The new strategy’s strength as a rallying cry for a robust industrial base is hampered by an absence of specifics on implementation.

International law doesn’t adequately protect undersea cables. That must change.

By Amy Paik and Jennifer Counter

What’s missing: A global effort to protect undersea cables in international waters.

Commission on Defense Innovation Adoption tracker

Implementing reforms to increase the speed of defense innovation and capability development has been an increasing priority for policymakers in Congress and the Department of Defense (DoD) in the past year.  Following the publication of the Commission on Defense Innovation Adoption’s interim report and final report, Congress and the DoD took actions to ensure defense […]

Overstretched and undersupplied: Can the US afford its global security blanket?

By Kathryn Levantovscaia

The hollowing out of the broader US manufacturing base has made defense companies dependent on supply chains originating in, of all places, China.

Expanding NATO’s competitive mindset: Deterring and defending across physical and virtual domains

By Delharty Manson

In October 2023, the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security’s Forward Defense program, in partnership with NATO ACT, convened current and former practitioners for a private workshop on expanding NATO’s approach to multi-domain operations (MDO), identifying key challenges and opportunities to operationalizing MDO across the Alliance. This memo summarizes the workshop’s key takeaways and conclusions.

Atlantic Council launches major commission to ensure US and allied military advantage in software-defined warfare

An Atlantic Council commission on improving DoD production and integration of state-of-the-art software solutions

Our experts explain what US policymakers should know about deterring Russia’s and China’s nuclear threats

The fellows of Forward Defense’s Nuclear Strategy Project met at a roundtable to discuss how to deter nuclear powers Russia and China from expanding their capabilities and from giving nuclear weapons a greater role in Moscow’s and Beijing’s defense strategies.

As the US faces down new nuclear threats, will Cold War solutions work once again?

By Alyxandra Marine

The tripolar nuclear power world is certainly new; but the deterrence theories of the Cold War may not need to be completely changed, our experts find.

AUKUS is hamstrung by outdated US export control rules. Here’s what Congress can do.

By Deborah Cheverton, John T. Watts

US lawmakers must show that they are willing to make the necessary changes to a needlessly limiting export control regime that does more harm than good.

Autonomous weapons are the moral choice

By Thomas X. Hammes

Arguments about whether democratic nations should field and employ lethal autonomous weapon systems miss the point. They have used autonomous weapons for decades.

The urgent threats posed by the Iranian regime: Atlantic Council experts testify before the US House Committee on Homeland Security

By Nathan Sales and Thomas S. Warrick

Nathan Sales and Thomas Warrick testify before the House Committee on Homeland Security on the threat Iran poses to the United States.

What needs to change about US nuclear weapons strategy?

By Atlantic Council experts

Our experts break down the 2023 Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States report.

Hamas wants the world (and especially Iran) to watch it take Israelis hostage

By Jennifer A. Counter

For Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, high-profile attacks against Israeli targets help to justify continued support from Iran.

Jets and rockets are important, but Ukraine also needs faster munitions deliveries

By Thomas S. Warrick

Today’s battlefield chews up ammunition and equipment at extraordinary rates. The US “arsenal of democracy” needs to start working overtime.

The US Navy will employ autonomous vessels in a new region—but integrating the tech won’t be easy

By Sophia Costes and Grace Jones

Autonomous vessels could make a big difference in Latin America by helping the effort to reduce the flow of illicit drugs and trafficking.

Flying high with Europe and Africa: A conversation with General James B. Hecker

By Atlantic Council

Hecker outlined his top five priorities for NATO to ensure that it is ready should it need to invoke Article Five.

Ukraine’s drone strikes are a window into the future of warfare

By Mark Jacobsen

Kyiv’s innovations will usher in a new generation of do-it-yourself drone technology, making their use a routine feature of warfare.