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Forward Defense quick reads

New Atlanticist Feb 9, 2023

Policymakers: Keep Ukrainian soldiers front of mind as this war of attrition continues

By Justin M. Conelli

As the war reaches the one-year mark, leaders concerned about grand strategy need to weigh the suffering and resilience of the soldiers at the front.
Conflict Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding
Forward Defense quick reads

New Atlanticist Oct 13, 2023

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.
China Indo-Pacific
Forward Defense quick reads

New Atlanticist Feb 15, 2024

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.
Arms Control Russia

All timely commentary & analysis

Airpower after Ukraine

Aug 30, 2022

Prepared to die: A return to attrition in contested airspace

By Conrad Crane

US defense leaders must re-envision procurement plans to maintain air superiority in the twenty-first century.

Defense Policy Russia

Airpower after Ukraine

Aug 30, 2022

Information warfare in the air littoral: Talking with the world

By Zachary Kallenborn

Information operations play a crucial role in generating mass in the air littoral, the airspace between ground forces.

Cybersecurity Disinformation
Senior Airman Julianne Showalter

Airpower after Ukraine

Aug 30, 2022

AirLand redux? Early lessons from Ukraine

By Michael P. Kreuzer

Ukraine is exploiting the seam between airpower and land-domain assets, hinting that the friction of war at the airland seam is growing.

Defense Policy Defense Technologies

Airpower after Ukraine

Aug 30, 2022

Air superiority in Ukraine: Be sensitive to Diagoras’s problem

By David Pappalardo

Observers of the war in Ukraine must remain cautious and not draw conclusions merely based on what they see.

China Defense Policy

Airpower after Ukraine

Aug 30, 2022

Will robotized fire power replace manned air power?

By Peter Wilson

Russia’s aerospace campaign points toward the increased robotization of deep-strike systems in modern warfare.

China Cybersecurity
Tech. Sgt. Roland Sturm

Airpower after Ukraine

Aug 30, 2022

OSINT’s influence on the Russian air campaign in Ukraine and the implications for future Western deployments

By Robin Kemp

Open-source intelligence has strategic benefits, but it also raises concerns for military decisionmakers.

Defense Policy Intelligence

Airpower after Ukraine

Aug 30, 2022

Ukraine air war examined: A glimpse at the future of air warfare

By Tyson Wetzel

Six months into the war in Ukraine, defense planners can learn from Ukrainian success and Russian failures in the air domain.

Defense Policy Defense Technologies

Airpower after Ukraine

Aug 30, 2022

The role of electronic warfare, cyber, and space capabilities in the air littoral

By Zachary Kallenborn

Electronic warfare, cyber, and space operations are critical to successful information operations in the air littoral fight.

Cybersecurity Defense Technologies

Airpower after Ukraine

Aug 30, 2022

Commercial satellites are on the front lines of war today. Here’s what this means for the future of warfare.

By Julia Siegel

Commercial space companies are enabling critical warfighting functions in Ukraine and will continue to provide a lifeline in future conflict scenarios.

Defense Technologies Intelligence

Airpower after Ukraine

Aug 30, 2022

The TB2: The value of a cheap and “good enough” drone

By Aaron Stein

The Turkish Bayraktar TB2 is an effective, low-cost tactical weapon on the modern battlefield. While invaluable for all wars, it is not a game-changing technology.

Defense Industry Defense Technologies
foreign leaders at the Negev Summit

Event Recap

Aug 24, 2022

“An analogous gold spike”: Harnessing the space industrial base for twenty-first century prosperity

By Delharty Manson

A panel of space experts and report authors discuss with Forward Defense how the US government can work with private companies to expand the United States’ competitive edge in the space domain.

Defense Industry Defense Technologies

Hybrid Conflict Project

Aug 5, 2022

China’s opioid challenge: All is fair in law and war

By Tom Ferguson

A former senior official in the US intelligence community maps how the United States should unleash a legal defense against China’s malicious activities—starting with its role in the opioid crisis.

China Intelligence

New Atlanticist

Aug 3, 2022

How the US can curb the North Korean nuclear threat

By Todd Rosenblum

The Biden administration must make the right strategic investments now to stay ahead of the North Korean missile threat.

Crisis Management East Asia

New Atlanticist

Jul 5, 2022

Winning friends and influencing Russians: Three audiences the US should target

By Irina Plaks

The Biden administration needs an offensive strategy that prioritizes transparency and truth to defeat Russian aggression.

Civil Society Disinformation

Press Release

Jun 21, 2022

Atlantic Council announces new commission to reform the defense innovation ecosystem

Commission chaired by Secretaries Mark T. Esper and Deborah Lee James to recommend actions for sharpening US defense-industrial edge.

United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Jun 13, 2022

A shoebox-sized solution: How small satellites can help the US Coast Guard

By Madison Littlepage

To provide adequate coverage in an increasingly trafficked region, the Coast Guard must invest in small satellite technology.

Maritime Security Space

Hybrid Conflict Project

Jun 10, 2022

The future of US security depends on owning the ‘gray zone.’ Biden must get it right.

By Clementine G. Starling-Daniels, Julia Siegel

The United States’ ability to prevail in the gray zone will hinge on coordinating and executing a whole-of-nation response.

Conflict National Security

New Atlanticist

Jun 9, 2022

Russia Crisis Military Assessment: The impact of multiple rocket launcher transfers to Ukraine

By Atlantic Council military fellows

To help Ukraine expel Russian forces from its territory, the United States must begin its full transition to US-made equipment now, write our military fellows. Here’s what that means.

Conflict NATO

Transcript

Jun 2, 2022

NATO allies must not take their unity on Ukraine for granted, says Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth

By Atlantic Council

Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth joined the Atlantic Council to talk about the role the Army will play in carrying out the National Defense Strategy and how the United States will continue to support Ukraine.

Defense Industry Defense Policy

Event Recap

May 31, 2022

Secretary Christine Wormuth on how the US Army will support Biden’s forthcoming National Defense Strategy

By Juliette Renaut

Secretary Wormuth discusses the Army’s role in implementing the Biden administration’s strategic priorities, particularly amid an intensifying war in Ukraine and a sustained China threat in the Indo-Pacific theater.

Defense Policy Defense Technologies
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Forward Defense, housed within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, generates ideas and connects stakeholders in the defense ecosystem to promote an enduring military advantage for the United States, its allies, and partners. Our work identifies the defense strategies, capabilities, and resources the United States needs to deter and, if necessary, prevail in future conflict.

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