Latest Articles about Military/Security

The Limitations of Military-Civil Mobilization: Problems with Funding and Clashing Interests in Industry-Based PLA Reserve Units
Introduction One of the foundational concepts in Mao Zedong’s thought is that mobilization and “People’s War” (人民战争, renmin zhanzheng) depend on the masses and militia. [1] This concept is the basis for the way that the leaders of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) continue... MORE

Military-Civil Fusion and Electromagnetic Spectrum Management in the PLA
Introduction: EMSM as a Key Element of “Military-Civil Fusion” Modern battlefield environments will contain a greater proliferation of electromagnetic emitters than ever before—including but not limited to radars, communications networks, and jamming systems—employed by many different platforms across multiple warfare domains. As a result, electromagnetic... MORE

China’s Military Biotech Frontier: CRISPR, Military-Civil Fusion, and the New Revolution in Military Affairs
Introduction China’s national strategy of military-civil fusion (军民融合, junmin ronghe) has highlighted biology as a priority. [1] It is hardly surprising that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is looking to leverage synergies among defense, scientific, and commercial developments in biological interdisciplinary (生物交叉, shengwu jiaocha)... MORE

A Dead Soldier and Tanks on the Border—Russian Disinformation Targeting Ukraine
Moscow continues to put pressure on Ukraine by conducting various aggressive psychological operations (psy-ops) designed to ignite panic in Ukrainian society and disrupt military cooperation between Ukraine and the West. One of its latest such attempts actively combined a disinformation campaign with the Tsentr 2019... MORE

Karabakh Conflict Looks Very Different for Those at the Front Than for Baku, Yerevan or Moscow
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Karabakh and the adjoining regions of Azerbaijan now occupied by Armenian forces is almost invariably discussed in terms of the positions held by Baku, Yerevan and Moscow. But the attitudes and feelings of the people most directly involved—the... MORE

Russia’s Advances in Electronic Warfare Capability
Since the reform of Russia’s Armed Forces began in late 2008, Moscow has developed a credible conventional military capability. Among the subset of capabilities over the past decade are the critically important advances in combat support offered by Electronic Warfare (EW) (see EDM, April 17,... MORE

Moscow Now Says Montreux Convention Vital to Defense of Yalta-Potsdam World
Moscow has seemingly long wanted to have it both ways (see EDM, April 2, 23) on the Montreux Convention, which governs naval passage through the Turkish Straits (the Bosporus and the Dardanelles). On the one hand, Russia has cast itself as a supporter of this... MORE

President Dodon Introduces Nuances to Moldova’s Neutrality
President Igor Dodon has effectively disavowed Moldova’s sponsorship of the United Nations General Assembly’s (UNGA) resolution, adopted one year ago at Chisinau’s initiative, that called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Moldova’s Transnistria region. Addressing the UNGA on September 26 (Presedinte.md, accessed September 29),... MORE

Russian Views of the Saudi Oil Facility Attacks (Part Two)
*To read Part One, please click here. The September 14 attack on the Saudi oil facilities at Buqayq and Khurais was allegedly committed by Yemen’s Houthi militants—although it was more likely carried out with Iranian assistance or even by Tehran itself. Indeed, the Saudi Ministry... MORE

Egyptian Paratroopers on Russian Soil: ‘Defenders of Friendship 2019’
On August 19–29, Russia hosted the multinational exercise Defenders of Friendship 2019, which involved the joint participation of Russian and Egyptian paratroopers as well as Belarusian special forces (Mil.ru, August 16, 2018). The exercise was the fourth of its kind in four years. Its first... MORE