"AFA 2026: Secretary of Air Force and Chief of Staff of USAF discuss programs"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Zona Militar
21 September, 2026
"La USAF confirmó oficialmente en la AFA que EE.UU. ya posee armas desplegadas en el espacio"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Zona Militar
21 de Septiembre del 2026
"The Russia-China-North Korea defense partnership"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Modern Diplomacy
28 August, 2026
Published: https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2026/08/28/the-russia-china-north-korea-defense-partnership/
Understanding global geopolitics is complicated and challenging, especially today. Governments have complex relationships with each other at both the bilateral and multilateral levels. This situation certainly applies to the Russian Federation, the People’s Republic of China, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea). These countries have strong bilateral relations, but trilateral cooperation (or lack thereof) also needs to be considered. Given the war in Ukraine and tensions across the Asia-Pacific, defense relations between these three nations must be understood in this evolving landscape.
"Istanbul 2.0? Kazakhstan Steps into the Ukraine War Diplomatic Arena"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Geopolitical Monitor
Opinion
7 August, 2026
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has no end in sight, as military operations by both sides continue deep in enemy territory. The war may have become a new textbook definition of intractable conflict. Since first breaking out in February 2022, several diplomatic attempts have been rolled out to bring a peaceful resolution, without success.
Now Kazakhstan is throwing its proverbial hat into the ring.
"South American MBTs: upgrades and payload modernisation could shape procurement paths"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Land Warfare
Shephard
8 June, 2026
While South American geopolitics are complicated, the likelihood of inter-state warfare is low, calling into question the future of the venerable main battle tank.
"Operations in the Amazon: The Peruvian Military’s Riverine Operations"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Irregular Warfare Initiative
20 May, 2026
This article is a Focus Area self-published piece, and the content has not undergone standard editorial review. IWI hosts these pieces to facilitate rapid dialogue among practitioners, but the analysis, research, and original thought within the article remain the sole responsibility of the author.
The United States military is in the middle of a hard pivot to focus on the Western Hemisphere, as codified by the recent publication of the 2026 National Defense Strategy, which identified securing U.S. interests “from the Arctic to South America” as critical to its lines of effort. The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Operation Absolute Resolve was confirmation that the United States military will become more involved in South America. And if further evidence were needed, in January 2026, the Army redesignated the 1st Security Forces Assistance Brigade as the Army Security Cooperation Group – South, and it will take over the Combined Jungle Operations Training Course in Panama.
This increasing focus on operations in the Western Hemisphere will require closer integration with allies and partners in the region – as well as a better understanding of the region’s geography and how it shapes those allies and partners. This analysis will focus on the Peruvian military’s riverine operations, their importance, and their unique contributions to Amazonian military operations.
"The US military is expanding its efforts to modernise mortar technology"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Shephard
26 February, 2026
A growing push towards increasing mobility and lethality across forces can be seen in recent contracts and modernisation efforts, with advancing mortar technology playing an integral role in modern warfare.
"Jungle Thunder: A Multinational Approach to Improving U.S. Capabilities in Jungle Warfare"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez and Andre Carvalho
Americas Program
Center for Strategic and International Studies
14 November, 2025
A sizable U.S. Navy fleet continues to sail across Caribbean waters, hunting down vessels suspected of transporting drugs. Meanwhile, U.S. Marines have been deployed to Puerto Rico, where Cold War–era military facilities have been reopened. On November 13, Secretary Pete Hegseth announced via social media Operation Southern Spear, led by Joint Task Force Southern Spear and U.S. Southern Command, which will have the goal of “[removing] narco-terrorists from our Hemisphere.” At the time of writing, the general assumption in Washington is that targeted air strikes against Venezuela will occur. More extreme analyses have discussed a U.S. military invasion of Venezuela. The latter possibility is unlikely, given that the number of troops deployed (so far) is not conducive to invading Venezuela like the U.S. operations in Afghanistan in 2001 or Iraq in 2003.
