Military Operations | Council on Foreign Relations

Military Operations

"The Houthis Have Defeated the U.S. Navy," or, What is a Navy For?

The mission of the U.S. Navy has for centuries been to keep the sea lines of communication open, but the United States is abandoning that task in the Middle East today.

Blog Post by Elliott Abrams August 31, 2024 Pressure Points
United States

A Conversation With Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) Christopher G. Cavoli

General Cavoli discusses the Euro-Atlantic Partnership, security challenges in the region, Russia's war in Ukraine, and his takeaways from the NATO Summit in Washington.

Event with Christopher G. Cavoli and Ivo H. Daalder August 15, 2024
United States

Silicon Valley and the Future of Warfare, With Christopher Kirchhoff and Raj M. Shah

Christopher Kirchhoff, former special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Raj M. Shah, managing partner of Shield Capital, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the efforts by the U.S. Department of Defense to incorporate cutting-edge technology into its operations.

Podcast with James M. Lindsay , Christopher Kirchhoff and Raj M. Shah August 6, 2024 The President’s Inbox

Experts in this Topic

Richard K. Betts

Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies

Stephen Biddle

Adjunct Senior Fellow for Defense Policy

Nathan M. Colvin

Military Fellow, U.S. Army

Thomas P. O’Donnell

Military Fellow, U.S. Navy

Jonathan Panter

Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow

Denmark

Danish Prime Minister Rallies Urgently Needed Support for Ukraine

Mette Frederiksen of Denmark discusses strengthening U.S.-European ties, stopping Russian hybrid warfare, and shoring up democracy via safer digital technology.

Blog Post by Linda Robinson July 17, 2024 Women Around the World
Japan

How Japan Is Viewing the North Korea-Russia Alliance

Russia’s expanding security ties with North Korea raise weighty foreign policy questions for Japan and complicate the geopolitical dynamics in the Indo-Pacific.

Expert Brief by Sheila A. Smith June 27, 2024 Asia Program
Indo-Pacific

Studying Landpower in the Indo-Pacific

The China Landpower Studies Center at the U.S. Army War College produces research and analysis of China's strategic landpower for U.S. policymakers and military leaders.

Blog Post by Richard Butler June 27, 2024 Asia Unbound

Military Operations

Sea Power: The U.S. Navy and Foreign Policy

The U.S. Navy’s dominance of the world’s oceans has made it an indispensable foreign policy tool and a guarantor of global trade, but a mix of challenges is raising difficult questions about its future.

Backgrounder by Jonathan Masters June 12, 2024
Russia

Leslie H. Gelb Memorial Event: Common Sense and Strategy in Foreign Policy

David E. Sanger discusses U.S. rivalry with the other two great nuclear powers—Xi Jinping’s China and Vladimir Putin’s Russia—the choices that lie ahead, and what is at stake for the United States and the world. This special event is being held to honor the memory of Leslie H. Gelb, CFR’s president from 1993 to 2003 and a dedicated member for forty-six years. Gelb modernized the institution to reflect the changing realities of the post-Cold War era, and was a passionate advocate of common sense and strategy in U.S. foreign policy.

Virtual Event by David E. Sanger and Michael Froman June 5, 2024
Burkina Faso

When Civilians Become Targets

Recurrent deadly encounters between soldiers and civilians across West Africa offer an instructive glimpse into the state of civil-military relations in the region.

Blog Post by Ebenezer Obadare May 22, 2024 Africa in Transition
United States

Strength Through Cooperation: A Conversation With Bipartisan Leaders of the House Armed Services Committee

Bipartisan leaders of the House Armed Services Committee, Ranking Member Adam Smith (D) and Vice Chairman Rob Wittman (R), discuss the interconnected nature of U.S. military support abroad and the imperative of diplomatic engagement with hostile actors for global stability.

Event with Adam Smith, Robert J. Wittman and Missy Ryan May 16, 2024
Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The President’s Inbox Recap: The Impact of AI on Warfare

Artificial intelligence will transform how wars are fought.

Blog Post by Michelle Kurilla May 16, 2024 The Water's Edge
Ukraine

What Does Putin Really Want in Ukraine?

Russia’s early setbacks in its invasion of Ukraine could have foreclosed on some of President Vladimir Putin’s sweeping war objectives, but he is unlikely to relent given the conflict’s momentum.

Expert Brief by Thomas Graham May 16, 2024 Europe Program
Ukraine

How Much U.S. Aid Is Going to Ukraine?

Nine charts illustrate the extraordinary level of support the United States has provided Ukraine in its war against Russian invaders.

Article by Jonathan Masters and Will Merrow May 9, 2024
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Few Options for Gazans as Israel Enters Rafah

An impending Israeli ground invasion of Rafah could threaten more than a million civilians seeking refuge in the city and further restrict humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

In Brief by Christina Bouri and Diana Roy May 8, 2024
Ukraine

Weapons of War: The Race Between Russia and Ukraine

The new U.S. aid package will reestablish a critical flow of weapons to Ukraine’s military, but the war will hinge greatly on which side can ramp up and sustain its firepower and troop numbers in the months ahead.

Expert Brief by Max Boot April 24, 2024 Diamonstein-Spielvogel Project on the Future of Democracy