The Defence Horizon Journal - Podcasts

This paper explores the persistent tensions within U.S. security cooperation, where efforts to build partner capacity often collide with the realities of sovereignty, hierarchy, and risk. Although designed to enhance global stability, security cooperation initiatives frequently impose on partner autonomy, revealing the hierarchical nature of the international system beneath the rhetoric of equal partnership. Drawing from strategic ...

With each passing day, the amount of verified information regarding violations of international humanitarian law and human rights by the Russian Federation continues to grow. One of the most striking examples of the Russian Federation’s disregard for its international obligations is its treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs). These violations include executions, torture, denial of access to fair trials, intelligence operati...

Taiwan must rethink its defence strategy due to a rising threat from China’s overwhelming military and industrial capabilities. However, Taiwan faces critical imbalances in troop strength, defence budgets, and technological infrastructure, emphasising the need for an asymmetric approach to deterrence. In this respect, Taiwan could draw lessons from Ukraine’s civilian-led drone innovation and Israel’s integrated civil preparedness t...

In a less predictable operational environment, resilience and agility are vital requirements for military sustainment. To demonstrate this, we highlight the shortcomings in military supply chains and identify solutions and practices adopted by various organisations to address recognised challenges. Furthermore, there is a need to understand more about new practices and innovations in the business environment that impact supply chai...

Constantly increasing demands for efficiency, effectiveness, and resilience of military operations are interrelated with increasing military energy demands, particularly with the use of energy storage solutions. This paper provides an overview of the emerging trends in military energy use and management, along with the evolving needs for energy storage, in line with the novel developments of battery energy storage systems. The rese...

This article examines how modern training simulators can aid in teaching future Navy officers. Traditional teaching methods often prioritise classroom learning with limited hands-on practice. This research examines whether the use of realistic simulators can enhance police officers' learning of their job responsibilities. The study utilises various types of simulators to teach essential Navy skills. These include making quick decis...

The emergence of autonomous weapons systems (AWS) represents a clear shift in warfare and raises critical questions about the impact this change will have on soldiers' morale on a 21st-century battlefield. The complex effects that such technology has on military morale are highlighted through historical parallels to previous, similar military innovations and supplemented by analyses of the ongoing drone warfare in the Ukraine War. ...

Decision-making regarding target engagement, including considerations for scenarios involving the tactical use of nuclear weapons, requires a multilayered, well-structured, predictable, and traceable approach. The integration of AI into such high-stakes scenarios amplifies the need for transparency, aligning decision-making models to trusted tenets and focused training (the 3Ts) in order to avoid the five cognitive pitfalls of over...

At least since the beginning of the most recent Russian invasion of Ukraine and the massive use of unmanned aerial vehicles, it has become imperative to elaborate potential countermeasures, that is, counter-unmanned aerial systems. Accordingly, based on past and ongoing conflicts – including the war in Ukraine – this paper analyses the impact of technological changes on warfare. Specifically, it takes a closer look at the types of ...

A need for low-cost warfare has emerged from the experiences of several nations in current conflicts. On the one hand, a recent missile and drone attack on Israel was successfully defeated, but at the unsustainable cost of an estimated $1-1.5 billion. Houthi drones, costing $2000 each, were successfully intercepted with Standard Missile-2s (SM-2), which cost $2 million each. On the other hand, the Russian Black Sea fleet was severe...

The progressive integration of artificial intelligence (AI) transforms military command across doctrinal, procedural, and cultural dimensions. AI reshapes the balance between centralisation and decentralisation across command levels. Using Col. John Boyd’s OODA Loop as a generic model of the military decision-making process (MDMP), it is possible to see how AI influences each step of decision-making—from information gathering to ta...

AI-powered autonomous weapons, from advanced drones to robotic soldiers, are reshaping warfare with unmatched speed, precision, and adaptability. Capable of life-and-death decisions, they deliver tactical power and coordination, reducing human risk and amplifying military strength. Intelligent swarming and real-time responses provide a formidable combat edge. However, robust controls are crucial to wield these tools responsibly, to...

Military effectiveness hinges on technological innovation and organisational fitness—the ability to adapt, integrate, and exploit new capabilities. While AI, cyber warfare, and autonomous systems are reshaping conflict, rigid hierarchies and cultural resistance hinder their adoption. Bridging the gap between technological potential and institutional readiness requires decentralised decision-making, strategic alignment, and adaptive...

Emerging and Disruptive Technologies are fundamentally reshaping modern warfare, creating a paradox where military forces are empowered and constrained by digital advancements. Western militaries, particularly NATO, face growing friction as their force structures struggle to adapt to the constantly evolving Russian way of warfare witnessed in Ukraine. This paper introduces the concept of digital friction, the operational strain cau...

The evolution of battlefield surveillance, from traditional elevated vantage points to advanced satellite remote sensing, has transformed geospatial data into actionable insights. The research focuses on creating a Digital Twin of a battlefield using a range of data sources. A methodology for assessing terrain features, such as visibility, slope, and soil moisture, is developed, along with a model for vegetation cover using Sentine...

Technological advancements and evolving security policies increasingly shape military conflicts through AI, autonomous systems, and cyber capabilities. Future developments can be analysed from both military-technological and tactical perspectives, highlighting challenges in command structures, information processing, and execution. The vignettes address the aspects of capability, understanding, and will, i.e., the parts of combat p...

Explosives and pyrotechnics play a critical role in modern military technology. Recent advancements in nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, and 3D additive manufacturing are transforming the development, applications, and safety of these technologies. This paper examines how these disruptive technologies shape the future of explosives while addressing the challenges of their ethical application. Special attention is given to AI...

This critical analysis evaluates Thomas Rid's thesis in "Cyber War Will Not Take Place," which argues that cyber operations do not fulfil Clausewitzian criteria for war. It supports Rid's overall assertion while exploring nuances and limitations in his argument. Despite the compelling nature of Rid's claim that cyber war as a standalone phenomenon is unlikely, the analysis underscores the complementary role of cyber operations in m...

Following the annexation of Crimea a decade ago, Russian warfare tactics have evolved to adapt to technological advancements and make up for shortfalls in conventional military domains; among them falls the use of Russian television and Telegram channels to influence the Ukrainian public. As claimed by Maschmeyer et al.’s “Donetsk Don’t Tell - ‘Hybrid War’ in Ukraine and the Limits of Social Media Influence Operations”, television ...