Europe

On 14 June, the mandate of EULEX – the European Union's mission focused on assisting and supporting Kosovo's authorities in enforcing the rule of law – will come to an end. The mission will not end on a positive tone, but a new monitoring and advisory role could help improve on the current situation.

Rather than simply being name changes, the appointments of Mike Pompeo, John Bolton and Gina Haspel may signal the beginnings of a shift in White House foreign policy stance.

Russia's expansive and modern range of missile defense and anti-satellite capabilities are not simply for defensive purposes. Instead, they are intended to enable offensive operations by hindering the ability of the US, as well as its allies and partners, to counter offensive operations.

Like the electorate in the Balkans, the West often opts for a “devil you know” and “lesser evil” strategy when choosing who to support as leader. This is understandable in the short-term, but in the long-term it may be extremely damaging.

In a pre-elections speech reminiscent of those delivered by Soviet leaders in the Cold War era, Vladimir Putin covered all grounds to distract attention internally and create a military fantasy externally.

The name dispute has been the biggest obstacle to European integration for the Western Balkan country, and has resulted in Greece vetoing Skopje’s NATO accession in 2008 and blocking its European Union accession talks before they even began.

HSC Senior Fellow Dr Rowan Allport has had a comments piece on the need for NATO to revitalise its Maritime Strategy featured in UK Defence Journal.

Russia’s reliance on military means to achieve its foreign policy goals threatens the safety and security of the US, its allies and its partners. One measure Washington must pursue is cooperating with Warsaw to develop a short-range cruise missile.

The House of Commons Defence Committee has published its report on the future of the UK's Royal Marines and amphibious forces.

Despite its tight budget, the U.K. continues to make a major contribution to Western security. But Brexit and financial miscalculation now present a potentially crippling threat to the British military.