Soviet Sabotage, South Korea, Soldier Pulse, and Strategic Autonomy

What’s Russia Up to in the Middle East? How does Russian sabotage today compare to Soviet sabotage of the 20th century? Amid potential factors that could negatively affect the Korean defense industry’s future, what kind of strategy should it adopt? And is Putin really a chess master?

War on the Rocks contributors tackled these questions, among many others, this week. Read below.

Articles

If Washington seeks comfort in easy but unrealistic solutions, it risks undercutting support for resources that will be necessary to actually deter China militarily.

In 2020, Jeff M. Smith wrote “Strategic Autonomy and U.S.-Indian Relations,” arguing that India’s foreign policy shift to strategic autonomy offered the U.S. an opportunity to enhance U.S.-Indian relations. How does his argument hold up today?

There is now a growing risk of Pyongyang receiving technological support for its weapons programs in exchange for sending conventional weapons to Moscow. One often-overlooked actor that can help confront this threat is the United Nations Command.

We asked a panel of experts to tell us more about Ukrainian forces’ recent incursion into Russian territory.

Given the increasing competition in the global defense market, now is the right time for South Korea to seek new partners, with Latin American countries emerging as promising candidates.

By shifting the point of competition from the prime contractor or subcontractor down to the datapoint and inference, the government can turn the acquisition of AI into a highly iterative, highly competitive market at the stroke of a pen.

Daniela Richterova discusses parallels between Soviet sabotage during the Cold War and Russian sabotage today.

When Putin isn’t depicted as a chess master, he is sometimes cast as a reckless gambler. The other possibility is that, like many of us, he’s a moderately competent gambler who will still, in all likelihood, lose.

Podcasts

On the first episode of our new, members-only podcast, Soldier Pulse, Gen. Charles Flynn, commander of U.S. Army Pacific, discusses the U.S. Army's role in the Indo-Pacific and the joint nature of the theater.

China’s defense spending is difficult to quantify because many assessments make methodological errors that result in inflated figures. M. Taylor Fravel, George Gilboy, and Eric Heginbotham joined Rick to tell us more.

Michelle Gavin joined the WarCast to tell us more about recent peace talks between the warring parties in Sudan.

What, exactly, is Russia’s strategy in the Middle East? Mike sits down with Nicole Grajewski and Hanna Notte to find out.

Daniela Richterova joined The Insider to discuss her piece, “The Long Shadow of Soviet Sabotage Doctrine?”

Lieutenant General Karsten Heckl and Sergeant Major Anthony Loftus join Ian Brown on this episode of Marine Pulse to discuss Marine Corps force design.

Mike popped into WOTR HQ to speak with Ryan about the state of play in Ukraine. They review the situation at the front, with special attention to Ukraine’s offensive operation into Russian territory.

Khaled Elgindy joined the WarCast to tell us more about recent ceasefire talks between Israeli and Hamas officials in Qatar.

Lukasz Kulesa, the director of proliferation and nuclear policy at the Royal United Services Institute, joined Ankit Panda for a conversation about Polish perspectives on extended deterrence and much more.

On this episode of The Insider, Hanna Notte and Jim Lamson discuss their article, “The Uncomfortable Reality of Russia and Iran’s New Defense Relationship.”

Ukraine’s Kursk Offensive Continues: Mike sits down with Rob Lee to discuss the latest from the Ukrainian offensive into Kursk.