In The News
-
Ukrainian troops are getting just weeks of training on military equipment that takes months to masterBusiness Insider | 08 Aug 2023
Michael Kofman says, “What I see in that military is that it's just very uneven. It's very uneven because there are folks that have come from civilian life and some have had a bunch of training and some had very little."
-
Top tanks worth millions and other expensive heavy armor are being hunted in Ukraine by cheap exploding drones worth only a few hundred bucksBusiness Insider | 08 Aug 2023
Samuel Bendett says, "The whole point is cost. These are extremely cost effective."
-
Xi Remade China’s Military to His Liking. Now a Purge Threatens Its Image.The New York Times | 07 Aug 2023
David Finkelstein says, “Whatever is happening with the former leadership of the P.L.A., Rocket Force will remain mostly opaque to the outside world. Either way, the message to the force will be: ‘No one, however high in rank, is beyond the long reach of the party when lapses in discipline have occurred.’”
-
How U.S. microchips are fueling Russia’s military — despite sanctionsCNBC | 07 Aug 2023
Samuel Bendett says, “Over decades, non-Russian high-tech systems and technologies became more advanced and really have become industry and global standards. So, a Russian military, as well as its civilian economy, have become dependent.”
-
Defense & Aerospace Daily Podcast [Aug 07, 23] Sam Bendett on Russia-Ukraine & Byron Callan’s Week AheadDefense & Aerospace Report | 07 Aug 2023
Samuel Bendett says, “Ukraine made an operational decision to strike at Russian logistical and supply lines, supply chains, facility warehouses, etc., to really try and degrade Russian forces stationed at the front. This is a long-term project. The results will not be visible right away, but we are seeing some spectacular successes.”
-
China in Latin America and the Caribbean: Assessing Prospects for Chinese PSCsThe Jamestown Foundation | 07 Aug 2023
Ralph Espach has said, “China’s military outreach to Latin America bears watching but is not yet cause for alarm. Meetings and agreements have increased … but China’s weapons sales are insignificant, and it does not have the presence that other countries do, particularly the United States.”
-
A Very quite Meeting in Doha US Officials Meet with Taliban RepresentativesDiplomat | 04 Aug 2023
Jonathan Schroden wrote in a tweet, “The fact that the (seemingly) most substantive talks between the US & the #Taliban since the signing of the Doha deal in 2020 didn’t even register as a news item here makes clear where #Afghanistan stands on the US list of priorities these days.”
-
Ukraine Is Beating Russia in the Drone WarNewsweek | 03 Aug 2023
Samuel Bendett says that it is difficult to define "winning" despite Ukraine's apparent success in striking "deep into Russia's heartland."
-
Ukraine Drone Strikes on Russia Have Three Key ObjectivesNewsweek | 02 Aug 2023
Samuel Bendett says that Russian state media have also reported that residents working in the financial district are now staying home, rather than venturing into the area.
-
Behind Ukraine’s Deadly Drones: Putin’s Invasion and Biden’s Limitsthe Wall Street Journal | 02 Aug 2023
Samuel Bendett says, “The Ukrainian defense industry is learning and adapting very quickly.”
-
US Calls on Afghan Groups to Refrain From Violence, Engage in TalksVoice of America | 02 Aug 2023
Jonathan Schroden says that, the Taliban have taken no serious actions against other groups such as al-Qaida and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which "is troubling to the U.S. and its Western allies, as well as to China, Russia and other regional countries.
-
US Army developing LASSO tank-killing drone for infantryC4ISRNET | 31 Jul 2023
Samuel Bendett says, “Both sides are leaning heavily on FPV-type drones — light, portable, kamikaze, expendable systems. There’s a need, right now, for a large number of FPV-type drones. But there’s also a need to advance that development further out, beyond just the immediate line of contact, to where these drones can strike in the rear.”
-
Defense & Aerospace Daily Podcast [Jul 31, 23] Mark Montgomery on Cyber, Sam Bendett on Russia-Ukraine & Byron Callan’s Week AheadDefense & Aerospace Report | 31 Jul 2023
Samuel Bendett says, “They are making gains indeed, and this is that very difficult stage of attritional warfare where both sides are trying to gain advantage. Again, we have discussed before that Russians have established massive amounts of fortifications along the front to slow down the Ukrainians. And on some parts of the front, that set of fortifications has been successful, and the Russian tactics have been successful.”
-
Iran And Israel Are Selling South America Drones. Could Others Soon Follow?Forbes | 28 Jul 2023
Samuel Bendett says, "Since many countries in South America do not have large military budgets, they may opt to procure UAVs they think can best fit their requirements, such as relatively low costs and significant combat potential."
-
China Taking Hard Line on Military Flybys, Freedom of Navigation Operations, Says PanelUSNI News | 27 Jul 2023
Josiah Case says that by publicly announcing its intercepts at sea and in the air, Beijing is sending messages not only to the United States and its allies and partners but also to the Chinese public. The Chinese Communist Party “is really concerned in sending the right message to its people.”
-
The war in Ukraine is spurring a revolution in drone warfare using AIThe Washington Post | 26 Jul 2023
Samuel Bendett says, “With tens of thousands of people going through drone training on both sides of this war, it is very likely that this experience is spreading far and wide, including to nefarious actors.”