Defense & Security

  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Defense & Security

Defense & Security

Jun 5 , 2025

Policy Brief

Executive Summary At the beginning of the Cold War in the 1950’s the United States and the Soviet Union competed with arms and technology exports in their respective regions of influence. After the Soviet Union collapsed, Russia sold much of its Cold War-era military and technology arsenal to Soviet satellites,

Defense & Security, Africa

May 16 , 2025

Policy Brief

Amidst threats to U.S. interests in the Red Sea and competition for regional influence, the United States must reassess its military posture in the Horn of Africa. The Horn of Africa, which includes Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia, sits at the junction of global trade and strategic competition, commanding access

Defense & Security, Europe & Central Asia

Mar 27 , 2025

Policy Brief

Recently, the U.S. has expressed the importance of who controls the Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. In President Trump’s first cabinet meeting since returning to office, he and Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, discussed the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan and subsequent loss of Bagram Air Base. In the meeting,

Africa

Nov 13 , 2024

Op-Ed

In recent years, Russian mercenaries in West Africa have gained considerable notoriety for, on the one hand, propping up post-coup military juntas and, on the other hand, suffering setbacks when supporting those juntas’ counter-insurgency efforts. For example, 87 Russian fighters who were part of Africa Corps (formerly known as Wagner

Defense & Security

Oct 18 , 2024

Podcast

In this episode of Orion Talks, host Marta Furlan is joined by Kawa Hassan to discuss the Israel-Lebanon war and its implications for the region. The conversation starts with a reflection on the implications of the death of Hassan Nasrallah and other top Hezbollah leaders may have on Hezbollah as

Terrorism & Extremism

Aug 12 , 2024

Policy Brief

Last week, the Paris railroad system was disrupted by planned, coordinated arson attacks. This was not unique, but it signals that major cities must be even better prepared for this “softer,” less violent, but still disruptive form of terrorism. The attacks on Paris’ railroad system occurred just hours before the