Jack Watling

'Indispensable – brilliantly grounded in first-hand experience and telling detail. Compelling' - Rory Stewart From top defence analyst Jack Watling, Statecraft reveals how states collaborate, compete and fight in this era of global turmoil. Why did Russia struggle in the early months of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine? Why does Israel ignore international pressure on Gaza? Why does the UK spend billions on aircraft carriers that it struggles to support at sea? How do smaller states shape world events when dwarfed by superpowers? The world today is gripped by conflict. Whether in Ukraine, the Middle East or Taiwan, we are in a period of intense power competition. In Statecraft, Dr Jack Watling takes you behind the scenes to meet the world’s powerbrokers in their wood-panelled offices, and the bunkers from which battles are coordinated. With a career spent on the ground in conflict zones, and advising generals and political leaders, Watling examines the dilemmas that states face to get ahead, no matter their size. From economic alliances and global trade to sea power and military technology, Statecraft provides a powerful new lens to understand geopolitics in a divided world.

From a leading defence and security analyst, Statecraft will unlock your understanding of how states collaborate, compete and fight in this era of global turmoil. Why did Russia struggle in the early months of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine? Why does Israel repeatedly ignore international pressure on Gaza? Why does the UK spend billions on aircraft carriers that it struggles to support at sea? How do smaller states shape world events when dwarfed by superpowers? The world today is gripped by conflict at a scale not seen since the Cold War. Whether in Ukraine, the Middle East or Taiwan, we are in a period of intense power competition. In Statecraft, Dr Jack Watling takes you behind the scenes to meet the world's power brokers in their wood-panelled offices and the bunkers from which battles are coordinated, and explains the mechanics behind these struggles for supremacy. Informed by a career spent on the ground in conflict zones, and advising generals and political leaders, Watling examines the crucial dilemmas that states face to get ahead, no matter their size. From economic alliances and global trade to sea power and military technology, Statecraft provides a powerful new framework to understand an increasingly divided world.

From a leading defence and security analyst, Statecraft will unlock your understanding of how nations collaborate, compete and fight. Why did Russia struggle in the early months of their full-scale invasion of Ukraine? Why does Israel repeatedly ignore international pressure on Gaza? Why does the UK spend billions on aircraft carriers it struggles to support at sea? How do smaller states shape world events when dwarfed by superpowers? The world today is gripped by conflict at a scale not seen since the Cold War. Whether in Ukraine, the Middle East or Taiwan, we are in a period of intense power competition. In Statecraft, Dr Jack Watling takes you into wood-panelled offices to meet the world’s powerbrokers, or the bunkers from which battles are coordinated, and explains the mechanics behind these struggles for supremacy. Informed by a career on the ground in conflict zones, and advising generals and political leaders, Watling examines the crucial dilemmas that states face to get ahead, no matter their size. From economic alliances and global trade to sea power and military technology, Statecraft provides a powerful new framework to understand an increasingly divided world.

The British military spent 20 years, between 7 October 2001 and 28 August 2021, fighting in Afghanistan. Considering the UK’s achievements against its objectives, defeat seems the most accurate description of the engagement’s outcome. How institutions respond to and learn from failure is a good measure of their effectiveness. In the British military learned over the course of the Afghanistan campaign many valuable and hard-won lessons. Such lessons have significant relevance to wider defence issues and should be studied specifically as they relate to British strategy and the tactical execution of military operations. There have also been lessons that still need to be learned. many rich and important lessons can be derived from a careful study of British operations in Afghanistan. Whether these and other lessons can be learned will be critical in determining the success or failure of campaigns well into the future.

From sensor-fuzed munitions and autonomous weapons, to ground moving target indication radar, laser vibrometers and artificial intelligence, the weapons of warfare are undergoing a rapid transformation, with modern technologies reshaping how armies intend to fight in the twenty-first century. The Arms of the Future analyses how the emergence of novel weapons systems is shaping the risks and opportunities on the battlefield. Drawing on extensive practical observation and experimentation, the book unpacks the operational challenges new weapons pose on the battlefield and how armies might be structured to overcome them. At a time when defence spending across NATO is on the rise, and conflict with Russia raises new questions of what it means to fight a truly 'modern' war, Watling examines not just the arms to be employed but how they can be fielded and wielded to survive and prevail in future wars.

From sensor-fuzed munitions and autonomous weapons, to ground moving target indication radar, laser vibrometers and artificial intelligence, the weapons of warfare are undergoing a rapid transformation, with modern technologies reshaping how armies intend to fight in the twenty-first century. The Arms of the Future analyses how the emergence of novel weapons systems is shaping the risks and opportunities on the battlefield. Drawing on extensive practical observation and experimentation, the book unpacks the operational challenges new weapons pose on the battlefield and how armies might be structured to overcome them. At a time when defence spending across NATO is on the rise, and conflict with Russia raises new questions of what it means to fight a truly 'modern' war, Watling examines not just the arms to be employed but how they can be fielded and wielded to survive and prevail in future wars.

Dominant narratives about the changing character of warfare and the revolutionary effect of technological advancement lack nuance and can ultimately be detrimental to the development of a defence capability fit for future purpose.

A new era of great power competition places a strategic premium on the efficiency with which states can pursue their aims. There is therefore likely to be an expanded scope for partnered operations. Partner force capacity building has a long history, with very mixed results, yet there is little historical memory in the institutions tasked with carrying it out. War by Others’ Means uses archival research, interviews with practitioners, and observation of capacity building to understand why states undertake it, how they should select, train and equip their partners, and how they should manage the generation and withdrawal of trainers.