Gary Cartwright
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Gary Cartwright
The Long and Lonely Shadow of Forgotten Conflicts
In the public imagination, the word “veteran” tends to conjure images of recent campaigns: dusty patrols in Afghanistan, convoys edging through Iraqi cities, or the grim televised briefings that accompanied those conflicts. Yet across Europe, Britain and the United States…
NORAD at the Edge of the Sky: From Cold War Sentinel to Modern Shield
High above the forests of Colorado, buried beneath the granite of Cheyenne Mountain, lies one of the most enduring symbols of the Cold War: the North American Aerospace Defense Command, better known as NORAD. Conceived in an era when the…
Britain’s Quiet Military Footprint in Ukraine
For much of the war in Ukraine, the West’s military assistance has been measured in shipments: convoys of ammunition, artillery pieces, armoured vehicles and drones dispatched across Europe’s eastern frontier. Yet wars are not sustained by deliveries alone. They are…
Britain’s Strategic Paralysis — and the Dangerous Illusion of Security
If the unfolding crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean proves anything, it is that Britain’s international standing now rests not on the steel of its armed forces but on the timidity of its political leadership. The spectacle of a government paralysed…
Counter Terrorism Officers Detain Trio in Intelligence Probe
In the early hours of this morning, counter terrorism officers moved quietly through addresses in London and Wales, executing a series of arrests that underline a growing and uneasy reality: the contest between Britain and hostile state actors is no…
Strategic Refuelling and Strategic Choices: Poland’s Defence Dilemma
Poland finds itself at a critical juncture in its defence procurement policy, grappling with a choice that illuminates broader questions about alliances, industrial autonomy and geopolitical strategy. At stake is not merely the acquisition of new tanker aircraft for the…
Shielding the Spear Tip: How Britain Could Defend Its Forward Bases from the Drone Age
The drone that struck RAF Akrotiri was small, comparatively cheap and — in the grim arithmetic of modern warfare — expendable. Yet it exposed something far more valuable: the vulnerability of Britain’s forward operating model in an era when unmanned…
Akrotiri: Drone Explosion on British Sovereign Territory Raises Stakes in Eastern Mediterranean
The stillness of the Mediterranean night was broken shortly before midnight when a drone exploded on the Akrotiri Peninsula — a stretch of land that is not merely adjacent to Britain’s military footprint on the island but forms part of…
Antwerp’s Strategic Shield: Belgium to Install Air-Defence at Europe’s Trade Nexus
When the Prime Minister of Belgium stood before representatives of the Port of Antwerp last week and announced the deployment of an anti-aircraft defence system by 2027, it marked a significant shift in how Europe’s critical infrastructure is fortified against…
Israel’s ‘Pre-Emptive’ Strike on Iran Raises Fears of Wider Regional War
Israel has launched what it has described as a “pre-emptive attack” against Iran, a dramatic escalation that has heightened fears of a wider conflagration in the already volatile Middle East. Early this morning, explosions were reported in Tehran, and air…