• New Material Could Mean Lightweight Armor, Protective Coatings

    Researchers identified a new material that may lead to lightweight armor, protective coatings, blast shields, and other impact-resistant structures.

  • Developing Cohesive, Domestic Rare Earth Element Technologies

    The U.S. has adequate domestic REE resources, but its supply chain is vulnerable due to dependence on foreign entities for separation and purification of these elements. DARPA program aims to fortify supply chain by utilizing bioengineering approaches to facilitate REE separation and purification.

  • Exploring Rare Earth Elements Opportunities

    The purified form of REE is primarily sourced from foreign nations, so the U.S. supply chain of the rare earth elements presents a problem. Justin Wilson, a Cornell chemistry professor, has received a DOE grant to develop more efficient methods of separating rare earth elements that will make their domestic availability economically viable.

  • An Urgent NATO Priority: Preparing to Protect Civilians

    Russia’s hybrid warfare approach calls for attacking the populations of Russia’s adversaries not through WWII-like carpet bombing, but rather with a combination of disinformation campaigns, cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, supporting proxy forces, and backing terrorist attacks. “Should NATO prepare for this scenario? Absolutely,” Victoria Holt and Marl Keenan write.

  • U.S. Military Urges Washington to Heed Warnings on China

    For much of this year, officials with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies have repeatedly warned about the threat from a rising China, from its growing military might to what they describe as Beijing’s ever bolder forays into cyberspace and brazen espionage campaigns. These official are voicing concern that key policymakers and lawmakers may not be taking the threat posed by China seriously enough.

  • Understanding Influence in the Strategic Competition with China

    What do qualitative metrics and case studies reveal about how China attempts to exert influence around the world? How should the United States respond to China’s influence-seeking activities? A new report assesses China’s ability to use various mechanisms of influence to shape the policies and behavior of twenty countries, as well as the lessons that these examples offer for the U.S. strategic competition with China.

  • With Cyberattacks Growing More Frequent and Disruptive, a Unified Approach Is Essential

    Coordinated cyberattacks can create massive disruptions to infrastructure and supply chains. New treaties are needed to prevent cyberwarfare, but it’s challenging to predict technological advances.

  • Military and Defense-Related Supply Chains

    The military services, geographic combatant commanders, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), and other combat support agencies have different responsibilities and incentives, and their management of their supply chains reflect these differences. These incentives drive behavior that makes individual sense for the organizations, but might not result in overall effectiveness in supporting the needs of operating forces.

  • Rare Earth Metals at the Heart of China’s Rivalry with U.S., Europe

    What if China were to cut off the United States and Europe from access to Rare Earth Elements (REEs), 17 minerals with unique characteristics which are essential to electric vehicles, wind turbines, drones, batteries, sophisticated military gear, and much more? This is a time of growing geopolitical friction among these three, and the United States and Europe want to change the current dependence on China, where, today, these minerals are largely extracted and refined.

  • The Geopolitics of Rare Earth Elements

    The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed fragility in the global supply chains for not only pharmaceuticals and crucial medical supplies but also some critical minerals. Chief among them are rare Earth elements (REEs), which are necessary for clean energy equipment, advanced military gear, and consumer goods. About 80 percent of the world’s REEs are produced and refined in China.

  • Israel Says Hamas Was Using Bombed AP Building to Jam Iron Dome

    Israel on Tuesday gave specific justification for carrying out an airstrike that destroyed Jala Tower, a Gaza high-rise building which housed the Associated Press (AP) news agency and Al Jazeera, a Qatari television network. Israel had warned people in the building to vacate their offices, and destroyed the building after it was empty. The building housed several offices of Hamas, but Israel now says that the building was destroyed because Hamas operatives were using it to try and jam Israel’s Iron Dome anti-rocket system.

  • Increasing Pace, Intensity of Climate Hazards to Compound Security Threats: Report

    The other day the Expert Group of the International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS) released its second annual World Climate and Security Report, which warns of the compound security threats posed by the convergence of climate change with other global risks, such as COVID-19.

  • Germany Warns: AI Arms Race Already Underway

    An AI arms race is already underway. That’s the blunt warning from Germany’s foreign minister, Heiko Maas. It’s a reality at the heart of the struggle for supremacy between the world’s greatest powers. AI is making militaries faster, smarter and more efficient. But if left unchecked, it threatens to destabilize the world.

  • The Civilian Toll of Explosives, 2011-2020

    A new repot finds that, over the last ten years, when explosive weapons were used in populated areas, 91% of those killed and injured were civilians. This compares to 25% in other areas. Incidents of explosives being used were recorded in 123 countries and territories around the world in the ten years.

  • Rare Earth Supply Disruptions Have Long-Range Impacts

    Rare earth materials are essential to a variety of industries. From phones to fighter jets, a range of devices and machines rely on rare earth elements that are mined and refined largely in China. Disruptions to this supply can have wide-ranging consequences, but the understanding of how those disruptions play out in global markets is limited. A new study from explores the effects of supply disruptions such as mine shutdowns.