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
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...
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....
We wrote this week on Golden Dome, about which we still know relatively little. What's clear is that cost will be sensitive to the number of space-based interceptors. And that depends on the basic question: what scope of threat is this meant to tackle?
www.economist.com/interactive/...
www.economist.com/interactive/...
November 6, 2025 at 8:35 AM
We wrote this week on Golden Dome, about which we still know relatively little. What's clear is that cost will be sensitive to the number of space-based interceptors. And that depends on the basic question: what scope of threat is this meant to tackle?
www.economist.com/interactive/...
www.economist.com/interactive/...
Looks like extraordinary cowardice. "...following pressure from the Chinese state and a separate defamation law suit against the university, Sheffield Hallam decided not to publish a final piece of research by Prof Murphy and her team into forced labour." www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
November 3, 2025 at 6:29 AM
Looks like extraordinary cowardice. "...following pressure from the Chinese state and a separate defamation law suit against the university, Sheffield Hallam decided not to publish a final piece of research by Prof Murphy and her team into forced labour." www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Great addition to the seaside arcades in Scarborough. I've asked it about Venezuela plans but no luck. They are currently clean on OPSEC.
November 1, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Great addition to the seaside arcades in Scarborough. I've asked it about Venezuela plans but no luck. They are currently clean on OPSEC.
This strikes me as an abdication of responsibility. "Officers swear to constitutions, but constitutions cannot interpret themselves. If district judges cannot agree on the Constitution’s meaning, why pretend soldiers can?" warontherocks.com/2025/10/the-...
October 30, 2025 at 9:37 PM
This strikes me as an abdication of responsibility. "Officers swear to constitutions, but constitutions cannot interpret themselves. If district judges cannot agree on the Constitution’s meaning, why pretend soldiers can?" warontherocks.com/2025/10/the-...
Drove past RAF Fylingdales in the beautiful north Yorkshire moors today. Our little corner of future Golden Dome.
October 30, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Drove past RAF Fylingdales in the beautiful north Yorkshire moors today. Our little corner of future Golden Dome.
This is just golden.
October 27, 2025 at 9:15 PM
This is just golden.
Remarkable developments in the UK China spy case yesterday. What stands out is UK prosecutor saying deputy national security advisor 'would... not accept that China was opposed or hostile to the interests of the United Kingdom at the material time' www.google.com/amp/s/www.bb...
October 25, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Remarkable developments in the UK China spy case yesterday. What stands out is UK prosecutor saying deputy national security advisor 'would... not accept that China was opposed or hostile to the interests of the United Kingdom at the material time' www.google.com/amp/s/www.bb...
As usual for Jack Watling, this is a fabulously data & evidence-rich paper on what the Ukrainian battlefield looks like today. A pivotal role for drones & ground robots—but also for tanks, armour & artillery, each coming into its own at different moments in an assault www.rusi.org/explore-our-...
October 23, 2025 at 12:09 PM
As usual for Jack Watling, this is a fabulously data & evidence-rich paper on what the Ukrainian battlefield looks like today. A pivotal role for drones & ground robots—but also for tanks, armour & artillery, each coming into its own at different moments in an assault www.rusi.org/explore-our-...
Here's a sample piece of "journalism" from one of the "news" outlets that signed the DoD rules. Welcome to the new press corps.
October 23, 2025 at 6:19 AM
Here's a sample piece of "journalism" from one of the "news" outlets that signed the DoD rules. Welcome to the new press corps.
Our cover this week.
October 3, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Our cover this week.
"Red lights flashing for American democracy (again) when a former FBI director is indicted solely because the president is angry with his investigations. "The indictment, filed in Alexandria, Va., came over the objection of career prosecutors..." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/u...
September 26, 2025 at 8:27 AM
"Red lights flashing for American democracy (again) when a former FBI director is indicted solely because the president is angry with his investigations. "The indictment, filed in Alexandria, Va., came over the objection of career prosecutors..." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/u...
"Polling commissioned by The Economist...shows that 20% of liberals think political violence can be justified [v] 7% of conservatives & moderates...Liberals of all ages are more likely to condone political violence but those under 40 are especially likely" www.economist.com/graphic-deta...
September 22, 2025 at 6:26 PM
"Polling commissioned by The Economist...shows that 20% of liberals think political violence can be justified [v] 7% of conservatives & moderates...Liberals of all ages are more likely to condone political violence but those under 40 are especially likely" www.economist.com/graphic-deta...
Article Four has been invoked seven times in the history of the alliance. Turkey has used it most often in relation to wars in Iraq and Syria. This will be the eighth invocation. www.nato.int/cps/en/natol...
September 10, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Article Four has been invoked seven times in the history of the alliance. Turkey has used it most often in relation to wars in Iraq and Syria. This will be the eighth invocation. www.nato.int/cps/en/natol...
A good illustration of why the lethality fetish in this administration is performative in nature. There are types of lethality that have genuine utility for fighting and winning some wars. How many vertical launch tubes does your navy have? Then there is whatever this is.
September 6, 2025 at 5:37 PM
A good illustration of why the lethality fetish in this administration is performative in nature. There are types of lethality that have genuine utility for fighting and winning some wars. How many vertical launch tubes does your navy have? Then there is whatever this is.
Sunset on a hot & humid Tokyo evening, on the deck of HMS Prince of Wales, with the Royal Marines band playing.
August 29, 2025 at 9:48 AM
Sunset on a hot & humid Tokyo evening, on the deck of HMS Prince of Wales, with the Royal Marines band playing.
HMS Prince of Wales in Tokyo
August 28, 2025 at 9:37 AM
HMS Prince of Wales in Tokyo
Tokyo this morning
August 27, 2025 at 11:28 PM
Tokyo this morning
Thanks to @rorycormac.bsky.social for drawing my attention to the quote which opens the story. global.oup.com/academic/pro...
August 25, 2025 at 6:48 AM
Thanks to @rorycormac.bsky.social for drawing my attention to the quote which opens the story. global.oup.com/academic/pro...
What a truly remarkable coincidence that the target of the FBI's investigation into mishandling of classified information also happens to be a prominent critic of the president, one who was previously targeted by having his security clearance & secret service protection removed
August 22, 2025 at 2:00 PM
What a truly remarkable coincidence that the target of the FBI's investigation into mishandling of classified information also happens to be a prominent critic of the president, one who was previously targeted by having his security clearance & secret service protection removed
"Donald Trump intends to leave Russia and Ukraine to organize a meeting between their leaders without directly playing a role for now" theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
August 21, 2025 at 10:28 AM
"Donald Trump intends to leave Russia and Ukraine to organize a meeting between their leaders without directly playing a role for now" theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Did you actually bother reading the letter? They call for charges to be dropped. They oppose prosecution. It’s right there.
August 7, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Did you actually bother reading the letter? They call for charges to be dropped. They oppose prosecution. It’s right there.