Analyses of a hypothetical U.S. military operation with boots on the ground overlook one critical issue: jungle warfare (JW). U.S. troops in Venezuela would not just fight in Caracas or Maracaibo; they would also have to engage in jungle operations. JW is a unique type of combat, something that the U.S. military has not had to engage in (apart from select operations in Africa) since the Vietnam War. Fortunately for Washington and the U.S. armed services, there are many partners and allies in South America, whose militaries are experts at this type of warfare. In this analysis, the authors propose a method to improve the U.S. military’s capabilities and training in JW: the multinational exercise Jungle Thunder.
"Landmine Removal in Post-Conflict Azerbaijan"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Counter-IED Report
Spring/Summer 2025
P. 73-78
"Airbus outlines Logistics Connector plan and partners with L3Harris"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Air Warfare
Shephard
21 May, 2025
"Rheinmetall develops the UGV Mission Master for amphibious missions"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Zona Militar
17 May, 2025
"Rheinmetall desarrolla el UGV Mission Master para misiones anfibias"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Zona Militar
17 de Mayo, 2025
"Raytheon’s Barracuda completes anti-mine tests as company looks to expand role"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Naval Warfare
Shephard
11 April 2025
Senior US Army officers discussed the future of units, equipment, and strategies at the recent “Land-Based Fires in Large Scale Combat Operations” conference. The event, organized by the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), focused on how field artillery and air defense units will be organized in the future and what technologies the Army is developing or acquiring.
Major General Winston Brooks, Commanding General of the Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill, based in Oklahoma, provided some updates. “We are transitioning our regular Army rocket battalions to a 3×9 formation,” meaning three batteries with nine launchers, while the “Army National Guard will transition to a 2×9 formation.” The objective is to increase mass and lethality in large-scale operations.
Altos oficiales del Ejército de los Estados Unidos debatieron sobre el futuro de las unidades, equipos y estrategias durante la reciente conferencia “Fuegos Basados en Tierra en Operaciones de Combate a Gran Escala”. El evento, organizado por la Asociación del Ejército de los Estados Unidos (AUSA), se centró en cómo se organizarán las unidades de artillería de campaña y defensa aérea en el futuro y qué tecnologías está desarrollando o adquiriendo el Ejército.
El General de División Winston Brooks, Comandante General del Centro de Excelencia de Fuegos y Fort Sill, con sede en Oklahoma, ofreció algunas actualizaciones: “Estamos transformando los batallones de cohetes del Ejército Regular a una formación 3×9”, es decir, tres baterías con nueve lanzadores, mientras que “la Guardia Nacional del Ejército adoptará una formación 2×9”. El objetivo es incrementar la masa y la letalidad en operaciones a gran escala.
"Red Cat to begin Black Widow sUAS production in early 2025"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Land Warfare
Shephard
26 November 2024
Originally published: https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/landwarfareintl/red-cat-to-begin-black-widow-suas-production-in-early-2025/
"Climate Progress Hangs in the Balance at COP29"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Opinion
Geopolitical Monitor
12 November, 2024
Originally published: https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/climate-progress-hangs-in-the-balance-at-cop29/
John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy, will lead the US delegation to Azerbaijan to attend the upcoming COP29 climate conference which commenced on 11 November.
Other senior officials that will travel to Baku include Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, Assistant to the President and White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality Brenda Mallory and Acting Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Jane Nishida.
"Red Cat expands clientele to Australian Navy and US CECOM"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Zona Militar
11 November, 2024
Originally published: https://www.zona-militar.com/en/2024/11/11/red-cat-expands-clientele-to-australian-navy-and-us-cecom/
Red Cat, a producer of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS), had a busy October, as the company announced new contracts with the Royal Australian Navy and United States Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM), in addition to the presentation of its Arachnid UAS family.
Red Cat, un productor de Sistemas Aéreos No Tripulados (UAS), tuvo un mes de octubre ocupado, ya que la compañía anunció nuevos contratos con la Real Armada Australiana y el Comando de Comunicaciones y Electrónica del Ejército de los Estados Unidos (CECOM), además de la presentación de su familia de UAS Arachnid.
