Latest Articles about Military/Security
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Nika-Spirit-Neyma-EDM-August-5-2019-640x480.jpg)
The Russia-Ukraine Tanker Incident and Signs of a Looming Black Sea Crisis
A Russian commercial tanker named Nika Spirit entered the Ukrainian port of Izmail on July 24. However, using the EQUASIS international information system, Ukraine identified the cargo ship as the vessel (at that point named the Neyma) that had blocked the Kerch Strait on November... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/nk_rtx6udcx-e18159b2c76c8deaf108225cf9445dbb871aa3f9-s800-c85-640x479.jpg)
Russia Stays Mute on North Korean Launch of Apparent Iskander-Type Missiles
Last week (July 23), South Korean fighters repeatedly fired live warning shots as a Russian A-50U airborne warning and control system (AWACS) plane allegedly briefly violated Korean national airspace close to the Liancourt Rocks—a group of several small islets in the Sea of Japan, controlled... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/NDWP-Press-Conf-640x421.jpg)
Major Themes in China’s 2019 National Defense White Paper
Introduction On July 24, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) issued its first new national defense white paper (NDWP) since 2015 (Xinhua). “China’s National Defense in a New Era” attempts both to articulate a vision of global security in which China is a driving force... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/31605.png)
Assessing Mental Health Challenges in the People’s Liberation Army, Part 1: Psychological Factors Affecting Service Members, and the Leadership Response
Editor’s note: This is the first part of a two-part article that addresses the efforts of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to deal more effectively with the challenges of mental health, which can have serious impacts on the morale and readiness of individual service members—and... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Su-35-640x427.jpg)
Russia’s Defense Industry in Increasing Disarray as More Plants Set to Close
Russian President Vladimir Putin constantly talks about how his country is building up its Armed Forces and supplying them with super weapons, but Russia’s defense industry is increasingly incapable of making those promises a reality. With growing debt (because the state has yet to pay... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/150723082921-01-russian-tu-95-bomber-file-0723-exlarge-169-640x359.jpg)
Joint Bomber Patrol Over the Pacific: The Russo-Chinese Military Alliance in Action
On July 24, 2019, Russian and Chinese military planes flying together invaded Japanese and South Korean airspace only to encounter Korean fighters that shot at the Russian aircraft. The Russian contribution to this joint air patrol included an A-50 Beriev airborne radar, which can track... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/tajikistan_0922_B51.jpg)
Sino-Tajik Exercises: The Latest Chinese Encroachment Into Russia’s ‘Sphere of Influence’
At the end of July, Tajikistan and China will hold joint military exercises in Tajikistan’s Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region. These ostensibly anti-terrorist exercises will feature Tajikistani air, ground and air-defense forces. The composition of the Chinese contribution has not yet been announced (Avesta.tj, July 9). This... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/A50_ap_07081103964_wide-cc4dbb0f9f1fecd98ce119c06598e5bd02b58651-640x360.jpg)
First Ever Sino-Russian Joint Air Patrol Barely Avoids Triggering Regional Conflict
The Chinese Ministry of National Defense published a white paper yesterday, July 24, entitled “China’s National Defense in a New Era.” The document accuses the United States of pursuing “unilateral policies,” provoking “intensified competition among major countries,” increasing defense spending, developing destabilizing weapons, and undermining... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Syria-Russia-640x336.jpg)
Russia’s Military Leaders Exploit Lessons From Experiments in Syria
The leadership of the Russian Armed Forces at the defense ministry and General Staff levels is exploiting lessons learned from the country’s recent involvement in foreign conflicts as part of a process to enhance military capability. This forms part of a much wider “lessons learned”... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/BTR-82A-EDM-July-22-2019-640x360.jpg)
Uzbekistan Leans on Russia for New Military Equipment
In recent weeks, Russian media has been actively reporting on Uzbekistan’s various contracts to purchase Russian military equipment—some of it apparently state of the art (see below). The multiple deals indicate Tashkent’s determination to elevate arms-sale negotiations with Moscow to a higher level. In 2017,... MORE