Alessandra Nisch
Putin’s Wars: Testing Boyd’s Strategy of ...

President Putin made three foundational assumptions in launching his war against Ukraine that should have been correct but were not. First, Putin assumed the invasion of Ukraine would be a quick and easy fight. Second, he assumed the world would denounce the invasion but tacitly allow it. Third, Putin assumed the war would deter NATO expansion.

Putin’s Wars: Testing Boyd’s Strategy of Applied Friction

Arctic

The U.S. Risks Arctic Irrelevance

The U.S. Risks Arctic Irrelevance

All Americans—be they beach-going Floridians, skiing Coloradans, or ranch-owning Texans—are citizens of an Arctic nation. But how many realize that? A lack of national arctic identity has contributed to a minimalist approach to policy in the Arctic region, leaving the U.S. strategically vulnerable. With Russia’s Northern Sea Route and Canada’s Northwest Passage both likely open year-round by the early 2030s, arctic policy indecision is a huge blind spot in great power competition. Although arctic awareness is slowly increasing as a topic in American policy circles, twenty-first century U.S. Arctic Policy has remained minimally resourced and underprioritized. If policymakers fail to address these strategic shortfalls, the U.S. risks arctic irrelevance by 2030.

Arctic Competition, Climate Migration, and Rare Earths: Strategic Implications for the United States Amidst Climate Change

Arctic Competition, Climate Migration, and Rare Earths: Strategic Implications for the United States Amidst Climate Change

Climate change is rapidly reshaping the world despite international efforts to curb the warming trend. At its current pace, climate change will dramatically reshape the landscape by 2050, causing more than a billion people to compete for resources in affected regions. Moreover, the melting of Arctic ice caps will open new maritime routes nearly year-round, shifting global shipping to less secure zones. As fragile regions become unstable and climate change exacerbates conflict drivers, the U.S. must not remain strategically flexible but should prepare for certain variables. Of these variables, three stand out as most concerning for U.S. security and require shifts in strategy: Arctic ice loss, human displacement, and rare earth supplies.

The Past and Future of Land Warfare in the High North

The Past and Future of Land Warfare in the High North

Most national security discourse concerned with the High North centers around icebreakers, shipping lanes, and so on. However, combat in Arctic conditions offers little new stimulus to naval and airpower practitioners because of the relative global uniformity of their domains. The changing Arctic will have far greater impacts on ground combat by restricting the mobility of units across already-difficult terrain and by exacerbating the logistical and life support needs of these formations.

Establishing an Arctic Security Institution: Essentials from NORAD and NATO

Establishing an Arctic Security Institution: Essentials from NORAD and NATO

The High North is creeping back into the global strategic picture with increasing difficulty in avoiding discussion involving defense issues. Key studies on the question of what defense institutions, especially NATO and NORAD, should—or should not—do in the region have proliferated over the years, particularly following Russia’s 2014 Crimean fait accompli. Akin to the next great game, a final frontier set to host a battle for Arctic riches and unclaimed territory, the High North is a strategic theater devoid of agreed rules.

The Arctic—Economic Growth or Future Battlefield?

The Arctic—Economic Growth or Future Battlefield?

The Arctic has always been important to Russia, and global warming has made previously unreachable natural resources like oil and gas accessible. It has also opened up new shipping routes thereby increasing the importance of the region. This article argues that even though Russia has emphasized international cooperation to promote economic development in the Arctic the last few years, it has simultaneously increased its military capabilities. Russia is thus preparing for future development in the Arctic that could include both international collaboration and conflict.