Category Archives: Military

Analysis, Military, Politics, Reviews, Technology, Videos

Military: U.S. Army Unveils Laser That Melts Drones

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The Wall Street Journal (October 15, 2024): In Ukraine and the Red Sea, low-tech drones are changing the way wars are fought. The U.S. and other countries are investing in a new and inexpensive way to retaliate: lasers.

Chapters: 0:00 Laser weapon systems 1:03 The LOCUST 2:57 Targets 3:40 Weaknesses 4:56 Future challenges and deployment

Compared with traditional weapons, lasers present some key challenges: they have a shorter range, limited power and can be harder to fix when issues arise. WSJ explains how the BlueHalo LOCUST laser weapon system works and why the tech is so difficult to perfect.

#Russia #Ukraine #WSJ #Military #Laser

Analysis, Military, Politics, Reviews, Technology, Videos

WSJ: “Killer Drones” On Ukraine’s Front Lines

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The Wall Street Journal (October 14, 2024): “Darwin” is one of Ukraine’s deadliest drone pilots in its war against Russia.

Chapters: 0:00 A race to adapt 1:38 “Darwin” 2:48 Artillery strikes 4:01 Personal evolution 6:37 In the bunker 8:32 Drone strike 12:20 Just the beginning

But the 20-year-old must contend with his own personal evolution after hundreds of successful missions in a modern survival of the fittest.

#Russia #Ukraine #WSJ

History, Magazines, Military, Reviews

Preview: Military History Magazine – Oct/Nov 2024

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Military History Matters 142 – The Past

MILITARY HISTORY MAGAZINE (September 12, 2024): The latest issue features ‘Napoleon At War’ – The Rise of a Military Colossus…

Napoleon: Rise of a military colossus

In our special two-part feature in this issue, Graham Goodlad explores, first, the part played by Napoleon’s generalship in his progress from unknown artillery officer to ruler of France. Then we analyses in depth two battles he fought in his…

Napoleon by numbers

Infographics: Calum Henderson

Lodi and Arcola: making the myth

Graham Goodlad analyses the clashes that made Napoleon’s name as a soldier of genius.

Hidden figures

The use of ‘native levies’ has long been a feature of foreign wars – but their employment and their sacrifice reached a peak during the British colonial era. Stephen Roberts…

Thunder in the East: Armoured warfare in South-East Asia and the Pacific, 1937-1945

From Burma to Iwo Jima, armoured fighting vehicles played a key role in some of World War II’s most challenging environments. Our military technology expert David Porter takes notes.

Analysis, Military, Politics, Reviews, Videos

How “Kamikaze Drones” From Iran Are Wreaking Havoc In Ukraine & Israel

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The Wall Street Journal (August 28, 2024): Iran’s Shahed drones have disrupted Red Sea shipping, threatened U.S. troops in the Middle East and caused chaos in Ukraine. These precise one-way attack suicide drones mark a major shift in drone warfare.

Chapters: 0:00 Shahed drones 0:31 What they are and how they work 2:45 How they stack up to other drones 4:01 Who’s using these drones? 6:02 Defenses against these drones

WSJ looks at how Iran’s kamikaze drones work, how they are being used across the globe by militant groups and Russia and the defense mechanisms used against them.

Analysis, Foreign Affairs, Military, Reviews, Videos

Strategy Behind Ukraine’s Invasion Of Russia (WSJ)

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The Wall Street Journal (August 22, 2024): Ukraine’s invasion of Russia was a gamble for Kyiv as they push deeper into the Kursk region. But as Moscow intensifies its offenses on the strategic Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, strategies on both sides are emerging.

Chapters: 0:00 Where the war stands 0:34 Ukraine tactics in Kursk 1:53 Russia’s response 2:53 What’s next?

If Pokrovsk falls, it will be the largest population center taken by the Russian military since Bakhmut in May 2023. WSJ explains the latest developments on how the Kursk invasions steps up the stakes for both Ukraine and Russia.

Aviation, Foreign Affairs, Military, Reviews, Videos

Military Analysis: USA Vs China Aircraft Carriers

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Insider(April 6, 2024): From the $13 billion USS Gerald R. Ford to the Chinese Fujian carrier, a high stakes race is underway between the US and China for aircraft carriers. We compare the two superpowers’ fleets, their capabilities and missions.

Video Timeline: 00:00 – Intro 00:26 – Carriers 02:06 – Technology 04:31 – Importance 05:28 – Background 06:03 – Future Plans 07:14 – Threats 08:15 – Balance Of Power 09:14 – Credits

Foreign Affairs, Military, Politics, Reviews, Videos

The Israel-Hamas War: Is There A Path To Peace?

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The Economist (February 8, 2024) – Things look bleak in the Middle East after Binyamin Netanyahu scorned America’s push for an end to the fighting. But in private he’s said to be more flexible. Could diplomacy actually work?

Video timeline: 00:00 – The Saudi normalisation deal 00:42 – Israel and Saudi Arabia’s history 01:10 – How to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 02:26 – Will the deal happen?

Analysis, Military, Politics, Reviews, Videos

Defending Taiwan: Guam Is Key To America’s Strategy

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The Economist (January 11, 2024) – Guam, an island in the northern Pacific, is just 48km long and has a population of about 170,000. So why is it so important to America’s strategy to defend Taiwan from a potential Chinese invasion?

Video timeline: 00:00 – Where is Guam? 00:13 – Why is it so important? 01:00 – What makes it vulnerable?

Analysis, Foreign Affairs, Military, Politics, Reviews, Videos

Terrorism: Iran’s ‘Axis Of Resistance’ – Hezbollah, Hamas & Houthis Revealed

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The Wall Street Journal (January 5, 2024) – Iran-backed groups connect to form a land bridge across the Middle East and form an alliance that Tehran calls the ‘Axis of Resistance.’ This land bridge can be used to transport equipment and personnel, but also allows for positions in Iraq and Syria to attack U.S. interests or threaten Israel closer to its borders.

Video timeline: 0:00 ‘Axis of Resistance’ 0:37 Iran’s allies 1:44 Iran’s history 3:22 U.S. in the Middle East 4:14 Attacks since Oct. 7

WSJ explains what to know about the alliance that includes Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

Interviews, Military, Politics, Reviews, Videos

2024 Interview: President Zelensky’s Goals And Why No Comprising With Putin

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The Economist (January 2, 2024) - As 2024 begins President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to The Economist’s Editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes, about his political and military goals for the coming year and why he won’t compromise with Vladimir Putin.

Video timeline: 00:00 – 2024 military goals 01:35 – Why he won’t negotiate

Volodymyr Zelensky is angry; not about the successes of his enemies (he sees none) nor even about his own army’s lack of progress on the battlefield. Instead, Ukraine’s president is exasperated by the wobbles of some of his allies as well as the detachment among some of his compatriots. And he wants you to know it.

Hardened by the pressures of war, a year of negative headlines and the failure of a counter-offensive that promised so much at the start of 2023, he has shed the lightness and humour that characterised our earlier meetings with him. Seated in his situation room and speaking to The Economist via Zoom (you can watch the video here), he punches out his message as if trying to break through the computer screen.

A New Year’s interview with Volodymyr Zelensky: https://econ.st/48A4Nim