• Risks of an Unfamiliar New Nuclear Age

    High-tech advances in weapons technologies and a return of ‘great power nuclear politics’, risk the world ‘sleepwalking’ into a nuclear age vastly different from the established order of the Cold War, experts warn. Stockpiles are much reduced from the peak of up to 70,000 nuclear weapons seen in the 1980s, but progress in a number of new or ‘disruptive’ technologies threatens to fundamentally change the central pillars on which nuclear order, stability and risk reduction are based.

  • Predictive Models of Wildfire Behavior

    New partnership will work to Advance fire research capabilities to help support the work of fire-, land-, and emergency managers.

  • Why Is Germany Not Supplying Ukraine with Heavy Weapons?

    The criticism of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been unrelenting. He has been accused of stalling and breaking his promises over sending heavy weapons to Ukraine. Here are some of the main points of contention.

  • Lessons from the Battle for Kyiv

    The Russia operation to take Kyiv rapidly degenerated into an urban battle of attrition favorable to Ukraine, and eventually the Russian government withdrew its troops, conceding defeat in the battle for Kyiv. The fog of war prevents in-depth analysis, but two initial lessons stand out from the first phase of the conflict: First, do not rely on the invaded nation’s popular support; second, know when to quit.

  • How Hypersonic Missiles Work and the Unique Threats They Pose

    On 18 March, Russia used a hypersonic missile against a Ukrainian arms depot. The technology the Russians used is not particularly advanced. However, next-generation hypersonic missiles that Russia, China and the U.S. are developing do pose a significant threat to national and global security.

  • More and More Russian Soldiers Reportedly Refusing to Fight in Ukraine

    A growing number of Russian soldiers are refusing to fight in Ukraine. “The phenomenon of refusal is becoming systemic,” says one expert. “Such soldiers are found in practically every unit that has returned from Ukraine. According to our estimates, from 20 to 40 percent of the contract servicemen that returned from Ukraine and that are being readied to be sent back are refusing to return to combat.”

  • International Approval Shapes Public Perceptions of Drone Warfare

    Drones that carry weapons are increasingly employed as counterterrorism tools, but nations use and constrain strikes differently. France, for example, submits its strikes to the U.N. for approval; the U.S. typically does not. This difference matters when it comes to public support and perceptions of legitimacy.

  • DHS S&T Awards $259M to Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System Threats

    Germantown, Maryland-based Amentum has been awarded a five-year contract with a maximum value of $260 million by DHS S&T to develop and deploy emerging capabilities and prototypes for countering unmanned systems threats (C-UST).

  • Many Factors Influenced the Severity of Burns from Oregon's 2020 Megafires

    In early September 2020, severe winds, high heat, and prolonged drought conditions led to the explosive growth of wildfires along the western slopes of the Cascades Mountains in the Pacific Northwest. New research confirms that extreme winds over the Labor Day holiday were the primary driver of the destructive force of the fires yet demonstrates how forest vegetation structure (e.g., canopy height, the age of trees, etc.) and topography played a significant role in burn severity patterns.

  • Russia’s War in Ukraine: China’s Lessons

    China is learning from Russia’s troubled war in Ukraine to improve its battle strategies and prepare for economic sanctions if Beijing ever attacks self-ruled Taiwan. Experts say that China may also be looking harder at peaceful solutions for Taiwan, they say.

  • Disrupting Deterrence: The Effects of Technologies on Strategic Deterrence

    What are the implications of eight specific emerging technologies for both the effectiveness of U.S. deterrent policies and the stability of deterrence relationships?

  • Geoelectrical Methods in Search for Hidden Graves

    Rather than digging to identify unmarked mass grave sites or evidence to locate missing persons, cutting-edge technologies are helping law enforcement agents, forensic scientists and historians uncover attempts to hide victims.

  • Drenching Rains Pose Greater Threat to Fire-Damaged Areas in West

    Areas in the western U.S. scarred by wildfires now face even more dangers: drenching rains. These rains inundate the burnt areas, causing significant destruction, including debris flows, mudslides, and flash floods, because the denuded landscape cannot easily contain the drenching moisture.

  • The Strategic Choices Ukrainian, Russian Military Leaders Are Facing in the Donbas

    With the war in Ukraine in its seventh week and Moscow pressing its campaign more forcefully in the east and south, fighting could become more brutal as the guerrilla-style tactics Ukrainians used around Kyiv to repel Russian forces shift to a more conventional battle of military might. Lawrence Freedman, emeritus professor of war studies at King’s College London and author of The Future Of War, explains what this new stage of the conflict will look like.

  • The Battle for Donbas Will Be Protracted and Bloody

    For eight years, Russia and Ukraine have fought in the Donbas region, with Russian regular army elements supplementing separatist units. Now, after defeat in Kyiv, Russian forces are redeploying there to take on Ukraine’s best and most experienced units. The battles to come will resemble more the maneuver battles of the second world war than those fought around the cities of Kyiv, Mariupol and Sumy in the six weeks the war has raged so far. Nonetheless, the Russians are unlikely to prevail.