Endless “threat-speak” and siege mentality corrode western societies and politics over time
Our own notions of an ongoing, all-pervading and never-ending hybrid war are corroding our societies and political systems. Hybrid warfare has been in the limelight for more than a decade within the Western strategic discourse. During the last five years, this slippery concept has mostly been attached to the malign actionsContinue Reading
North Atlantic Council decides to extend the Secretary General’s mandate
NATO Allies agreed 28. March 2019 to extend the mandate of Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg by a further two years, until 30 September 2022. He joined NATO in 2014. Jens Stoltenberg was born in Oslo on 16 March 1959. He spent his childhood years abroad, with his diplomat father, motherContinue Reading
Russia’s illegal actions in Ukraine: Statement by the North Atlantic Council on Crimea
Five years ago, Russia used force against Ukraine to illegally and illegitimately annex Crimea. This violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is a serious breach of international law and a major challenge to Euro-Atlantic security. We strongly condemn this act, which we do not and will not recognise. WeContinue Reading
Terrorists’ Use of Drones Promises to Extend Beyond Caliphate Battles
Unmanned and remote controlled aircrafts, i.e. drones, continue to change the character of contemporary warfare. [i] It was satellites and drones, alongside a good deal of human intelligence, that located Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan in 2000 [ii], and later, right up to the minute of the raid, helped toContinue Reading
Future acquisitions for the Norwegian Defence Sector 2019-2026
FAF 2019-2026: This document gives an overview of future acquisitions for the Norwegian Defence Sector in the period 2019 – 2026. The long term planning process outlines the continuous development of the Norwegian Defence Sector with respect to organisation, infrastructure (garrisons and bases), personnel (numbers, composition and qualifications) and materielContinue Reading
NATO Secretary General praises Bulgaria’s strategic role in the Black Sea region
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg praised Bulgaria’s commitment to NATO during a visit to Sofia on Friday (1 March 2019). After talks with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, the Secretary General thanked Bulgaria for its strong contributions to NATO missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Iraq, and its strategic role in theContinue Reading
NATO: Statement on Russia’s failure to comply with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty
NATO: Statement released February 1 by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, on Russia’s failure to comply with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. By Jan Helge Kalvik Editor-In-Chief Following nearly six years of U.S. and Allied engagement with Russia, on 4 December 2018, NATO Allies declared that Russia has developedContinue Reading
Cyber Deterrence: An Oxymoron for Years to Come
The lack of empirical evidence of cyber warfare between states makes deterrence theorizing nearly impossible Western states largely renounced the concepts of defense and deterrence after the end of the Cold War. Instead, Western powers focused on expeditionary warfare—military crisis management, counterterrorist operations, and counterinsurgency operations. Today Russia and ChinaContinue Reading
Stoltenberg: “Russia now has a last chance”
On Tuesday, NATO Foreign Ministers agreed that Russia has developed and fielded a new ground-launched cruise missile system – the SSC-8, or 9M729 – which violates the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Allies expressed firm commitment to preserving effective international arms control, and agreed to keep the fielding of theContinue Reading
Preparing for Urban Combat in Megacities is a Strategic-level Folly!
Lessons learned from past military operations during the last two decades highlight the difficulties of reaching meaningful political outcomes with the use of military force. Operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya are prime examples of this. Still, many Western states are preparing their militaries to wage war in densely populatedContinue Reading