Cybersecurity: Is NATO Doing Enough

Cyberspace has become the fifth battle space in an increasingly complex security landscape, and cyber threats have been part of the international security arena. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has tackled cyber threats for over a decade. NATO’s awareness towards cyber threats started rising in the late 1990s, following cyber-attacks by Serbian hackers against NATO Supreme Command’s (SHAPE) website during the bombing campaign on Serbian positions as part of the response to the violence in Kosovo* in 1999. The cyber-attacks against Estonia in 2007 and in the context of the conflict in Georgia in 2008 urged the Alliance to take these new threats seriously. NATO is today the most advanced international organisation regarding cyber defence.

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National Strategic Review: Macron’s Next Grand Defence Strategy for 2030

On Wednesday, November 9th, 2022 France’s President Emmanuel Macron presented the new “Revue Nationale Stratégique” aboard the amphibious helicopter carrier Dixmude in Toulon, France (Ministère des Armées, 2022). The released document aims to define France’s main national and international security objectives for 2030. The document addresses the role of France as a respected actor in international security and at the core of the European strategic autonomy initiative.

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Hyper-Connectivity as a Trigger for Strategic Autonomy in the European Union: Through a Transformative and Disruptive Technological Transition

Over the past two decades, the European Union (EU) has intensely recalibrated its strategies to fulfil its mission of promoting peace and security and guaranteeing democracy, rule of law, freedoms, human rights, and equality to its citizens. Given the increase in non-conventional threats in the cyber, hybrid, and “cybrid” domains, the EU has started to strengthen its response to this changing security environment. In this context, technological change has become the main character in a society whose governments, economies, people, and armies are highly dependent on hyper-connectivity and impacted by it. The technological transition has transformed how enemies attack their counterparts, fostering digital rivalries and tighter industry competition. To this end, the Union has recently launched the EU’s Secure Connectivity Programme (2023-2027), which encloses the third EU constellation of strategic space infrastructures called IRIS2. The latter, inter alia, has been designed to foster strategic autonomy in the Union, thereby reducing foreign dependencies. It is fundamental for the Union to enhance its ability to respond and counter cyber challenges with a comprehensive and collaborative approach, as individual and protectionist actions from the Member States obstruct the achievement of a higher degree of strategic autonomy in the technological and defence arenas.

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Allegations of Genocide – Ukraine’s Case Against Russia Before the International Court of Justice

On the 26th of February 2022, Ukraine instituted proceedings against the Russian Federation at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning a dispute related to the interpretation, application, and fulfilment of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention). Ukraine contends that the claim of “genocide” in the Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts, which Russia used as a pretext for its invasion of the country, is completely nonsensical (ICJ, February 2022). As such, Ukraine has requested that the Court reach a judgement and also indicate provisional measures ordering Russia to immediately cease all military operations in the Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts (ICJ, February 2022). While the Court has not yet reached a final judgement, it has already released its order on the provisional measures, which will be discussed on this paper.

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Technological Improvements in the Military Field: How New Technologies Can Shape the Future of Logistics Inside the Military

Technological innovations are present in many civil sectors, with the military being no exception, making processes faster and more efficient. New technologies, which can include unmanned systems, Additive Manufacturing (AM), Artificial Intelligence (AI) or even 5G, are changing warfare and its logistics tail, which is the amount of personnel and material needed to supply and support, at the same time. The introduction of these improvements is essential for the development of military capabilities and operations, as well as for improving defence logistics by enhancing accuracy, intelligence and resources while reducing costs and risks in multiple areas (Institute for Defence & Business, 2022). This Info Flash aims to analyse and provide examples of how new technologies can shape the future of logistics in the military, especially for the European Armed Forces.

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