Ejércitos Magazine | Focus

Point defense system of the USS "Carney" facing a Houthi missile

Hamas' war against Israel (VII): the Red Sea crisis

05/02/2024

Ten days after the Hamas attack on Israel, which opened a new chapter in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, Yemen's Houthis announced that they would attack any merchant ship suspected of having ties of any kind to Israel transiting off their coasts. A decision that has opened a new crisis in the Red Sea, with important consequences. Since then, maritime security in said sea, as well as in its approaches from the Indian Ocean, has deteriorated considerably, with a decrease in maritime traffic of close to 90%. Some of the largest commercial shipping companies in the world, such as the Mollers-Maersk group or Hapag-Lloyd, have decided to temporarily suspend the transit of their ships through the region, a decision that has resulted in delays and increased prices (including of insurers). (Continue…) Dear reader, this article is exclusively for paying users. If you want to access [Keep reading…]

Main world routes of submarine communications cables. Source: Submarine Cable Map

Geopolitics of submarine communications cables II

15/12/2023

Hawaii, Andaman and Nicobar or Diego García are just some of the best-known examples of islands and archipelagos that, due to their geographical position, play a leading role from a military point of view. In recent years, in addition, the growing importance of underwater communications cables has been added to this role, which pass through many of these formations, but also through others such as the Canary Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, which does not has only increased its geopolitical value. (Continue…) Dear reader, this article is exclusively for paying users. If you want to access the full text, you can subscribe to Ejercitos Magazine taking advantage of our offer for new subscribers through the following link.

The security of the seabed is an issue that is gaining importance in recent years, given the relevance of submarine cables and the emergence of new threats. Source - European Security & Defense

The seabed, a new space of interest and dispute

28/11/2023

During the second half of 2023, Spain assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union for the fifth time. Within this framework, it has been up to the Ministry of Defense to design a series of events and meetings in the field of security and defense with the objective of meeting the goals established by the Coordinating Committee of said ministry. Among all these events, it is worth highlighting the forum “The seabed, a new space of interest and dispute”, organized by the Navy and held on November 16 at the headquarters of said institution[1]. (Continue…) Dear reader, this article is exclusively for paying users. If you want to access the full text, you can subscribe to Ejercitos Magazine taking advantage of our offer for new subscribers through the following link.

Image provided by the Israel Defense Forces of one of the boats that were trying to infiltrate the coast (Source: IDF).

Hamas's war against Israel (III): the naval war

20/10/2023

In the early hours of the last day of the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, waves of Hamas militants assaulted the defenses of the Gaza Strip using paragliders, vehicles and speedboats. An assault that was followed by large volleys of rockets launched at several towns in Israel, all of which has served, together, to plunge the country into a new war just as 50 years have passed since Yom Kippur.[i] Although For obvious reasons, land attacks have grabbed the headlines, the war on the coast has also had its importance, although limited given the superiority of the Israeli Navy. However, what has happened in the last few hours, as well as the possibility of actors such as Hezbollah becoming more directly involved in the conflict, reminds us of the importance of naval forces and opens the possibility that the action [Keep reading…]

Image taken during the BALTOPS 23 exercise, the most important of those that take place in the Baltic. Source - US Navy.

Maritime security in the Baltic

26/06/2023

During these last years, the profound changes that the international order is experiencing have once again focused special attention on maritime power, as one of the main elements of the competition between great powers. Maritime security, even though it has been neglected in certain periods, has always been fundamental for European countries given the geographical configuration of our continent, little more than an appendix of the great Eurasian mass surrounded by seas and oceans. Europe is surrounded (clockwise) by the Arctic, the Baltic, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the North Sea. All of them are fundamental for the security of the continent, given that each of them has different geopolitical conditions and a different security panorama. Therefore, when considering the maritime-naval dimension of European security, it is appropriate [Keep reading…]

Main submarine cable projects in Spain. Source - Interxion.

Geopolitics of submarine communications cables I

20/02/2023

Underwater cables are the true arteries through which the most important raw material of our digital age flows: data. Economies and societies, especially the most advanced ones, depend on their security. The recent sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, which has revealed the vulnerability of some of the main underwater infrastructures, forces us to think about their importance and the need to invest more resources in their protection. Also to reflect on the importance of their control and the responsibility that comes with controlling the waters under which they settle, something to which countries like Spain should be particularly sensitive. (Continue…) Dear reader, this article is exclusively for paying users. If you want to access the full text, you can subscribe to Ejercitos Magazine taking advantage of our offer for new subscribers through the following link.

The new US National Strategy for the Arctic

30/11/2022

The Biden Administration has recently published – and with some delay – the latest National Security Strategy, also accompanied by the new United States National Strategy for the Arctic. Although its publication may seem insignificant at first glance, given that the focus is currently on the conflict in Ukraine, the truth is that the Arctic is destined to continue gaining prominence in the national security strategies of many countries during the coming decades. The evolution of the climate, the abundant resources and the presence and activities of countries with a coast (or not) on it, point towards a clear growth in its importance. (Continue…) Dear reader, this article is exclusively for paying users. If you want to access the full text, you can subscribe to Ejercitos Magazine taking advantage of our offer for new subscribers through the following link.

The new Maritime Doctrine of the Russian Federation

01/09/2022

On July 31, during the celebration of Navy Day, President Vladimir Putin approved a new Maritime Doctrine of the Russian Federation that lists the country's main maritime ambitions, a doctrine that for the first time emphasizes transportation maritime and international logistics centers, seeking to be increasingly global[1]. (Continue…) Dear reader, this article is exclusively for paying users. If you want to access the full text, you can subscribe to Ejercitos Magazine taking advantage of our offer for new subscribers through the following link.

Piracy decline in the Gulf of Guinea

28/01/2022

The International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Information Center reported 132 incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea against ships in 2021, the lowest figure recorded since 1994. And crew kidnapping fell by 55% in 2021. The reduction can be attributed to a notable decrease in piracy incidents in the Gulf of Guinea region (from 82 in 2020 to 34 in 2021). Where have all the Nigerian pirates gone? What are the reasons behind these figures? Is it Nigeria's passage of the 'Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Crimes Act'? Has hacking capability been significantly reduced by deployed units with the recent launch of Project Deep Blue? (Continue…) Dear reader, this article is exclusively for paying users. If you want to access the full text, you can subscribe to Ejercitos Magazine taking advantage of [Keep reading…]

The hidden naval war between Iran and Israel

15/09/2021

Against the backdrop of the United States' withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran announced by President Trump in 2018, since 2019 Iran and Israel have been waging a more or less hidden war that has moved to the sea. Both countries have attacked commercial vessels in the waters of the eastern Mediterranean, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Strait of Hormuz. Navigation in such waters has become more dangerous and part of a growing tit-for-tat conflict unfolding between Iran and Israel. The basis of the new Biden administration's policy towards Iran is to restore the nuclear deal. This could reduce tensions in the maritime sphere. Will the new US policy provide enough incentives for Iran to stop the uranium enrichment process? (Continue…) Dear reader, this article is exclusively for paying users. Yeah [Keep reading…]