Shashank Joshi
@shashj.bsky.social
Defence Editor at The Economist.
Visiting Fellow at Department of War Studies, KCL. For speaking engagements: https://chartwellspeakers.com/speaker/shashank-joshi
Visiting Fellow at Department of War Studies, KCL. For speaking engagements: https://chartwellspeakers.com/speaker/shashank-joshi
Pinned
Shashank Joshi
@shashj.bsky.social
· Feb 13
Our cover story this week: reforming the Pentagon. www.economist.com/briefing/202...
Out in the Ladakh heights today, nearly up to a grueling and breathless 18,000 feet.
November 22, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Out in the Ladakh heights today, nearly up to a grueling and breathless 18,000 feet.
The stunning view of the Himalayas flying into Leh, Ladakh, at the very north of India. It got even better but photography is banned below 10,000 feet because of the sensitivity of the region.
November 20, 2025 at 5:06 AM
The stunning view of the Himalayas flying into Leh, Ladakh, at the very north of India. It got even better but photography is banned below 10,000 feet because of the sensitivity of the region.
Another highly insightful battlefield update from Konrad Muzyka. Russian drone use vs Ukraine's rear "has created a dynamic in which Ukrainian losses among logistics personnel and drone crews now exceed those among infantry" rochan-consulting.com/impressions-...
rochan-consulting.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Another highly insightful battlefield update from Konrad Muzyka. Russian drone use vs Ukraine's rear "has created a dynamic in which Ukrainian losses among logistics personnel and drone crews now exceed those among infantry" rochan-consulting.com/impressions-...
Reposted by Shashank Joshi
a “Space Force”, if you will
November 13, 2025 at 2:27 PM
a “Space Force”, if you will
Reposted by Shashank Joshi
NEW: @propublica.org investigated the Chicago apartment raid where kids were zip-tied and citizens detained for hours. They find:
- NONE of the arrested were criminally charged
- NO evidence the building was "filled with TdA terrorists."
- ZERO legitimate reason for DHS to rappel from a Blackhawk.
- NONE of the arrested were criminally charged
- NO evidence the building was "filled with TdA terrorists."
- ZERO legitimate reason for DHS to rappel from a Blackhawk.
November 13, 2025 at 2:08 PM
NEW: @propublica.org investigated the Chicago apartment raid where kids were zip-tied and citizens detained for hours. They find:
- NONE of the arrested were criminally charged
- NO evidence the building was "filled with TdA terrorists."
- ZERO legitimate reason for DHS to rappel from a Blackhawk.
- NONE of the arrested were criminally charged
- NO evidence the building was "filled with TdA terrorists."
- ZERO legitimate reason for DHS to rappel from a Blackhawk.
Politicised intelligence underpinning bad law. "The memo...is said to open with a lengthy recitation of claims submitted by the White House, including that drug cartels are intentionally trying to kill Americans and destabilize the Western Hemisphere" www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
Memo Blessing Boat Strikes Is Said to Rely on Trump’s Claims About Cartels
www.nytimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 10:20 AM
Politicised intelligence underpinning bad law. "The memo...is said to open with a lengthy recitation of claims submitted by the White House, including that drug cartels are intentionally trying to kill Americans and destabilize the Western Hemisphere" www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
What a sentence.
November 13, 2025 at 9:22 PM
What a sentence.
"what began as a way to increase the pace of deportations has come to look like a national police force, answerable to the president, that is at least as focused on bullying the residents of Democrat-run cities as it is on deporting undocumented migrants" www.economist.com/interactive/...
See how Donald Trump is creating his own police force
Immigration agents are operating in cities with few legal constraints
www.economist.com
November 13, 2025 at 9:45 AM
"what began as a way to increase the pace of deportations has come to look like a national police force, answerable to the president, that is at least as focused on bullying the residents of Democrat-run cities as it is on deporting undocumented migrants" www.economist.com/interactive/...
I wrote on the UK's reported suspension of some intel sharing with the US on legal grounds. I spoke to several former intel officials & all agreed that they could not think of a comparable case over decades. Some expressed serious concern over retaliation www.economist.com/britain/2025...
November 12, 2025 at 7:50 PM
I wrote on the UK's reported suspension of some intel sharing with the US on legal grounds. I spoke to several former intel officials & all agreed that they could not think of a comparable case over decades. Some expressed serious concern over retaliation www.economist.com/britain/2025...
"The United Kingdom is no longer sharing intelligence with the US about suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean because it does not want to be complicit in US military strikes and believes the attacks are illegal" edition.cnn.com/2025/11/11/p...
