Simon J. Smith

More Patriot missiles used in Middle East in 3 days than in Ukraine since 2022, Zelensky says President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated that Ukraine is ready to provide drone interceptors in exchange for missiles, though he did not specify which countries could be involved.

This is a fucking travesty.

“In just three days of fighting in the Middle East, more than 800 Patriot missiles were used — more than Ukraine has received throughout the entire Russian full-scale invasion.”

(A year’s worth of production or more, btw)

kyivindependent.com/over-800-pat...

Donald Trump Has Lit a Global Match Trump and his aides think the United States has global leverage that his predecessors refused to use. He seems to forget that other countries have leverage, too—and they’re intent on using it to stop ...

I made a contribution to Jordan Michael Smith's sweeping article in the New Republic today. A longer read, but well worth it.

newrepublic.com/article/2072...

Sounds like a great project, best of luck

Good news - I'm hiring at Durham University!

1-year full time postdoc in Space Security - looking for someone to join me at the Space Research Centre and a Northeast England based space tracking/analytics company to work on geopolitical analysis in Space Domain Awareness.

Details 👇👇👇

America’s Strategic Alliance with Denmark and NATO A statement by 14 former officials in Democratic and Republican Administrations—including four NATO Ambassadors, 3 Assistant Secretaries of State for Europe, and 3 NSC Senior Directors

Well worth a read.
Although I doubt any of these arguments will make a difference with this administration.

open.substack.com/pub/ivodaald...

Learn more about publishing in @sjms.bsky.social!

@sjasmith.bsky.social (editor of @defencestudies.bsky.social) and I had a pleasant chat about publishing in Military Studies with Queen's University's On Defence and Security Podcast series

www.queensu.ca/cidp/podcast...

Berlingske erfarer: Forsvaret anbefaler entydigt europæisk luftforsvar i danmarkshistoriens største våbenhandel | Berlingske Ifølge Berlingskes oplysninger behandler regeringen nu militærets indstilling af, om fremtidens langtrækkende luftvåben skal være amerikanske Patriot eller europæiske SAMP/T. De er blevet rangeret på ...

Danish newspaper of record Berlingske: The Danish Armed Forces unequivocally recommends European air defence in the largest arms deal in Danish history. www.berlingske.dk/indland/berl...

All About Trump: the 2025 NATO Hague Summit At this year’s NATO Summit, Donald Trump won, Ukraine lost, Europe rolled out the red carpet and exposed the total psychological dependency on the US.

www.rusi.org/explore-our-...

For the nerds out there, that’s €429,508 per word for the summit declaration. €467,857 if you remove clause 5 which basically just says, thank you and good night, see you next year - maybe

It is very short indeed

The agreement of 🇩🇰Denmark entering the NATO MRTT has been signed today, which means Denmark will cover the cost of two additional Airbus A330 tanker aircraft, which will significantly increase the range of 🇩🇰 combat aircraft in the Arctic/North Atlantic.

NATO at 75 and beyond: internal and external challenges Explore the article collection: NATO at 75 and beyond: internal and external challenges. Published in Defence Studies.

With the NATO summit in the Hague rapidly approaching, this is an opportune time to remind you of the Defence Studies latest special collection of articles: NATO at 75 and beyond: internal and external challenges

www.tandfonline.com/journals/fde...

NATO at 75 and beyond: internal and external challenges Explore the article collection: NATO at 75 and beyond: internal and external challenges. Published in Defence Studies.

With the NATO summit in the Hague rapidly approaching, this is an opportune time to remind you of Defence Studies latest special collection of articles: NATO at 75 and beyond: internal and external challenges

www.tandfonline.com/journals/fde...

Latest articles from Defence Studies Browse the latest articles and research from Defence Studies

Very excited to announce that our latest special issue - Defence Industrial Strategies of Small and Medium Powers: Challenges and Prospects- edited by Ash Rossiter, Çağlar Kurç & Martin Novella is now out as 2025 issue 2

www.tandfonline.com/toc/fdef20/2...

A tribute to Richard Bitzinger: the future ain’t what it used to be … The field of defence and strategic studies lost one of its most influential voices with the passing of Richard A. Bitzinger in October 2023. This tribute reflects on his pioneering contributions to...

The tribute to Ritchard Bitzinger should not be missed, althouhg he very much is!

