Latest Articles about Military/Security
The Japanese Archipelago through Chinese Eyes
China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) forces took to the East China Sea in late June for live-fire maneuvers. These naval exercises were widely interpreted as expressions of preemptive Chinese displeasure over U.S.-South Korean exercises slated for the Yellow Sea. Washington dispatched the nuclear-powered aircraft... MORE
Assessing the PLA’s Promotion Ladder to CMC Member Based on Grades vs. Ranks – Part 2
On July 19, Central Military Commission (CMC) Chairman Hu Jintao promoted 11 military officers to three stars (general/admiral), bringing the total since 1988 to 129 officers (Xinhua News Agency, July 27) [1]. Based on previous patterns, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) will most likely promote... MORE
PLA Posturing for Conflict in the South China Sea?
The recent revelation of a Second Artillery Corps (SAC) facility that is under development in China's southern coastal province, Guangdong, and the "unprecedented" maneuvers undertaken by the combined naval fleets of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in the South China Sea are only the... MORE
New Russian Strategic Level Commanders: Makarov’s Successor in the Making?
On July 22, Russian Defense Minister, Anatoliy Serdyukov, signed an order appointing acting commanders in the new operational-strategic commands (OSK’s). Serdyukov’s Press Secretary, Lieutenant-Colonel Irina Kovalchuk, told Interfax that Colonel-General Arkadiy Bakhin (Commander of the Volga-Urals Military District –MD) has become the acting Commander of... MORE
Caucasus Emirate Leader Chooses a Successor
In response to the thunderous and inconsequential pronouncements made by Russia’s power structures and top-ranking officials about the situation in the North Caucasus, rebel groups there have been striking Russian interests across the region as if to refute Russian claims. Over the past week, there... MORE
Russia Adds Poison to its Counter-Insurgency Arsenal in the North Caucasus
The Rosbalt news agency reported yesterday (July 29) that the Russian special services have killed at least 17 Chechen rebels, including rebel “leaders,” over the last seven months by poisoning their food. Noting that Russia’s special services reportedly carried out a successful operation to poison... MORE
Iranian Naval Capabilities and the Security of the Hormuz Strait
When the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution on June 9 authorizing a fourth round of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran for its controversial nuclear program, the risk of conflict in the Persian Gulf also escalated considerably. One of the potential points of... MORE
Medvedev Confirms Conscript Shortages
Russia’s attempts to build a modern military have run into a roadblock: there are not enough conscripts to fill the ranks. In the fall of 2008, the Russian military was a reservist/mobilization force. According to the Chief of the General Staff and First Deputy Defense... MORE
Vladimir Putin, Moscow Mayor and Patriarch Kirill Promote Russian Interests in Ukraine
Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, Moscow Mayor, Yury Luzhkov, and Patriarch Kirill flocked to Ukraine last week. While the official goals of the visits were different, each promoted the Kremlin’s ideology of a single Russian worldview and personally congratulated President, Viktor Yanukovych on his birthday,... MORE
Possible Deliverables at the OSCE Summit in Kazakhstan
(Part Two) The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is the primary international organization in charge of resolving the Transnistria conflict since 1993. This task forms the basis, and sole raison d’etre, of the OSCE Moldova Mission’s mandate. Russian veto power, however, has... MORE