A modern development of war that many were likely not aware of over the last decade was the ability for missiles to shoot down other offensive munitions like missiles and artillery shells. While it is still very difficult to shoot down targets that are small and fast moving, very high, or very low, if an […]
While the conflict between Russia and Ukraine spreads and other countries begin to contribute arms and intelligence to the battles, the rationale of defence from threats coming from the air has perplexed many watching global politics in 2023. The muted threats of balloons and the response to these tools of observation seems to be met […]
Watch the Mountains The next year will remain mostly unpredictable as the War with Russia and resulting inflationary pressures create chaos in energy distribution and amplifies poor policy decisions in normally stable economies. The directed focus on Ukraine and the change in the power balance the conflict has surrounding Russia’s borders will likely result in […]
NATO and Western countries have spent much of the year supplying Ukraine with systems that would defend attacks from advanced Russian systems while slowly integrating offensive systems into the mix. The offensive systems given to Ukraine by NATO and Western allies were often tactical, allowing Ukraine to target key Russian military infrastructure so that the […]
On 5 January, 2018, Russian forces stationed in Syria suffered what appears to be the first case of swarm drones attack in history. Despite the UAVs being of a rather crude nature, this episode constitutes a further development in non-state actors’ use of UAVs. Additionally, allegations about the involvement of an external state actor spark […]
In the summer of 2016, thousands of German citizens stood outside of Ramstein Air Base to protest U.S. drone strikes conducted from there.
Will the Obama administration’s recent report on the use of military force influence the Trump’s administration conduct of foreign policy?
John Oliver, formerly of “The Daily Show,” took on U.S. drone policy in last night’s episode of “Last Week Tonight.” Rolling Stone described the 12-minute segment as “hilariously sad.”
Just days after Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP) militants attacked the Karachi airport, the U.S. ended its hiatus on drone strikes in Pakistan. Approximately 16 died in the strikes, according to Pakistan’s English-language newspaper Dawn. Both strikes targeted locations in North Warziristan. For the past several months, Pakistan has been drone-strike free, leaving the U.S. to focus most of its targeted […]
Let’s be honest, foreign policy making has never been democratic. The label of national security has offered governments around the world the power to hide information from their citizens. Aside from this statement, the making of American foreign policy has completely shifted since 9/11. Not only this shift was abrupt and made under intense emotional stress, but […]
On Monday, Mar. 24, news broke that South Korea expects to pay around $6.79 billion for 40 F-35 fighter jets. It also confirmed plans to shell out for four of Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawks. According to Reuters, South Korea will likely use the Hawks to “monitor its prickly neighbor North Korea.” South Korea is the […]
On March 12, Congressman Adam B. Schiff’s op-ed “Let the Military Run Drone Warfare” ran in the New York Times, pushing an agenda that’s been on the lips of a number of wonks and politicians ever since Obama’s May 2013 “drone speech”: Transfer the U.S. drone program from the Central Intelligence Agency to Joint Special […]
On Monday, February 10, the Associated Press broke a story that the Obama administration is mulling over potentially conducting a drone strike on a U.S. citizen in an unidentified country who is allegedly plotting terrorist attacks. The AP notes that it withheld the name of the country “because officials said publishing it could interrupt ongoing […]
Persistence proved to be a winning strategy for one app developer this weekend. Metadata+, data artist Josh Begley’s iOS app that presents “real-time updates on national security,” was approved and released by Apple. The app, formerly known as Drones+, had been rejected by Apple several times prior to its release. In one rejection letter, Apple noted […]
The Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Justice has released his year-end review, “Top Management and Performance Challenges Facing the Department of Justice.” Up there on the list of “challenges” facing the DOJ? Domestic use of drones, particularly by law enforcement. IG Michael Horowitz emphasizes that while unmanned systems will undoubtably prove to be hugely […]