Recently, a journalist questioned Vice Adm. Brad Cooper of U.S. Central command about naval operations in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, “When was the last time that the U.S. Navy operated at this pace for a couple months?” The admiral’s response was telling: “I think you’d have to go back to World War II where you have ships who are engaged in combat. When I say engaged in combat, where they’re getting shot at, we’re getting shot at, and we’re shooting back.” Cooper described the engagements that have occurred since late 2023 with Houthi drones and missiles The post Houthi Attacks in the R ..read more

Earlier this year, China’s Coast Guard forced a Filipino fishing boat captain and crew away from Scarborough Shoal, which the United Nations International Tribunal has established as the territory of the Philippines, demanding that they dump their catch. Indeed, China’s Coast Guard continues to use aggression and force to coerce and intimidate other nations — even in those other nations’ territorial waters. China’s Coast Guard also routinely forces collisions with Filipino fishing and supply vessels, and harasses other vessels in the South China Sea. China views these gray-zone tactics as a na ..read more

There are as many ways to survive war as those affected by it. Since Hamas’ attack on Israel last October, Palestinians have been confronting existential decisions about how to survive the war between Israel and Hamas. When facing imminent danger, how do civilians decide whether to stay in their homes or flee? For those who stay, when do they collaborate with or resist armed groups? Are neutrality or autonomy ever viable strategies for surviving wartime violence? In short, how do ordinary people survive when war arrives in their neighborhood? I have spent the past decade studying how civilians ..read more

This is a sneak preview of Mid-Afternoon Map, our exclusive members-only newsletter written by Nick Danforth that provides a cartographic perspective on current events, geopolitics, and history from the Caucasus to the Carolinas. To get Mid-Afternoon Map in your inbox – and to gain access to all of our members-only podcasts and newsletters, including The Russia Contingency with Mike Kofman, The Adversarial and In Brief newsletters, and podcasts including The Insider and Unspent Rounds – become a War on the Rocks Platinum member today. *** On April 1st, War on the ..read more

On Wednesday, April 10, the Clements-Strauss Asia Policy Program hosted Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Professor of International Relations at King’s College London and the KF-VUB Korea Chair at the Brussels School of Governance of Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Pardo discussed his book, South Korea’s Grand Strategy: Making Its Own Destiny. Image: White House The post South Korea’s Grand Strategy appeared first on War on the Rocks ..read more

The opening salvos of the U.S. response to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine came from an unlikely place. As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded for ammunition, Commerce and Treasury Department officials rapidly deployed extensive and novel economic weapons against Russia. In Washington, these measures represent the elements of economic statecraft, an important but largely undefined concept. Since at least 2011, senior government officials have used the concept of economic statecraft to explain the tools of U.S. economic power for foreign policy and national security purposes. These ..read more

In 2021, Jeffrey Bean and Stephen Ezell wrote “When the Chips are Down: Policy Priorities for Sustaining U.S. Semiconductor Leadership” for War on the Rocks, in which they argued that in order for the United States to retain advantage in critical semiconductor technology, the government should to surmount policy challenges including export controls and allied cooperation. In response to intensifying competition between the United States and China over semiconductor technologies, we asked them to look back on his article. Read more below. Photo Credit: U.S. Department of Energy In your art ..read more

Chris, Melanie, and Zack debate the 2024 ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute State of Southeast Asia Survey, in which regional experts assess power trends and perceptions among the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The report yields some warning signs for the United States in the region, suggesting that the Biden team has much more work to do in Southeast Asia. Chris and Melanie worry about American shipbuilding while Zack commends and critiques American and Japanese leaders for announcements connected to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to Washington. Episode Readi ..read more

Canada’s military is in a “death spiral.” This is how Minister of National Defense Bill Blair described the state of Canada’s armed forces at last month’s Ottawa Conference on Security and Defense. Blair’s comments referenced the military’s dire recruitment and retention crisis. The Canadian Armed Forces are short 16,000 people — about 15 percent of their authorized strength of 71,500 regular forces and 30,000 primary reserve forces. Despite efforts such as opening the military to permanent residents, there’s no indication that the situation will improve. Less than 1 percent of applications fr ..read more

Every military leader emphasizes the importance of cyber operations, but there is a perennial shortage of qualified personnel in the military cyber community, across all the services. As calls for a “Cyber Force” grow louder, the armed services will only become more pressed to improve the three interrelated processes of recruiting, training, and retaining talent to lead the execution of cyber missions. Talent management debates often fixate on the private sector’s advantage over the military in offering higher salaries and better benefits. In the context of officer talent management, such a fo ..read more