Using the model that has been built and written up – reliably, quantitatively and objectively describing the armed forces of the decided majority of countries of the world – using publicly available data published by institutions, such as the SIPRI Institute from Stockholm and Transparency International, we are now describing the armed forces of the European states, with particular emphasis on the current war in Ukraine.
One of the regions of the world where the risk of the outburst of a conflict currently seems high is the Far East. The strongest military power of that region, or rather the second most powerful in the world, is China. Its strength is growing rapidly, because two generations ago it was actually a third world country. However, it has been developing rapidly since around 1980, and the rate of growth of China’s GDP has frequently been in double digits. China’s GDP has increased approximately tenfold since then, and as China is also a huge country – demographically, one of the two most populous countries on Earth, alongside India – the effect of this growth has also been impressive and has globally changed the balance of power, including military power. So what does the actual military potential of the countries of East Asia and the Pacific look like now?
We are pleased to present a reprint of an interview with Dariusz Wichniarek, a former soldier and Captain of the Naval Special Operations Unit – Formoza (Polish Navy SEALs), and Vice President of Business Development at Advanced Protection Systems. APS is a Polish company and a global expert specializing in detecting and neutralizing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The company continuously develops its products through collaboration with partners from the United States and Saudi Arabia, as well as through practice gained during exercises with NATO allies and battlefield experience in Ukraine. The interview by Julian Nettlefold was originally published in “Battlespace C4ISTAR Technologies” no. 4(27)2024.
The Middle East is one of the most geopolitically unstable regions in the world, where clear civilizational, cultural, and economic differences emerge. The divide between technologically advanced Israel and the surrounding Muslim countries, along with the long-standing conflict currently escalating between Israel and Hamas, once again highlights the civilizational and military gap between the sides and the challenges posed by armed confrontation in a region full of tensions and political differences. It is therefore worth examining the actual military capabilities of the individual Middle Eastern armies.
What military potential do the armed forces of individual countries around the world actually have? Is it possible to assess which countries are preparing for war on the basis of publicly available data? Popular rankings usually use a method of calculation – of the number of soldiers in active service and reserves, the number of tanks, aircraft, guns, ships and other equipment. They are seemingly reliable, because they are numerical. But they can generate huge systematic errors because, in order for them to be more accurate, increasingly more details, which are difficult to evaluate and compare, need to be taken into account. So a rational, quantitative approach is needed, based on reliable, objective, quantifiable data. Therefore, it would be useful to build a model objectively showing the quality of the armed forces of the countries around the world, which is simple enough to be understandable and simultaneously useful to a large circle of analysts and commentators.
In early 2024, Hanwha Ocean Co. Ltd. proposed the construction of KSS-III type South Korean submarines for the Polish Navy, as well as extensive industrial cooperation with Polish companies during the implementation of the ‘Orka’ programme. The Koreans emphasize that this is not only about selling a submarine, but also about building trust and developing cooperation. And they have extensive experience in using the potential of submarines.
SektorObronny.pl talks to retired Brigadier General Professor Stanisław Koziej, former head of the National Security Bureau about why Poland is not in the NATO Nuclear Sharing programme, whether we have a chance of becoming its member in the future and how this should be done.
– Poland still doesn’t have a new political/defence doctrine. Our economy is also not prepared for securing the needs of war – says retired Major General Leon Komornicki, former deputy chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, president of the Fallen and Murdered in the East Foundation and member of the Euro-Atlantic Association, in an interview with the SektorObronny.pl portal.
In the second half of May 2024, Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Ministry of National Defense Republic of Poland Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced that the army is preparing a summer training program for young people, mainly high school graduates, who will have longer holidays. This could be the hit of this year’s holidays. We indicate why?
Why must the parochial way of thinking of some CEOs of the Polish defence industry change; should Polish Patriots should go to Ukraine; and does participation in the construction of the European “iron dome” air defence system make sense? – the SektorObronny.pl portal asked these and other questions of retired Lieutenant General Waldemar Skrzypczak, former commander of the land forces and undersecretary of state at the Ministry of National Defence in 2012–2013.
From the first days of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, nuclear weapons have come back into play. Russia has started to blackmail the West with its use. Putin is doing this effectively to this day, skillfully creating fear step by step. Consequently, Kiev is being advised not to attack targets deep inside Russia, and is not receiving long-range missiles. The Doomsday Clock warns of a nuclear threat.
As early as in 2021, academics from the University of Chicago forecast that, according to the famous symbolic doomsday clock, the threat caused by climate change and nuclear weapons mean we are only a hundred seconds away from disaster. This is 20 seconds less than in January 2020 and over a quarter of an hour less than in the early 1990s. Experts also warned that it was becoming increasingly difficult to develop control mechanisms related to this terrible weapon.