2023 marks the 30th anniversary of the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program (SPP). The SPP, a Department of Defense security cooperation program, pairs the National Guard of every U.S. state and territory to one (or more) partner nations. Initially created following the collapse of the Soviet Union to aid transitioning central and eastern European militaries, the program has now grown to 88 partnerships with 100 nations around the globe. Not only does the program build long-term strategic relationships which enhance the military capabilities of partner countries, it also provides unique training opportunities for U.S. personnel to foster understanding of global security and international cooperation.Read more...

Many Western states subscribe to classic black-and-white soft and hard power interpretations. Russia, however, is employing a strategy of “hybrid” power that blends these two forms. Russia’s strategy enables a target state to employ the coercive effects of hard power that it receives in the form of military aid and economic resources from Russia, and as a result, this creates a soft power attraction for Russian influence and resources that draws in other states.Read more...

Wildfires are an important part of forest regeneration in Florida, but they are also a destructive and sometimes deadly force. As the state’s population grows, climate change intensifies, and land becomes more developed, wildfires will have a greater impact on Florida’s economy, residents, and infrastructure, including military bases.Read more...

In the short term, Russo-African alignment gives Russia access to critical resources and a means to evade sanctions while propping up corrupt, violent, and undemocratic regimes sympathetic or beholden to Russia’s geopolitical aims. In the long term, continued Russian political influence and economic meddling will envelop the Sahel and other African states into a loose bloc-like structure, opposing the West—in concert with the BRICS economies.Read more...

May is wildfire awareness month. As temperatures continue to rise due to climate change, hotter and drier conditions are ushering in increasingly destructive fires, especially in the American West. These fires are subsequently outpacing the funding and resources available to combat them. Similarly, rapidly changing conditions and varying ecosystems can hinder predictive capabilities. Each year, wildfires are causing billions of dollars in damages as worsening conditions due to climate change have extended the “season” past the historical five month periods to upwards of seven months. Read more...

While several of the DoD’s priority climate and energy areas are continuous actions, the seeds for enhancing readiness, strengthening installation infrastructure, and maintaining environmental stewardship have been in the works for many years. But to adequately prepare for climate change, much more investment is needed.Read more...

Climate and energy security remain at the forefront of U.S. foreign policy and national security. Both the National Security Strategy (NSS) and National Defense Strategy (NDS) firmly establish energy resilience as key components of U.S. national security. Congress has also passed key pieces of legislation which sent important signals to public institutions and private industry to pivot away from fossil fuels to create a new domestic clean energy system. To better understand the dynamics of the clean energy transition and their relationship to energy security and national security, ASP developed the Innovating Out of the Climate Crisis series, which focused on five industry case studies in the energy ecosystem: electrification, hydrogen, carbon emissions, agricultural technology, and hard to abate energy sectors. Through a series of webinars and written publications, ASP identified challenges, opportunities, and potential policy and regulatory remedies that can help implement clean energy policies, foster innovation, and facilitate a robust clean energy transition.Read more...

In conjunction with the invasion of Ukraine, Putin has intensified his war on information to justify domestic authoritarian actions that would otherwise bring about civil unrest. Putin sees the world's increasing interconnectedness as a threat to Russia. His restrictive information laws and detainment of Western nationals are part of a campaign to secure Russian society against "the outside." These authoritarian controls will continue as long as Putin and his entourage remain in power.Read more...

Last summer, the U.S. Department of Interior declared a drought emergency in the Colorado River Basin, and instructed the surrounding states to create a plan to reduce consumption. Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming were left to figure out the details on sharing and conserving the basin’s water. Having failed to reach a consensus, last Tuesday DoI released a draft environmental impact statement outlining two alternatives for apportioning two to four million acre-feet (AF) of required cuts.Read more...

Hard to abate sectors, including steel, cement, and chemical manufacturing account for approximately 30 percent of global carbon emissions. These heavy industries have immense heat and energy requirements and generate emissions from chemical reactions inherent in their manufacturing processes, making them notoriously difficult to decarbonize. But, with demand for these industries projected to grow in the coming decades, it is essential to find new approaches to cutting emissions from these industries.Read more...