The Torch
Illuminating Security and Defence Issues
Great Power Competition
Head of military’s space division warns Russia is considering putting nuclear weapons in orbit
8 April 2026
The head of Canada's military space division says the country "should absolutely be" concerned about Russia's potential capabilities amid global fears the Kremlin is considering putting nuclear weapons in place to target satellites....
How Chinese, Russian Arctic ambitions are fueling a U.S. polar icebreaker mission
8 April 2026
The once-impenetrable Arctic waters have become the latest battleground for sea dominance among military and maritime vessels, as increased activity by both the Chinese and Russian Coast Guard and naval ships in recent months has raised concern in the U.S....
If we can’t name China’s cyberattacks, we lose trust in ourselves
8 April 2026
In the space of just a few days, two big US tech companies took different approaches to China’s cyberattacks. Palo Alto Networks generically referred to a global cyber espionage operation by unnamed actors while Google specifically named China as the globe’s leading cyber security threat. That inconsistency hurts everyone but China.
Protracted Great-Power War: A Preliminary Assessment
10 March 2026
This study provides preliminary observations and insights on the character and conduct of protracted great-power war.1 It finds the U.S. Department of Defense is giving insufficient attention to preparing for such wars. While the probability of an extended great-power war may be low, the costs involved in waging one would likely be extraordinarily high, making it an issue of strategic significance for senior Defense Department leaders....
Russia in the High North: Russian Strategy and Escalation Risks in the High North After the Russia-Ukraine War
10 March 2026
In recent decades, the High North has played an increasingly important role in Russian strategic thinking. The region hosts an array of Russian military capabilities, including many of the country’s nuclear assets; provides a rich resource base for the Russian economy; and offers a gateway to strategically important sea lines of communication and transit routes that Russia expects will become increasingly contested because of the effects of climate change....
Xi’s Purge: End of Collective Military Rule
10 March 2026
Xi Jinping’s new Chairman Responsibility System ends collective military rule. The purge of top generals like Zhang Youxia cements absolute control over China’s armed forces.
Russia’s Grinding War in Ukraine: Massive Losses and Tiny Gains for a Declining Power
2 February 2026
Despite claims of battlefield momentum in Ukraine, the data shows that Russia is paying an extraordinary price for minimal gains and is in decline as a major power. Since February 2022, Russian forces have suffered nearly 1.2 million casualties, more losses than any major power in any war since World War II. At current rates, combined Russian and Ukrainian casualties could reach 2 million by the spring of 2026. After seizing the initiative in 2024, Russian forces have advanced at an average rate of between 15 and 70 meters per day in their most prominent offensives, slower than almost any major offensive campaign in any war in the last century....
It’s Time to Treat China’s Connected Energy Systems As a National Security Risk
2 February 2026
Electric vehicles, batteries, wind turbines and solar panels (PV) are no longer just mechanical assets—they are smart, connected systems. Their performance, safety and resilience depend on tightly integrated hardware and software designed together from the outset. But the same connectivity that delivers efficiency in products, and benefits to consumers, also creates new exposures for governments....
National Defense Strategy Prioritizes the Western Hemisphere, Shifts Burden-Sharing to Allies
2 February 2026
The Pentagon has released a new National Defense Strategy (NDS) that represents a shift in Washington’s strategic posture, placing renewed emphasis on homeland defense, bolstering U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere, rebalancing security responsibilities for allies and partners, and rebuilding the domestic defense industrial base....
Texas National Security Review
How a US “Suez Moment” Could Hollow the US Alliance System
4 January 2026
This article contends that while the United States still fields potent military capabilities, the narrowing military balance with China means that a future Indo-Pacific clash in which Beijing gains a regional edge is no longer implausible. Using the 1956 Suez Crisis as an analogue, the study asks how a public exposure of US capability shortfalls—an American “Suez moment”—would reverberate through Washington’s global alliance network. The article employs a five-factor theory of defense cooperation—covering three structural and two situational factors—to evaluate two post-setback scenarios. ...
CANSOFCOM Education & Research Centre
Understanding Hybrid Warfare: Great Power Competition and Conflict in the New Era
4 January 2026
... Of greater concern for Western powers is the fact that the warfighting doctrines of these actors are moving away from direct military confrontation. In fact, they have begun integrating strategic, operational and tactical operations into a holistic construct....
US and Chinese tech research is decoupling—ASPI’s Critical Tech Tracker
4 January 2026
Decoupling is well underway in critical technology research. A divide is emerging between China’s critical technology research ecosystem and that of the United States and its allies. The implication is clear: to varying degrees, policies adopted since late last decade to guard against China’s exploitation of research in democratic countries are having an effect.
THE FINAL FRONTIER: CHINA’SAMBITIONS TO DOMINATE SPACE
13 December 2025
China has embarked on a whole-of-government strategy to be- come the world’s preeminent space power. Beijing views space as a warfighting domain and it seeks to achieve space superiority as a cornerstone of its broader effort to establish information domi- nance—a prerequisite to controlling the battlespace and gaining operational advantage in future conflicts. To this end, China has rapidly developed, deployed, and operationalized advanced capa- bilities in space launch, satellites, and ground-based infrastruc- ture spanning its civil, military, and commercial sectors. These advancements are closing the gap in the strategic competition between the United States and China in space....
National Security Strategy of the United States of America -November 2025
13 December 2025
To ensure that America remains the world’s strongest, richest, most powerful, and most successful country for decades to come, our country needs a coherent, focused strategy for how we interact with the world. And to get that right, all Americans need to know what, exactly, it is we are trying to do and why....
China and Russia seek to deepen defence and security cooperation
12 December 2025
The deepening strategic partnership between China and Russia will affect the Indo-Pacific and Europe more than anywhere else. International tension and conflict will increase as countries in these regions reluctantly respond to this partnership. We should not cling to hopes that either China or Russia will moderate the other....
Time to Accept Risk in Defense Acquisitions
12 November 2025
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth launched enterprising Pentagon reforms that prioritize speed in acquiring new military capabilities, but this ambitious proposal is at risk of running into the same bureaucratic obstacles that have plagued past efforts.
China’s Aircraft Carrier Capability Just Made A Stunning Leap Forward
12 November 2025
China has simultaneously debuted its J-35 stealth fighter, J-15T fighter and KJ-600 radar plane operating from its first catapult-equipped carrier.
Europe-Russia: Balance of Power Review
12 November 2025
European countries can no longer avoid the "Russian question," as Russia has chosen war. They have the necessary potential—that is, the economic means, military capabilities, and technological expertise—to face Russia by 2030, provided they demonstrate the political will to do so.
Flamingos even things up a bit for Ukraine
13 October 2025
Last February, U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance launched a televised frontal attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House, telling him Ukraine had “no cards.” Zelensky should let Russia keep the conquered territories (about 20 per cent of Ukraine) in return for peace. Yet ...
The US Badly Needs Rare Minerals and Fresh Water. Guess Who Has Them?
13 October 2025
As China tightens its grip on critical resources, Trump eyes Canada’s riches