Dr. Alix Valenti

Although a few remaining hurdles are pushing the operational advent of laser weapons to the mid-2020s, they promise to bring cost-effectiveness and efficiency to the future capabilities equipping warships. Upon hearing the words ‘laser weapons’ one cannot help but picturing Luke Skywalker, the hero of...

The headline translates as ‘I, who is speed, eradicate’; an apt slogan employed by the US Navy for its research into electromagnetic railguns. Electromagnetic technology is advancing in the naval domain, offering promise for offensive weapons and aircraft carrier operations. A report written by Ronald...

Technology is increasingly assisting the soldier’s work in the urban environment. Advances in optronics, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), weaponry and command and control are all playing their part in easing the MOUT burden. According to General Alain Bouquin, Thales’ army advisor: “discussions over tactics and...

Alongside their reliance on ever-improving technology, individual soldiers need to be trained in an environment where the vast majority of the fighting takes place in built up areas with actions often occurring at squad, or even individual levels. As Frédéric Chamaud and Colonel Pierre Santoni...

The key characteristic of MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain) is that urban terrain, in all its complexities, has altered the balance of power as victory no longer necessarily belongs to the belligerent with the most deadly and technologically-advanced capabilities. According to Colonel Pierre Santoni,...

One could argue that the strategic importance of cities in a conflict is not a new concept. Historically, cities were used for protection by the population that lived within their walls, while fighting took place outside the city walls, or on its ramparts. Once...

The 34-day war that erupted in Lebanon in 2006 involving the Israeli armed forces and the Hezbollah insurgent organisation resulted in an expansion of the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). On 11 March 1978, following years of mounting tensions...

“Increasing demand for flexible ships that can adapt to multiple missions has been driving the corvette market over the last fifteen years,” notes Stephane Fremont, director for combat ships at DCNS, “in response to growing traditional and non-traditional threats.” Western nations are increasingly designing corvettes...

Ship categories are changing: As navies are required to respond to an ever-increasing spectrum of traditional and non-traditional threats, the lines of classification between corvettes, frigates and destroyers are growing increasingly blurred. Writing in his 2011 paper Ecological security: a Framework for Analysing Non-Traditional Security...

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) expects to conclude the fielding of its new Polaris Defence MRZR-D4 four-wheel drive vehicles by April 2017, the USMC has told armadainternational.com. The news follows Polaris Defence’s announcement on 10 November 2016 that the USMC will order 144...