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Category: Homeland Defense

Cover art for the podcast 'School of War with Aaron MacLean,' featuring two soldiers in combat. One soldier is standing and pressing a rifle down on a soldier lying on the ground, both wearing military helmets and uniforms. The background is a solid blue, with the title in large white letters at the top.

Aug. 13, 2025

INSS China Center Researchers join School of War Podcast

INSS China Center Director Dr. Phillip Saunders and Senior Research Fellow Dr. Joel Wuthnow are interviewed discussing their new book China’s Quest for Military Supremacy on the latest School of War podcast.

Four adults pose inside a museum or exhibition space in front of large framed images of Xi Jinping and a military parade. Two men stand together in the center for a photo, while a woman on the right takes their picture with a smartphone. Another man stands to the left holding a phone. Red Chinese characters and decorative murals with mountains and waterfalls surround the display.

Aug. 13, 2025

Dr. Joel Wuthnow quoted in NYT on challenges within China's military

On 10 August, INSS China Center Senior Research Fellow Dr. Joel Wuthnow was quoted in a New York Times story by Chris Buckley titled “Xi Looks to Tighten Grip After Scandals Shake China’s Military Elite.”

Illustration of two soldiers facing each other: a Chinese soldier on the left with a red background featuring the Chinese flag, and a U.S. soldier on the right with a blue and green background featuring the American flag. Bold text in the center reads “How to Preserve Peace.” The image is a thumbnail for a National Committee on U.S.-China Relations video discussing how the U.S. and China use deterrence to maintain peace, featuring INSS China Center Senior Research Fellow Joel Wuthnow.

Aug. 6, 2025

How the U.S. and China Use Deterrence to Preserve Peace

On 1 August 2025, INSS China Center Senior Research Fellow Joel Wuthnow appeared in a National Committee on U.S.-China Relations Faultlines video on “How the U.S. and China Use Deterrence to Preserve Peace.”

Promotional image for the "China Desk Podcast" by Federal Newswire, featuring host Steve Yates. The background is red with white and yellow text. Steve Yates is shown in a suit and tie at the bottom left. The podcast is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Aug. 6, 2025

INSS China Center Researchers join China Desk Podcast

On 5 August 2025, INSS China Center Director Phillip Saunders and Center Senior Research Fellow Joel Wuthnow appeared on the China Desk podcast with Steve Yates to discuss their book China’s Quest for Military Supremacy.

General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, Commanding General for the unified U.N. forces Aiding the Republic of Korea to repel the North Korean Communists, and a staff officer (right) inspecting a Communist tank, destroyed during the recent U.N. landings at Incho.

Aug. 1, 2025

The Variables of OPCON

The control rod logic, while not outwardly promoted by U.S. officials, had reemerged to shape the process around the status of wartime OPCON.

Image of a micro-UAV shown on China Central Television

July 30, 2025

Insect-Sized Microdrones: A Tiny Vector for Big Biothreats

Recent demonstrations by China’s National University of Defense Technology, aired on state broadcast CCTV-7, revealed mosquito-sized robotic micro-unmanned aerial vehicles that are approximately two centimeters long and weigh 0.3 grams.

Cover of podcast series by The Telegraph, "China’s military: How it went from obsolete to world-class."

July 28, 2025

China’s military: How it went from obsolete to world-class

Dr. Phillip Saunders and Dr. Joel Wuthnow join Battle Lines, The Telegraph's Defence & Foreign Affairs Podcast.

Cover of podcast series by The Telegraph, "China’s military: How it went from obsolete to world-class."

July 28, 2025

INSS researchers join Battle Lines Podcast on the Chinese military

Dr. Phillip Saunders and Dr. Joel Wuthnow (CSCMA) joined Battle Lines for a three-part series focused on the Chinese military.

Russian service members in uniform stand in a line while attending a base-closing ceremony in Khojaly, Azerbaijan.

July 24, 2025

Russia Is Losing Its Near Abroad

Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine is one piece of a broader campaign to restore a sphere of influence in post-Soviet Eurasia.

A black-and-white map of Europe and parts of Russia is overlaid with chess pieces. A prominent gold king stands in the area near Moscow, surrounded by toppled silver pawns, suggesting a geopolitical metaphor for dominance or conflict in the region.

July 16, 2025

INSS joins Power Vertical Podcast to talk rising tensions between Russia, Azerbaijan

In this episode of The Power Vertical Podcast, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Jeffrey Mankoff about rising tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan following a brutal crackdown and arrests on both sides.

Homeland Defense | March 10, 2026

From Theory to Policy: The Four Waves and U.S. Counterterrorism

This article examines United States (U.S.) counterterrorism policy through the lens of David C. Rapoport’s four waves theory.
INSS Around the Web | March 4, 2026

Neuromodulating Mammals for Military Operations: Ethical Responsibility ...

Research into consideration and possible utility of employing marine mammals in military support operations is nothing new. During the Cold War, the United States (U.S.) and Soviet Union employed dolphins and sea lions for detection, retrieval, and
China | March 2, 2026

Why Is Xi Still Purging His Generals?

The removal of PLA senior generals Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli in January 2026 represented the peak, if not the end, of a massive purge of the military leadership that began in mid-2023.
China | Feb. 25, 2026

Assessing Xi’s Unprecedented Purges of China’s Military: Key Development...

On January 24, 2026, China’s Ministry of National Defense announced that the military’s top general, Zhang Youxia, and the chief of the Joint Staff Department, Liu Zhenli, had been placed under investigation for serious disciplinary and legal
China | Feb. 25, 2026

The Danger in the Middle: Will Xi’s Purges Increase the Risk of War?

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has purged dozens of senior People’s Liberation Army officers since mid-2023, including two in January, but will this increase the risk of war?
INSS Around the Web | Feb. 24, 2026

Laser-focusing Defense Capabilities

Contemporary warfighting is undergoing rapid and profound transformation. As noted in prior analyses of disruptive technologies and future warfare, the convergence of precision guidance, hypersonic kinematics, distributed sensors, and iteratively
Disruptive Technology | Feb. 23, 2026

How AI Can Help Enforce the Biological Weapons Convention

President Donald Trump’s recent proposal to the United Nations General Assembly regarding the use of artificial intelligence systems to support oversight and enforcement of the Biological Weapons Convention represents a significant milestone in
China | Feb. 19, 2026

To Prevent a Great Power War: Conflict Prevention Efforts and Possibilit...

War between rivalrous great powers (GPW) often is not a deliberate choice.
INSS Around the Web | Feb. 17, 2026

The Recent Rash of Biotechnology Risks: A Call to Fortify Force Capability

The tools of modern biology such as state-of-the-art gene editing, modular DNA assembly, cell-free systems, benchtop automation, and AI-enabled formulation have distributed bioweapon capability beyond the skillcraft of traditional state laboratories.
Allies and Partners | Feb. 11, 2026

Beyond the Peninsula: What OPCON Transfer Means for the Indo-Pacific

On the surface, wartime OPCON transition can appear a niche topic, marked by a change in the leadership of the South Korea-U.S. alliance’s combined military command structure.