All posts by Dmitry Filipoff

Russia Week Concludes on CIMSEC

By Dmitry Filipoff

This week CIMSEC hosted articles focusing on Russia. Authors analyzed Russia’s strategic thinking vis a vis NATO, its shipbuilding ambitions, historic maritime objectives, and its recent political history. The topic week’s Call for Articles may be read here. We thank our contributors for their excellent submissions.

Russia’s Self-Inflicted Security Dilemma by Corentin Laguerre

“Despite its original objective to counter the USSR, little in NATO policy or strategy can be seen as directly threatening Russia. In regards to the Ukrainian conflict and to the increasing tension between NATO and Russia, in order to avoid further escalation or a ‘New Cold War,’ it is necessary to understand why Russia’s hostility toward NATO has increased since the 90s.”

The Ambitions and Challenges of Russia’s Naval Modernization Program by Steve Micallef

“Since 2011 Russia has been implementing its own naval modernization program. This comes after a period of neglect the as Russia Federal Navy (Russian Navy) is looking to build as many as a 100 new warships by 2020.”

The Tsarist Presidency by Steven Swingler

“Officially, the country is a constitutional presidential federal state patterned off of the U.S. More cynical analysts and commentators will say that Russia is a dictatorship. In reality, the political system in Russia represents that of a Prussian constitutional system with the president serving the role of monarch and chancellor.”

The Mediterranean: Driving Russia’s Strategic Decisions Since 1676 by Jason Chuma

“These assessments of Russian involvement in Ukraine and Syria are at least partially correct, but there is one common thread they both share which Russia has been fighting for since the first Russo-Turkish war in 1676. Tartus in Syria and Sevastopol in Crimea are warm water ports which provide direct Russian access to the Mediterranean or access via the Black Sea and the Dardanelles.”

Dmitry Filipoff is CIMSEC’s Director of Online Content. Contact him at Nextwar@cimsec.org

Featured Image: Russian army soldiers drive their tanks along the Red Square during a general rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade which will take place at Moscow’s Red Square on May 9 to celebrate 70 years after the victory in WWII, in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, May 7, 2015. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

Russia Week Kicks Off on CIMSEC

By Dmitry Filipoff

This week CIMSEC is publishing articles analyzing Russian policy. The call for articles may be read here. Below is a list of articles featuring during the topic week that will be updated as the topic week rolls out and as prospective authors finalize additional publications.

Russia’s Self-Inflicted Security Dilemma by Corentin Laguerre
The Ambitions and Challenges of Russia’s Naval Modernization Program by Steve Micallef
The Tsarist Presidency by Steven Swingler
The Mediterranean: Driving Russia’s Strategic Decisions Since 1676 by Jason Chuma

Dmitry Filipoff is CIMSEC’s Director of Online Content. Contact him at Nextwar@cimsec.org.

Featured Image: A military exercise of the Kantemirovskaya tank division somewhere in Moskovskaya oblast (Chistoprudov Dmitriy)

October Recap

Announcements and Updates
Alternative Naval Force Structure Week Kicks Off on CIMSEC by Dmitry Filipoff
Alternative Naval Force Structure Week Concludes on CIMSEC by Dmitry Filipoff
Open Call for Articles: Navy Ratings, Phillipine Alliance, New Marine Corps Operating Concept by Dmitry Filipoff
September Recap by Dmitry Filipoff
CIMSEC DC October Meet-Up by Scott Cheney-Peters
Pledge to the CIMSEC Kickstarter by Roger Misso
CIMSEC & Atlantic Council Fiction Contest on Autonomy and Future War Kicks Off by Dmitry Filipoff

Alternative Naval Force Structure Topic Week
The Perils of Alternative Force Structure by Steve Wills
Unmanned-Centric Force Structure by Javier Gonzalez
Proposing A Modern High Speed Transport –  The Long Range Patrol Vessel by Tom Meyer

No Time To Spare: Drawing on History to Inspire Capability Innovation in Today’s Navy by Bob Hein
Enhancing Existing Force Structure by Optimizing Maritime Service Specialization by Eric Beaty
Augment Naval Force Structure By Upgunning The Coast Guard by Chuck Hill
A Fleet Plan for 2045: The Navy the U.S. Ought to be Building by Jan Musil
Closing Remarks on Changing Naval Force Structure by CAPT Wayne P. Hughes Jr., USN (Ret.)

Interviews
Commodore Dudley Wright Knox — Sailor, Writer, Sage by Christopher Nelson with Dr. David Kohnen

Members’ Roundup
Members’ Roundup: September 2016 by Sam Cohen

Naval Affairs
Naval Applications of Robotic Birds by Terence Bennett
Moving Forward: Evolution of the Maritime Operations Center by William Lawler and Jonathan Will
crossposted from MOC Warfighter
I held an Amazon “Flipped” Meeting at My Squadron and Here’s What Happened
by Jared Wilhelm

Autonomous Warfare: An Operational Concept to
Optimize Distributed Lethality
by Coleman Ward
Naval Strategy Returns to Lead the POM
by Steve Wills
An Interview with Vice Admiral Tom Rowden on the Future of the Surface Navy
by Dmitry Filipoff

Asia-Pacific
Countering Chinese Expansion Through Mass Enlightenment by James E. Fanell and Ryan D. Martinson
Indo-U.S. Logistics Agreement LEMOA: An Assessment by Gurpreet S. Khurana
crossposted from the National Maritime Foundation

Arctic
Future Roles for the Arctic Council by Ian Birdwell

Europe
Entering the Bear’s Lair: Russia’s A2/AD Bubble in the Baltic Sea by Bret Perry
crossposted from The National Interest
The Role of Cruisers in Promoting Russian Presence and Deterrence in Peacetime by Alexander Clarke

Middle East
U.S., Israel, and Sea Power in the East Med by Seth Cropsey

South America
The UNCLS Ruling and the Future of the Uruguayan Navy by W. Alejandro Sanchez

Fiction
Enemy Mine by Mark Sable
Fitness Function
by Mark Jacobsen

General National Security
The Problem of Mission Command by L. Burton Brender
crossposted from The Bridge

Featured Image: YOKOSUKA, Japan (Aug. 8, 2014) Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), arrives in Fleet Activities Yokosuka after a three-month patrol. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Liam Kennedy/Released)

Call for Articles: Russia Topic Week

By Dmitry Filipoff

Articles Due: December 8
Week Dates: December 12-16

Article Length: 1000-3000 words (with flexibility)
Submit to: Nextwar@cimsec.org

CIMSEC will launch a topic week featuring analysis of the defense and foreign affairs of Russia in mid-December. Under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin, Russian behavior on the international stage has become more pronounced and controversial. Russia has launched military operations in Syria, sustained its support for Ukrainian separatists, and employed cyber capabilities to influence the politics of rival states. Russia’s military is also embarked upon an ambitious modernization program despite lower energy prices that have forced the state to draw heavily on strategic reserves and slash ministerial budgets. 

Prospective authors are encouraged to submit analysis on a broad variety of topics relating to Russian national security developments and foreign policy. Potential topics include but are not limited to: the scope and feasibility of military modernization programs, threat perceptions relating to NATO, cyber operations, and escalation and deterrence dynamics. Please submit drafts to Nextwar@cimsec.org.

Dmitry Filipoff is CIMSEC’s Director of Online Content. Contact him at Nextwar@cimsec.org.

Featured Image: Russian President Putin watches the launch of a missile during naval exercises in Russia’s Arctic North on board the nuclear missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky (Peter the Great), Aug. 17, 2005. (REUTERS/ITAR-TASS/PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE)