Chinese investment in lithium and copper mining has significantly benefitted Chile’s private sector, but the extent of China’s economic control is seen by many as a clear erosion of Chilean sovereignty. Nowhere is this more true than Chile’s electric grid, of which China now controls about 60% after purchasing domestic firms Chilquinta and General Electricity Company in 2019 and 2020. However, Chile’s newly-elected president, Gabriel Boric, has committed to changing lithium mining practices and the sectors where profits are distributed [ Read More…]

When discussing the precipitous security situation in Eastern Europe at present, it is easy to forget that a potential Russian invasion could be a two-front war. On one front, an attack could come along NATO’s easternmost border, especially Poland’s border with Belarus, or at one of the Baltic States; on the other, NATO could experience an equally devastating offensive from virtually inside its own house, from the heavily armed oblast of Kaliningrad. A Russian enclave located just above Poland and just under Lithuania, the threat from Kaliningrad is more easily overlooked [ Read More…]

With 53 aircraft in service, Boeing’s KC-46 Pegasus tanker is now approved for supporting over two-thirds of the aircraft in the joint air fleet that are capable of receiving fuel in flight. All of the Air Force’s fighters, bombers and airlifters have successfully completed testing and either have been or soon will be certified for relying on Pegasus to extend their range via aerial refueling. The same is true of most of the tactical aircraft operated by the sea services. [ Read More…]

The Navy has repeatedly stated that introducing more unmanned maritime vehicles into its fleet is a key to implementing Distributed Maritime Operations. So, the fact that production of unmanned submersibles will reach a low ebb in 2022 is not an encouraging sign for distributed ops. It suggests that the revolution in naval affairs is not going to unfold at the pace the Navy leadership might prefer. It’s not as though unmanned underwater vehicles are a totally new concept: the Navy [ Read More…]

The U.S. Postal Service’s Board of Governors will hold an unusual public meeting this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. where the key agenda item is “Board Leadership.” This follows President Biden’s November 19 nomination of two new members to the Board who would replace Governors appointed by President Trump. What is not likely to happen today, or anytime in 2022, is the Board’s removal of Louis DeJoy as Postmaster General. This is due to the composition of the Board, even assuming [ Read More…]

President Biden’s interim national security strategic guidance stresses the importance of bolstering U.S. competitiveness and innovation to meet the challenge posed by China. However, Biden’s domestic economic policies do the opposite: if Biden had his way, the tax burden on major corporations would be much higher, and the nation’s most innovative enterprises would be subject to harsh antitrust restrictions. In other words, the Biden economic philosophy is not compatible with the Biden security posture. The White House needs to rethink [ Read More…]

This week, the U.S. and Russia are engaged in diplomatic talks regarding the escalating tensions on Russia’s border with Ukraine. It is a mistake to think that U.S. and NATO concessions regarding Ukraine will satisfy Moscow. President Putin is pursuing a grander, perhaps grandiose, strategy, aimed at establishing Russia as the preeminent power in both Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Russia tabled drafts of two proposed treaties, one between Russia and the United States and the other between Russia and [ Read More…]

Putin has spent more than a decade building up the Russian military and positioning it to be, at the very least, a military Sword of Damocles over the heads of Europe. His recent proposals for an agreement with the West are nothing short of an attempt at armed extortion. If the U.S. and its NATO allies are to deter Moscow’s threats of aggression, they must do more to strengthen their military posture. Washington should make it a priority to ensure [ Read More…]

The Biden administration is working hard to build a coalition of European partners capable of deterring Russia’s threatened invasion of Ukraine. However, the circumstances surrounding the current crisis will likely drive Biden to give Putin most of what he wants. First of all, nobody in NATO wants Ukraine to join the alliance, because it is already overextended. Second, the domestic electorate on both sides of the political aisle is not favorably disposed to new overseas military commitments. Third, Washington does [ Read More…]

At one time, the Department of Defense (DoD) was the engine for the United States’ development of innovative technologies. Today, the commercial sector has displaced the Pentagon. This is particularly the case with respect to information technologies, software, cloud computing artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced computer design. This is why leading defense experts and technology leaders have been pressing DoD to rely more on commercial technologies whenever possible. But to do so, the Pentagon will have to figure out [ Read More…]