Exclusive: UK suspends some intelligence sharing with US over boat strike concerns in major break | CNN Politics
The United Kingdom is no longer sharing intelligence with the US about suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean because it does not want to be complicit in US military strikes and believes ...
edition.cnn.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:31 PM
"The United Kingdom is no longer sharing intelligence with the US about suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean because it does not want to be complicit in US military strikes and believes the attacks are illegal" edition.cnn.com/2025/11/11/p...
For Economist subscribers: a new episode of Inside Defence. I spoke to John Foreman, UK defence attaché in Moscow at the time of the invasion. We looked at the culture, strengths & weaknesses of Russia's armed forces, challenge of working in Moscow & much else www.economist.com/insider/insi...
How strong is the Russian army? | The Economist Insider
Shashank Joshi, The Economist’s defence editor, returns for the second edition of Inside Defence. This month he interviews a former navy captain who has been Britain’s military man in both Moscow and ...
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November 11, 2025 at 9:10 PM
For Economist subscribers: a new episode of Inside Defence. I spoke to John Foreman, UK defence attaché in Moscow at the time of the invasion. We looked at the culture, strengths & weaknesses of Russia's armed forces, challenge of working in Moscow & much else www.economist.com/insider/insi...
'After drones...appeared near Belgian military bases & airports...Defense Minister Theo Francken said some...were “deliberately mapping infrastructure...That’s espionage, likely carried out by professional pilots on behalf of countries like Russia”' www.wsj.com/world/europe...
Europe Is in a Gray Zone Between War and Peace
The continent’s leaders suspect Russia of being behind an intensifying barrage of increasingly disruptive attacks.
www.wsj.com
November 11, 2025 at 10:19 AM
'After drones...appeared near Belgian military bases & airports...Defense Minister Theo Francken said some...were “deliberately mapping infrastructure...That’s espionage, likely carried out by professional pilots on behalf of countries like Russia”' www.wsj.com/world/europe...
For anyone in Oxford, I am speaking to the Strategy, Statecraft, and Technology (Changing Character of War) Centre (SST-CCW) at All Soul's today at 1.30pm, on the topic of how we can best make sense of US foreign & defence policy.
www.ccw.ox.ac.uk/events/2025/...
www.ccw.ox.ac.uk/events/2025/...
Reflections on American foreign and defence policy by Shashank Joshi — The Changing Character of War Centre
Tuesday 11 November, 13.30 Old Library, All Souls
www.ccw.ox.ac.uk
November 11, 2025 at 10:11 AM
For anyone in Oxford, I am speaking to the Strategy, Statecraft, and Technology (Changing Character of War) Centre (SST-CCW) at All Soul's today at 1.30pm, on the topic of how we can best make sense of US foreign & defence policy.
www.ccw.ox.ac.uk/events/2025/...
www.ccw.ox.ac.uk/events/2025/...
"Gabbard’s agency, which coordinates among the different elements of the intelligence community, is advocating for legislation that would transfer significant authority over counterintelligence to her office and away from an FBI that her staff has portrayed as the home of a traitorous deep state"
Deep State still alive and kicking, ODNI says. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1... New w/ @qjurecic.bsky.social.
Tulsi Gabbard’s Quest to Bring the ‘Deep State’ Under Her Control
A memo circulating within the federal government lays out her office’s reasoning for wanting to transfer counterintelligence work away from the FBI.
www.theatlantic.com
November 8, 2025 at 10:56 AM
"Gabbard’s agency, which coordinates among the different elements of the intelligence community, is advocating for legislation that would transfer significant authority over counterintelligence to her office and away from an FBI that her staff has portrayed as the home of a traitorous deep state"
What makes a satellite a legitimate military target? Fascinating ICRC analysis. "a particular location in the GEO belt may have strategic significance during an armed conflict, as GEO facilitates continuous coverage over a particular area on earth" international-review.icrc.org/articles/hum...
November 7, 2025 at 1:44 PM
What makes a satellite a legitimate military target? Fascinating ICRC analysis. "a particular location in the GEO belt may have strategic significance during an armed conflict, as GEO facilitates continuous coverage over a particular area on earth" international-review.icrc.org/articles/hum...
Ukraine's strike campaign v Russian oil. "Refineries are still running, but with deferred maintenance, rushed emergency repairs, and a mounting backlog of safety and efficiency issues. The result is not collapse, but quiet degradation." www.foreignaffairs.com/russia/slow-...
The Slow Death of Russian Oil
Why Ukraine’s campaign against Moscow’s energy sector is working.
www.foreignaffairs.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Ukraine's strike campaign v Russian oil. "Refineries are still running, but with deferred maintenance, rushed emergency repairs, and a mounting backlog of safety and efficiency issues. The result is not collapse, but quiet degradation." www.foreignaffairs.com/russia/slow-...
