Read more about the article European Defence Industry Lobbying in Brussels.
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European Defence Industry Lobbying in Brussels.

A recent article by Politico shed light on how defence lobbyists are increasingly concentrating their efforts on EU officials and policy-makers (Wheaton & Bayer, 2023). While lobbying activities have traditionally interested Member States, defence and security integration at the European level has progressively drawn the attention of both European and American defence companies (Wheaton & Bayer, 2023).

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21 November 2023
Read more about the article Russia Has Formally Withdrawn from the CFE Treaty: What Now?
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Russia Has Formally Withdrawn from the CFE Treaty: What Now?

The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) has been one of the cornerstones of European security for the last thirty years. Negotiated during the twilight years of the Cold War, and signed on 19 November 1990, it was a landmark security treaty. The CFE entered into force on 13 July 1992 and aimed to limit the number of conventional arms—battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, artillery, combat aircraft and attack helicopters—of State Parties (Art 4(1) CFE, 1990). The Treaty was particularly important as it addressed the core dilemmas of the security context of the time; although the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, the context was very much dominated by bloc tensions between the Warsaw Pact states and NATO (Witkowsky et al., 2010). At the time it entered into force, it “adapted to the changes that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall and contributed predictability and transparency in military forces as Europe was transforming throughout the 1990s” (Witkowsky et al., 2010).

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21 November 2023
Read more about the article Defending International Law in Sudan.
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Defending International Law in Sudan.

Since gaining independence in 1956 from Britain and Egypt, Sudan has seen multiple revolutions and civil wars. Many violations of international law took place during these conflicts. It is worth examining the measures which the International Criminal Court (ICC) took to hold individuals accountable during the Bashir era of Sudan’s recent history. During this era, Sudan was the location of extreme violations of international law, including genocide and crimes against humanity (ICC).

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21 November 2023
Read more about the article Joint naval and aerial exercises in the Indo-Pacific and new regional alignments in 2023.
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Joint naval and aerial exercises in the Indo-Pacific and new regional alignments in 2023.

On October 22, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States (US) navies completed the anti-submarine exercise called ‘Silent Shark’ in the waters of Guam. Since 2007, Silent Shark has been conducted biennially. The live-training exercise involved the nuclear-powered fast attack submarine USS Topeka (SSN-754) and the diesel-electric submarine ROKS Jung Ji (SS-073), along with maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft from the US Navy’s Squadron 8 and the ROK’s Navy Squadron 611.

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16 November 2023
Read more about the article An Opportunity for Europe to Expand Joint Defence Funding
Food For Thought

An Opportunity for Europe to Expand Joint Defence Funding

The European Defence Fund (EDF) was launched in 2017 as an aspect of the European Union’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) to increase coordination and investment in defence research and development (R&D) and improve interoperability between European national armed forces. Domestic demand for defence technologies in Europe has fallen sharply in recent decades, which has led to smaller investments in R&D, increased dependence on civilian sectors, and stagnation of military-industrial skills. Small and medium-sized enterprises, especially those from smaller European states, struggle to compete with larger corporations from bigger economies. Furthermore, European military spending has become mired with inefficiencies and duplications. After an initial pilot period, the EDF has been allotted €8 billion for R&D. And while this is a start, the EDF requires a serious expansion for the current and future European capability needs. There are significant hurdles that Europe faces, some of which remain outside the scope of the EDF, such as the lack of an open European defence equipment market. These issues cannot be ignored when conventional warfare has returned to Europe.

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13 November 2023