By Steve Leonard, Modern War Institute: ““War is not an affair of chance. A great deal of knowledge, study, and meditation is necessary to conduct it well.”—as a rallying cry to embrace the intellectual pursuit of doctrine.Yet, still, we don’t read doctrine. Why? Well, it’s complicated.”
By Jörgen Elfving, Eurasia Daily Monitor: “The year 2017 will probably finally see the new landing ship Ivan Gren handed over to the Russian Navy. This vessel was long fraught with delays and mishaps on its way from the shipyard to the Ministry of Defense. In September, Russia will also hold the exercise Zapad 2017, which will almost certainly include a simulated amphibious landing. How this is accomplished, its size and the scenario will be of special interest due to the charged military situation in the Baltic Sea region. But it will also indicate something about Russia’s current amphibious capabilities, which are built on Moscow’s historical experiences from the Great Patriotic War and which were further developed during the Cold War.”