Military medicine as a force multiplier. "A cross-national analysis of conventional wars since 1900 probes the plausibility of the argument and suggests a positive association between physician-to-population ratios and improved battlefield performance" www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Military Medicine and Military Effectiveness
Despite extensive scholarship on military effectiveness, the role of military medicine remains largely untested. We argue that robust medical capabilities improve effectiveness by preserving manpow...
www.tandfonline.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Military medicine as a force multiplier. "A cross-national analysis of conventional wars since 1900 probes the plausibility of the argument and suggests a positive association between physician-to-population ratios and improved battlefield performance" www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
"Western governments seem to be trending in the direction of recruiting young people to intelligence professions at younger and younger ages. For example, the CIA has a clandestine officer internship for students as young as 18" www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Smart new world: adapting human intelligence for the digital age
This article considers the impact of digital advances on clandestine Human Intelligence (HUMINT) operations. Despite the arrival and advancement of disruptive technologies, classical HUMINT tradecr...
www.tandfonline.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:35 AM
"Western governments seem to be trending in the direction of recruiting young people to intelligence professions at younger and younger ages. For example, the CIA has a clandestine officer internship for students as young as 18" www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
"In another alarming example of cover identities under threat, one elite special forces operator ... received a routine piece of mail at his home that had his correct physical address but was addressed to a cover alias that he had used abroad" www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Smart new world: adapting human intelligence for the digital age
This article considers the impact of digital advances on clandestine Human Intelligence (HUMINT) operations. Despite the arrival and advancement of disruptive technologies, classical HUMINT tradecr...
www.tandfonline.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:34 AM
"In another alarming example of cover identities under threat, one elite special forces operator ... received a routine piece of mail at his home that had his correct physical address but was addressed to a cover alias that he had used abroad" www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
"The authors argue that while emerging digital technologies present both new opportunities and challenges, they do not obviate the need for classical HUMINT. Instead, a fusion of traditional HUMINT tradecraft and emerging digital technologies is essential." www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Smart new world: adapting human intelligence for the digital age
This article considers the impact of digital advances on clandestine Human Intelligence (HUMINT) operations. Despite the arrival and advancement of disruptive technologies, classical HUMINT tradecr...
www.tandfonline.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:33 AM
"The authors argue that while emerging digital technologies present both new opportunities and challenges, they do not obviate the need for classical HUMINT. Instead, a fusion of traditional HUMINT tradecraft and emerging digital technologies is essential." www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Should the US use tactical nuclear weapons to deter conventional attacks on Taiwan? "It is highly unlikely that such a conflict would remain limited after U.S. nuclear use." www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
November 7, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Should the US use tactical nuclear weapons to deter conventional attacks on Taiwan? "It is highly unlikely that such a conflict would remain limited after U.S. nuclear use." www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
'America’s actions are strangely contradictory. If Venezuela is a terrorist state, why has the United States ended the “temporary protected status” of some 600,000 Venezuelan asylum-seekers and sent some back to the narco-jihadists?' www.economist.com/the-americas...
War looms in Venezuela as Trump tests an “Americas First” doctrine
A gathering armada risks repeating the mistakes of the “war on terror”
www.economist.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:15 PM
'America’s actions are strangely contradictory. If Venezuela is a terrorist state, why has the United States ended the “temporary protected status” of some 600,000 Venezuelan asylum-seekers and sent some back to the narco-jihadists?' www.economist.com/the-americas...
What the what now. "The United States is preparing to establish a military presence at an airbase in Damascus to help enable a security pact that Washington is brokering between Syria and Israel, six sources familiar with the matter told Reuters." www.reuters.com/world/middle...
www.reuters.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:50 PM
What the what now. "The United States is preparing to establish a military presence at an airbase in Damascus to help enable a security pact that Washington is brokering between Syria and Israel, six sources familiar with the matter told Reuters." www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Reposted by Shashank Joshi
I think the really odd thing is believing that you need hyper-expensive and comprehensive missile defenses to guarantee a second strike capability. Are you telling me he believes that in their absence, the US does *not* have such a capability? Hard to believe they really think this.
November 6, 2025 at 10:29 AM
I think the really odd thing is believing that you need hyper-expensive and comprehensive missile defenses to guarantee a second strike capability. Are you telling me he believes that in their absence, the US does *not* have such a capability? Hard to believe they really think this.
Reposted by Shashank Joshi
In confirmation hearing for VADM Correll as new STRATCOM head, part of mission of Golden Dome missile defense is to “guarantee a second strike capability.” A tall order since China’s current nuke buildup is already partly a response to such defenses. www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings/to-...
November 6, 2025 at 10:25 AM
In confirmation hearing for VADM Correll as new STRATCOM head, part of mission of Golden Dome missile defense is to “guarantee a second strike capability.” A tall order since China’s current nuke buildup is already partly a response to such defenses. www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings/to-...