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Defence Studies Defence Industrial Strategies of Small and Medium Powers: Challenges and Prospects. Volume 25, Issue 2 of Defence Studies

Very excited to announce that our latest special issue - Defence Industrial Strategies of Small and Medium Powers: Challenges and Prospects- edited by Ash Rossiter, Çağlar Kurç & Martin Novella is now out as 2025 issue 2

www.tandfonline.com/toc/fdef20/2...

As they continue to dissect the latest Shahed delivery, the engineers say one of their biggest worries is how the Russian drones are now being controlled. The newest models are unfazed by Ukraine’s electronic warfare, they say. This is because they no longer rely on jammable GPS, are driven by artificial intelligence, and piggyback on Ukraine’s own internet and mobile internet networks. The team say they recently discovered a note inside one of the drones they were dismantling—presumably left by a sympathetic Russian engineer—which hinted at the new control algorithm. The drones are controlled via bots on the Telegram social-media platform, the note indicated, sending flight data and live video feeds back to human operators in real time.

Holy crap that's fascinating. www.economist.com/europe/2025/...

Hegseth cancels Pentagon program. It was signed into law by Trump. The 2017 bill Trump signed into law was backed by two current Cabinet members when they were members of Congress.

It is hard to state in words how shortsighted this is and how one dimensional the thinking is behind such actions. www.politico.com/news/2025/04...

Starmer close to post-Brexit defence deal with EU after concession on fishing rights British firms will be able to access an EU defence fund after negotiators prepared to make concessions on fishing

🚨🚨 #EUReset: Starmer close to post-Brexit defence deal with EU entailing access to EU funds for British firms after concession on #fishing rights. #brexit🧵 www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

Absolutely shocking behaviour.

Pentagon fires Greenland base commander after she criticized JD Vance visit Actions to “subvert President Trump’s agenda will not be tolerated,” U.S. military warns.

A case of lawful but awful

www.politico.com/www.politico...

🌲 Transatlantic evergreen: US calls for European capability and responsibility. Calls for European independence end where interests of U.S. defence industry start…

NATO at 75 and beyond: internal and external challenges Explore the article collection: NATO at 75 and beyond: internal and external challenges. Published in Defence Studies.

Our latest special section is now out. Very special thanks to the guest editors and all of the contributors.
‘NATO at 75 and beyond: internal and external challenges’

www.tandfonline.com/journals/fde...

EU–UK Relations: Missing the moment in European Security? Why is it taking so long for the European Union and the United Kingdom to agree on a formal security and defence partnership?

ucleuropeblog.com/2025/03/26/e...

Looking ahead: imbalance, dependency and NATO’s uncertain future Throughout is 75-year history, NATO’s European and Canadian allies have had a dependent and uneasy relationship with the United States. The relationship persisted because the United States was will...

Full article: Looking ahead: imbalance, dependency and NATO’s uncertain future www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Moving beyond a ‘hollow concept’: realising women, peace and security at NATO under a Trump presidency NATO’s Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda has failed to reach its full potential and remains a “hollow concept.” While WPS has provided added-value across NATO’s tasks, it falls short of being ...

Full article: Moving beyond a ‘hollow concept’: realising women, peace and security at NATO under a Trump presidency www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

NATO professional military education at 75: rethinking the competency-development process How can NATO and its nations ensure that their military officers are properly prepared for the wars of the future? This question lies at the heart of the Alliance’s mandate to guarantee the freedom...

NATO professional military education at 75: rethinking the competency-development process: Defence Studies: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Aligning NATO’s partnerships with contemporary world politics The NATO allies often refer to the maintenance of the rules-based international order as their common foreign policy purpose. However, these same allies face great-power contenders and illiberal co...

Aligning NATO’s partnerships with contemporary world politics: Defence Studies:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

NATO enlargement: is the door still open after Finland and Sweden? NATO enlargement has had a far-reaching and positive impact on the European security order. Looking at Ukraine’s aspiration to join the Alliance, this article warns against closing NATO’s door and ...

NATO enlargement: is the door still open after Finland and Sweden?: Defence Studies: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

NATO and climate change In recent years climate change has become an issue for NATO. Notably, climate change features prominently in the 2022 Strategic Concept. It was not always thus. When NATO celebrated its 70th annive...

Full article: NATO and climate change www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

NATO and China: a mission too far? Since the late 2010s, China has become a prominent issue on NATO’s agenda. NATO’s Strategic Concept, adopted in June 2022, was the first to reference China, noting that Beijing’s “stated ambitions ...

Full article: NATO and China: a mission too far? www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....