In The News

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.

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.”

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.”

Samuel Bendett says, “The fact that drones were able to strike means that air defenses were not functioning that well, or if we are to believe the Russian defense ministry, they were actually intercepted by electronic warfare. Instead of downing them somewhere else they basically veered off course.”

Samuel Bendett says, “The push design is probably more amenable for better sensor packages because nothing is obstructing the view from the sensor. This also reduces drag. It makes it easier to fly against resistance like wind and other natural phenomena.”

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."

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.”

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.”

Samuel Bendett says that at present the FPV production is completely decentralized and none of it is coming through the Ministry of Defense’s official procurement process. “For now, the FPV drones are delivered by multiple self-initiated and volunteer efforts.”

Daniel Lawrence’s report states that police bicycle patrols in a Philadelphia neighborhood known for its drug market led to a "notable reduction" in social disorder crimes, but unintentionally caused more violence and drug crimes by disrupting the drug trade.

Samuel Bendett says, “The overarching theme here is Putin trying to reassert his power, reassert his control after his system was briefly challenged in June.”

Larry Lewis says, "Over the past 20 years, the U.S. military has struggled with escalation of force and many civilians were killed when they were falsely viewed as a threat. This incident appears to be one of many such cases.”

Samuel Bendett writes, that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as a significant asset in the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Specifically, it has become a key data analysis tool that helps operators and warfighters make sense of the growing volume and amount of information generated by numerous systems, weapons, and soldiers in the field.

Samuel Bendett says that it is "entirely feasible" that Moscow would opt to use jammers and has done so prior to the war in Ukraine. But it is difficult to judge with limited evidence.

April Herlevi says, “The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has passed a series of laws that impose rules on digital networks, which are of growing concern to foreign companies and individuals. The most prominent examples are the Cybersecurity Law, Data Security Law, Counter-Espionage Law, National Intelligence Law, and Cryptography Law. These laws come into play if cable lines have landing points in China, allowing the PRC government access to data, encryption keys, and other proprietary information.”

Samuel Bendett says, “Such claims should be scrutinized carefully given how much conflicting data is out there.”