The Torch
Illuminating Security and Defence Issues
Welcome to The Torch, RKUSI’s curated roundup of timely and thought-provoking content from across the defence, security, and military affairs landscape.
Each edition brings together insightful articles, expert commentary, and notable developments—from Canada and around the world—that matter to our community of informed citizens, veterans, and professionals.
Explore the latest links and stay sharp on the issues shaping today’s strategic environment.
Great Power Competition
Russia
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....
USA
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....
China
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.
Emerging Technologies
Cheap drones are reshaping the war in the sky
8 April 2026
How the US is fighting a war without sending ground troops to Iran — and the inexpensive drones making it harder....
Railgun Being Fired By U.S. Navy Again After Abandoning It For Years
8 April 2026
The Trump class "battleship" has breathed new life into the Navy's railgun ambitions, which it previously shelved after hitting technical hurdles....
Caltech Team Finds Useful Quantum Computers Could Be Built with as Few as 10,000 Qubits
8 April 2026
Theoretical discovery opens the door to building quantum computers with significantly reduced resources....
Canada
Canada’s $150-billion challenge: How to build a homegrown defence sector and fast
8 April 2026
Ottawa aims to prioritize domestic companies for military spending, if capacity and procurement hurdles can be overcome....
A Steep Climb: Financing Canada’s NATO Commitment while Maintaining Fiscal Discipline
8 April 2026
...This Commentary investigates the fiscal implications of meeting the NATO defence target by 2035 and outlines the challenges higher defence spending poses to federal finances. It also looks at the federal government’s options to meet the target while maintaining a sustainable fiscal regime....
Cold front: Inside NATO’s race to secure the Arctic
8 April 2026
Canada is learning how to defend its vast, frigid Far North....
5 Eyes Partners
‘We’re f***ed!’ British Army brigade ‘destroyed by Ukraine’ in Nato wargame
8 April 2026
A team of just 10 Ukrainians counter-attacked the Nato forces 'destroying' 17 armoured vehicles and overwhelming their opponents....
Several trends are shifting defense tech toward Europe
8 April 2026
War, regulation, and distrust of the United States are tilting a big market homeward....
Measuring Lethality: Army Combat Power and Force Design
8 April 2026
This Research Paper addresses the utility of measuring lethality as a focal point in force design....
Podcast
Space Lords with Commander of 3 Canadian Space Division, Brigadier-General C.J. Horner
8 April 2026
Welcome to a new episode of Battle Rhythm,...In today’s feature interview, Steve speaks with Canada’s Space Division Commander, Chris Horner....
Associate Event
Lies in the Skies: Limits of the Drone Warfare Evolution and the Rise of Countermeasures
24 April 2026 -
Drones represent an evolution in warfare, not a revolution, and the full implications of drone warfare have not yet been felt. The ability to operate effectively despite drone threats is the necessary precondition for success and the reason counter-drone capability deserves even greater attention than drone capability itself. Battle-winning operations will continue to require modern, specialized platforms operated by increasingly informed, connected, protected, and adaptive personnel. Drones will be an important part of that future, but they will not fundamentally replace it.
Video
What makes quantum computers SO powerful?
8 April 2026 | 25 minutes
A sufficiently large quantum computer if built would be capable of undermining all widely deployed public key algorithms in a five to ten year time frame....