PULASKI POLICY PAPER: The Biden administration’s new security and defense strategies – a guide for a new Cold War (Tomasz Smura)
Pulaski Policy Paper no 25, November 11 2022 In October 2022, nearly two years after the Joe Biden administration took power in the United States, a new National Security Strategy and a tighter National Defense Strategy were adopted. Both documents identify China as the main challenge to U.S. national security, at the same time – importantly from the perspective of NATO’s eastern flank countries – Russia was identified in them as the most important current threat to the international order and the U.S. administration announced a continuation of its policy towards the country, including further support for Ukraine. Strategies for national security Prepared under the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 by […]
PULASKI POLICY PAPER: Iran’s actual and potential arms deliveries to Russia (Robert Czulda)
Pulaski Policy Paper no 24, November 04 2022 Press reports, circulating in October 2022, about the Russian use of weapons obtained from Iran were, on the one hand, perceived as a sensation and a surprise. There are good reasons for this – Iran has so far avoided getting involved in conflicts and disputes outside the Middle East, and its weapons have not been used in Europe before. Moreover, some observers were surprised that Russia – with a powerful (at least from a quantitative perspective) armed forces and an extensive arms industry, needed an assistance from a state, which has been under sanctions for over forty years and whose domestic military […]
PULASKI POLICY PAPER: Ukrainian Offensive Operations in 2022: Strategic Context, Capabilities, Risks and Likely Scenarios
Pulaski Policy Paper no 14, August 11, 2022 Started on 24 February 2022, Russian invasion ended a “hybrid” period of armed aggression against Ukraine’s independence, democracy and policy of integration with EU and NATO. After five and a half months of war, despite huge losses and early failures, Russia shows no intention to scale back its offensive operations. Although underequipped and constrained with deficit of resources, the Ukrainian army plans to regain all territories lost since 2014. That is why it is important to look at the likely scenarios of the war and assess what feasible Western actions can influence it in the near future. Strategic Context Russia: goals and […]
PULASKI POLICY PAPER: Foreign military aid to Ukraine: between promises and deliveries. (Robert Czulda)
Pulaski Policy Paper no 13, July 27, 2022 Since the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine in late February 2022, numerous NATO and EU member states – particularly those from Central and Eastern Europe – have started actively support Ukraine with a direct aid – not only humanitarian, but also military one. This assistance gave the Ukrainian military a much – needed lifeline and a capacity first to halt the Russian advance and then to push an aggressor back from Kyiv. You can read this Paper as PDF (includes additional diagrams). A willingness to provide aid to Ukraine was signaled by many states, not only those belonging to NATO. […]
PULASKI REPORT: What can Poland learn from the United Kingdom in its approach to naval development planning?
The maritime environment has invariably remained a key facilitator in all kinds of globalisation processes for hundreds of years. Humanity has entered a new level of development of socio-cultural, economic, political and military relations because of the possibility of efficient use of waterways. Even now, when it would seem that modern technologies would have significantly reduced the importance of the maritime environment, it turns out that mankind continues to rely on the seas and oceans for political, military as well as economic issues. In 2020, almost 90% of all global trade products (by volume) were transported by water. These products also accounted for as much as 70% of the total […]
PULASKI POLICY PAPER: Madrid NATO Strategic Concept: Qualitative Change or Semantic Healing? (Andrzej Fałkowski)
Pulaski Policy Paper no 12, July 14 2022 The North Atlantic Treaty is like the constitution of an organisation, inviolable and containing more universal and indisputable content. The Strategic Concept, on the other hand, is a kind of NATO signpost, defining the directions important for the Alliance countries for the coming years. The new Strategic Concept adopted during 2022 NATO Summit should not be considered in isolation from other decisions taken in Madrid. There were more, both official and off-the-record, which we may never know, or we will find out many years later. Since the Madrid Concept will be the Alliance’s compass for the next decade (the previous one lasted […]
PULASKI COMMENTARY: Will climate change influence the armed forces? (Marek Ziółkowski)
Following the recent NATO summit and Western sanctions hitting Russia’s fossil fuel industry, it seems that climate issue will increasingly affect the development of the armed forces of Western countries. Allies have formulated their own policies on climate change and the defence industries of the Allied countries are joining the global decarbonization policy. The Madrid NATO summit, both in the final declaration and in the Alliance’s strategy, referred to climate change as a key challenge of our time, significantly affecting the security of the Allies. This general observation was complemented by the decision to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by Allied infrastructure and military structures. Allies pledge to improve energy efficiency, invest in clean energy sources and use green technologies, […]
PULASKI COMMENTARY: Hungary’s policy of non-engagement in the armed conflict in Ukraine – what is the rationale behind this? (Ihor Havrylyuk)
After Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, 2022, Hungary has been one of the few members of the Euro-Atlantic community that took a cautious stance in regard to providing Ukraine with political and material support. Budapest’s decision not to send its own lethal weapons to Kyiv and not to allow partners to transport military aid through its own territory has been widely perceived as a breach of the Euro-Atlantic unity and has come under criticism even by the regional partners from the Visegrád Group (V4). On July 19th, 2022, Levente Magyar, Hungarian Deputy Foreign Minister, officially communicated Hungary’s readiness to allow all aid heading to Ukraine, […]