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Military & Security

Policy Analysis on Military & Security

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A photo illustration shows US and Iranian flags and an atomic symbol - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
A New Iran Nuclear Deal Might Be on the Horizon
Washington can still avoid war, but not unless it balances blandishments and rewards with credible threats.
Jun 23, 2023
◆
  • Dennis Ross
A view of the beleaguered FSO Safer oil tanker in the Red Sea, off the coast of Yemen's rebel-held Rass Issa port in the western Hodeidah province, during operations to remove more than a million barrels of oil from the tanker vessel - source: Reuters
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Salvaging the Safer: The UN’s Plan to Avert Environmental Disaster in Yemen
Washington has done much to advocate and fund the crucial salvage operation, but now it needs to make sure the combatants do not turn the replacement vessel into another political tool.
Jun 22, 2023
◆
  • Noam Raydan
Articles & Testimony
How Israel Lost the Syrian Civil War
As part of its strategic blueprint against Israel, Tehran is prepared to pay a steep price to continue consolidating its military presence in Syria, and Arab normalization with Assad will not change that trend in the least.
Jun 2023
◆
  • Ehud Yaari
Army Day military parade, Tehran 2023
Maps & Graphics
In-Depth Reports
Arming the Revolution:
Trends in Iranian Defense Spending, 2013–23
A close analysis suggests the United States must adopt a broader strategy to counter Iran’s military ambitions alongside its nuclear ones.
Jun 14, 2023
◆
  • Henry Rome
Brief Analysis
Bolstering Saudi Arabia’s CBRN Defenses
The kingdom has substantial gaps in its ability to handle nonconventional attacks or incidents involving the release of hazardous materials, but addressing them now could improve both its readiness at home and its interoperability with foreign forces.
Jun 14, 2023
◆
  • Faris Almaari
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Regional Geopolitics and the Second Negev Summit
After months of delay, U.S. and Israeli government officials reportedly suggested that the second Negev Summit will proceed on June 25.
Jun 13, 2023
◆
  • Nashat Shawamreh
AK escalation
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Three New Facade Groups Launched in Iraq
Efforts are being made to create new brands for anti-American "resistance" on Iraqi soil, even as politically connected militias try to distance themselves from kinetic attacks on U.S. targets.
Jun 12, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
PMF troops in Iraq
Articles & Testimony
Washington Keeps a Watchful Eye as the PMF Consolidates Its Dominance in Iraq
The Biden administration’s low-key, patient approach with Prime Minister Sudani has produced some positive results, but the lesson of Hezbollah and the Houthis is that Iranian proxies tend to cement their grip over a state when left unchecked.
Jun 8, 2023
◆
  • David Schenker
Israeli Minister of Defense Benny Gantz - source: Israeli Ministry of Defense
Video
Brief Analysis
Israel's Challenges at Home and Abroad: A View from the Opposition
Opposition leader and former defense minister Benny Gantz discusses Israel’s domestic political challenges, the triggers for action against Iran’s nuclear program, the prospects of normalization with Saudi Arabia, and more.
Jun 8, 2023
◆
  • Benny Gantz
  • Robert Satloff
  • David Makovsky
Tunisian police guard the site of a terrorist attack - soucre: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
All Quiet on the North African Jihadi Front
Dwindling terrorist activity in the region stands in sharp contrast to sub-Saharan Africa, but changing local dynamics and other factors could revive the threat quickly.
Jun 6, 2023
◆
  • Aaron Y. Zelin
Muhandis Company Logo tight
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Arabic Original of Muhandis General Company Articles of Incorporation
PDF copy of the Arabic original of the February 26, 2023, articles of incorporation of the Muhandis General Company for Construction, Engineering and Mechanical, Agricultural and Industrial Contracting (hereafter shortened to Muhandis General Company).
Jun 5, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Muhandis General Company articles of incorpration front page
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Certificate of Incorporation of the Muhandis General Company
A translation of the articles of incorporation for a major IRGC-like firm run by Iraq's "resistance" militias.
Jun 3, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Fayyad says that PMF is 204k
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Extraordinary Popular Mobilization Force Expansion, by the Numbers
The PMF is growing fast by every metric, from budget to authorized manpower to training and economic programs, though militia leaders seem wary of highlighting this expansion.
Jun 3, 2023
◆
  • Amir al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Brief Analysis
Last Call for UNIFIL? Israel and Hezbollah in a 2006 Deja Vu
The exchange of threats between Israeli and Hezbollah officials is just one in a series of developments indicating higher risk of miscalculation and large-scale regional conflict.
Jun 2, 2023
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  • Assaf Orion
AK cover
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Ashab al-Kahf Seeks Recruitment Gains from Hints of Violent Operations
The group has been posting more theatrical messages to suggest it is a real armed "resistance" movement, but without any evidence of actual kinetic operations.
May 29, 2023
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  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Gulf of Aden Migrants
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Migration from the Horn of Africa to Yemen: Not Just a Passing Phenomenon
Though Yemen struggles with economic, political, and environmental issues of its own, more and more migrants are crossing the country's borders in hopes of a better life.
May 25, 2023
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  • Muneer Binwaber
Iranian military leaders Ali Akbar Ahmadian and Qasem Suleimani - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Iran’s National Security Council Shuffle Signals Business as Usual
The latest change followed the normal timeline for such appointments, and the new council secretary is a demonstrated loyalist who will presumably toe the Supreme Leader’s uncompromising line.
May 24, 2023
◆
  • Farzin Nadimi
Federal Police wounded at Speicher
Brief Analysis
Kataib Hezbollah’s Escalating Feud with the Iraqi Security Forces
The leading Iran-backed militia is increasingly picking territorial fights with military forces controlled by Baghdad.
May 19, 2023
◆
  • Amir al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Alex
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Ashab al-Kahf Claims Six-Year-Old Unsolved Murder of U.S. Soldier
The group stopped hinting and actually took credit for the 2017 murder of U.S. soldier Alexander Missildine, who was then supporting Iraqi combat operations to liberate territory from the Islamic State.
May 18, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
PMF logo on a Muhandis General Company combine harvester
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: The Muhandis General Company
By establishing this Iraqi version of an Iranian IRGC conglomerate, militias aim to quickly dominate the country's growing economy.
May 17, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Crispin Smith
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

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Supported by the

Military and Security Studies Program

The Washington Institute's Military and Security Studies Program has established itself as an unrivaled source of reliable, incisive, and forward-looking analysis concerning several of the most critical national-security challenges facing the United States today: The U.S. military role in the Middle East, Iran's nuclear program and its proxy armies, the ongoing conflict is in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, the regional proliferation of missiles and weapons of mass destruction, the security dimensions of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and many other security issues on the frontline of the U.S. policymaking agenda.

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Featured experts

Michael Eisenstadt
Michael Eisenstadt
Michael Eisenstadt is the Kahn Fellow and director of The Washington Institute's Military and Security Studies Program.
Michael Knights
Michael Knights
Michael Knights is the Jill and Jay Bernstein Fellow of The Washington Institute, specializing in the military and security affairs of Iraq, Iran, and the Persian Gulf states. He is a co-founder of the Militia Spotlight platform, which offers in-depth analysis of developments related to the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria.
Grant Rumley
Grant Rumley
Grant Rumley is the Goldberger Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where he specializes in military and security affairs in the Middle East.
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