Browsing: Academia

Nothing Happens Until Something Moves: Designing a Multinational Movement and Transportation Manual to Enable Military Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief

Nothing Happens Until Something Moves: Designing a Multinational Movement and Transportation Manual to Enable Military Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief

June 02, 2026

Hurricanes devastate Caribbean islands, earthquakes destroy infrastructure across multiple countries, and volcanoes spew lava, isolating mountain towns from the rest of the country. These disasters often exceed a nation’s capacity to rescue and care for its affected citizens. When that happens, nations typically turn to national and international civilian organizations, such as the United Nations. However, when those organizations cannot…

Countering OBOR: Partners Gain Momentum with Strategic Response to China’s One Belt, One Road Scheme

Countering OBOR: Partners Gain Momentum with Strategic Response to China’s One Belt, One Road Scheme

April 22, 2026

This article was originally published on the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s Magazine Forum, on February 2, 2026. Beijing has denied since launching One Belt, One Road (OBOR) in 2013 that the infrastructure scheme is a tool for expanding geopolitical influence. Instead, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claims that OBOR is a global development platform aimed at inclusive, multilateral cooperation and common…

Sanctions, Seizures, Surveillance Combat Synthetic Drug Trade in Indo-Pacific

Sanctions, Seizures, Surveillance Combat Synthetic Drug Trade in Indo-Pacific

April 15, 2026

This article was originally published on FORUM, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command magazine, on March 12, 2026. The synthetic drug trade, spearheaded by fentanyl and methamphetamine, has metastasized from a criminal enterprise into a complex geopolitical phenomenon, demanding an expansive, multidimensional international response. This global crisis hinges on the ready supply of precursor chemicals — primarily from China — driving two…

‘A Simple Approach’: Analysts Say Regional Cooperation Is Crucial in Illegal Fishing Battle

‘A Simple Approach’: Analysts Say Regional Cooperation Is Crucial in Illegal Fishing Battle

April 01, 2026

This article was originally published on the U.S. Africa Command’s Magazine ADF, on November 6, 2025. Africa loses an estimated $11.2 billion in annual revenue to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The challenge is particularly acute in West Africa, which loses up to $9.4 billion to the scourge. Illegal fishing by foreign industrial and semi-industrial trawlers, particularly from China,…

Iranian Military Branch Casts Shadow Across Africa

Iranian Military Branch Casts Shadow Across Africa

March 24, 2026

  This article was originally published on U.S. Africa Command magazine ADF, on March 11, 2026. As foreign powers sign business deals and deepen diplomatic ties in Africa, one foreign player operates mostly behind the scenes: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). “The IRGC, the regime’s military-intelligence empire, has spent 40 years constructing a shadow network across Africa, embedding itself…

Space, Cyber Significant Factors in Operation Epic Fury

Space, Cyber Significant Factors in Operation Epic Fury

March 20, 2026

  This article was originally published on U.S. Space Command magazine Apogee, on March 4, 2026. In the predawn darkness before Operation Epic Fury burst into public view, the first blows against Iran were struck by forces orbiting hundreds of miles above Earth. What unfolded, before the obliteration of hundreds of targets, Pentagon officials say, was the onset of major…

China’s Organized Crime Footprint in Latin America Is a Wake-Up Call

China’s Organized Crime Footprint in Latin America Is a Wake-Up Call

February 25, 2026

This article was originally published on UPI on January 30, 2026 Much of the discussion about China's growing presence in Latin America focuses on trade and major infrastructure projects. Far less attention is paid to a darker dimension that is growing increasingly consequential: The expansion of Chinese transnational organized crime across the region. The criminal activities involved, particularly illegal mining,…

Combating IUU Fishing in the South American Pacific: An Opportunity to Counter Chinese Influence Closer to Home

Combating IUU Fishing in the South American Pacific: An Opportunity to Counter Chinese Influence Closer to Home

February 11, 2026

This article originally appeared in the National Defense University Press on January 9, 2026. In August 2022, USCGC James took evasive action to avoid a Chinese-flagged vessel that was attempting to ram the cutter in the Pacific Ocean.1 While most confrontations between the United States and China center around Taiwan or the South China Sea, this event took place off…

Transnational Infiltration of Drug Trafficking: The Impact of Venezuelan Criminal Organizations on Brazilian Sovereignty

Transnational Infiltration of Drug Trafficking: The Impact of Venezuelan Criminal Organizations on Brazilian Sovereignty

January 28, 2026

The expansion of criminal networks such as the Tren de Aragua, originating in Venezuela and potentially allied with local factions, intensifies violence, erodes institutions, and threatens regional stability, demanding an integrated strategy of repression and international cooperation. Introduction Transnational drug trafficking represents one of the greatest threats to public order and territorial integrity in contemporary Latin America. In the bilateral…

CCP Enlists Hongmen Crime Syndicate that Violates Nations’ Sovereignty

CCP Enlists Hongmen Crime Syndicate that Violates Nations’ Sovereignty

January 14, 2026

This article was first published in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s magazine FORUM on September 14, 2025. China-linked crime networks continue exploiting Pacific Island countries and territories, among others, to launder money and conduct other illicit activities with far-reaching consequences, according to recent investigations. The World Hongmen History and Culture Association (Hongmen), for example, is engaged in activities with the Chinese…

Building a Combat-Ready Force

Building a Combat-Ready Force

January 04, 2026

This article was first published in U.S. Space Command magazine, APOGEE, on September 22, 2025. The United States Space Force is taking a multitiered approach as it prepares for a new era in space defense. With an eye toward China and Russia’s growing counterspace capabilities, the service isn’t relying solely on advanced spacecraft to maintain its edge. The force also…

Partners of Choice: Mexico and US Military Cooperation

Partners of Choice: Mexico and US Military Cooperation

December 28, 2025

This article was originally published by the U.S. Northern Command magazine, The Watch, on July 24, 2025. The military relationship between Mexico and the United States continues to strengthen. Mexico’s Secretariat of National Defense (DEFENSA), Secretariat of the Navy (MARINA), and the United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM) are continuing to engage in dialogue and joint exercises, enhancing collaboration toward a…