Free Republic

We've previously talked about 6th Generation fighters on this channel ( • The Race for 6th Generation Fighters ... ) but when they take to the skies, they won't be doing so alone. Increasingly autonomous and capable unmanned combat aircraft are here, and they are going to change the way you build an air force. Forces around the world are talking about the immense possibilities of combining manned and unmanned systems together into a cohesive team. In this episode I discuss the concepts behind drone wingmen, some of the major development programs, and what they might mean for the future...

Over the course of the war in Ukraine, Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin and Wagner Group became household names around the world. From their fighting at Bakhmut, to their standoffs with the Russian MoD leadership, to the dramatic march on Moscow followed by a public truce, the PMC and its leader often dominated the news. But on 23 August, Prigozhin's story seems (so far) to have come to a very public end, when a jet carrying him and other Wagner members crashed in Russia with no reported survivors. What does that mean for the PMC, Russia, Africa & the West? Those are...

Description: Ankara's role during the war in Ukraine is a complex and sometimes controversial one. As a NATO member but not an EU state, the Turks have continued to expand their trade with Russia and have continued an open dialogue with Moscow. On the other hand, Türkiye's military industry has supplied Ukraine even before the full scale invasion and Turkish policy has been full throated in its support for Ukraine's territorial integrity - including Crimea. Turkish policy is complex and, to use the words of a former NATO assistant Secretary General - compartmentalised. It often involves cooperation even with potential...

Long before equipment reaches the front, it must first be ordered, designed, produced and fielded. This is a process that nations have been going through for centuries. That doesn't mean they're always good at it. With every year that passes it seems that military equipment becomes more expensive, delivery schedules blow out more, and failures mount. Sometimes the answer may be corruption - but sometimes it's just a case of mistakes being made and things going wrong. In this video I want to have a look at some reasons why...

From the time NATO was founded in 1949 to the recent accession of Finland, the United States has remained the foremost military power in NATO. But a question that is not often asked is why? Why would a power like the USA continue to expand promises of defence to an ever larger group of nations that cannot hope to offer a similar level of capability or assistance in return. The acceptance of new allies into NATO or bilateral and multilateral security treaties has not always been without domestic and international opposition. And so today I wanted to follow up on...

Territory may be the most commonly used barometer for assessing the success or failure of the winter campaign, but just as important is the impact of the fighting on the forces. Attrition is intrinsically linked to war, as men and equipment are ground down by the effort and by enemy action. In this episode we look at loss estimates, discuss the challenges of attrition, and update on the efforts of both sides to make up losses and generate new offensive potential.

Aid to Ukraine has evolved dramatically since February 2022, and there are few topics that have attracted more constant press coverage away from the battlefield itself. So today I [Perun] try and set out how aid has evolved, who the major contributors are, and the impact aid has had - and may have in 2023.