All articles tagged with #think tank
The Pentagon has implemented new restrictions on media and outside engagement, including limiting press access and requiring approvals for interactions with think tanks and other groups, amid concerns over sensitive information leaks and internal criticism of leadership.
The Pentagon-funded Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) faces potential layoffs after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's cuts to the weapons testing office, DOT&E, which has halted work and led to funding losses impacting IDA's staffing and operations, raising concerns about the ability to fulfill congressional testing obligations.
UK voters are facing a potential "living standards disaster" as household incomes are projected to decline between one national election and the next, despite Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt's tax cut plan. The Resolution Foundation warns that this would be the first time since 1974 that household incomes would be lower at the end of a parliamentary term than at the beginning. The strain on public finances from COVID-19 spending and rising debt costs limits the government's ability to implement tax cuts or increase spending. The think tank predicts a 1.5% fall in household disposable income per person in 2024, adjusted for inflation, and an average decrease of £1,900 ($2,375) per household by January 2025.
Ukraine claims to have "completely defeated" the Russian 810th Naval Infantry Brigade for the second time, rendering them combat-ineffective. The brigade, based in Sevastopol, Crimea, was previously destroyed by Ukraine in April 2022. The heavy losses suffered by the brigade reflect wider issues faced by the Russian military, which has been experiencing "extreme attrition and high turnover."
Ukraine has likely achieved a significant tactical breach on the southern front, according to a report by the US think tank Institute for the Study of War. Ukrainian forces have been widening a gap in the frontline, but have yet to complete a breakthrough of the defensive layer with heavy armor and vehicles. This success follows a week of notable military actions, including the seizure of the village of Robotyne and the destruction of Russia's advanced S-400 air-defense system in Crimea. Ukraine's strikes on a Crimean naval base also dealt a serious blow to Putin's Black Sea fleet.
Former Austrian foreign minister Karin Kneissl, known for inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to her wedding and dancing with him, has announced that she has moved to St. Petersburg to establish a think tank. Kneissl, who faced criticism for her pro-Russia views during her tenure, stated that she relocated her belongings and ponies from Marseille to Beirut in June 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. She has now set up the Gorki center, which focuses on energy, migration, and new alliances, and has rented an apartment in St. Petersburg. Kneissl expressed frustration with the political climate in Austria and Germany, calling the animosity towards her surprising.
Former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl, known for dancing with Vladimir Putin at her wedding, is moving to St. Petersburg to lead a think tank she co-founded. The GORKI center aims to provide objective analysis and solutions to Russia's policy objectives. Kneissl has faced criticism for her close ties to Putin and her recent holiday in Russia amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. She also criticized Austria's behavior towards Russia, comparing it to "schizophrenia." Austria, while endorsing EU sanctions against Russia, maintains commercial ties and imports Russian gas.
Gal Luft, the co-director of a Maryland-based think tank, has been indicted on charges related to acting as an unregistered foreign agent, trafficking in arms, violating U.S. sanctions against Iran, and making false statements to federal agents. Luft is accused of conspiring to advance the interests of China without registering as a foreign agent, attempting to broker illicit arms transactions with China, and brokering deals for Iranian oil in violation of U.S. sanctions. He remains a fugitive after fleeing following his release on bail while extradition proceedings were pending.
Ukrainian forces have made "tactically significant gains" around the besieged city of Bakhmut, according to a think tank. The gains come as Ukraine undertakes its long-anticipated counteroffensive, while Russian troops are likely suffering from poor morale and limited ability to strike back. The UK Ministry of Defense stated that capturing Bakhmut was a rare victory for Moscow, but it is unlikely that they have many more reserves to commit to the battle. Ukraine's forces have also continued operations in other sectors of the frontline. The battle for Bakhmut has become a symbol of resistance for Ukraine and is associated with the Wagner Group and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Millions more people, including teachers and nurses, will pay a higher rate of income tax, as a freeze on income tax thresholds from April means more people will pay a 40% rate, in what the Institute for Fiscal Studies described as the biggest tax raising drive since the late 1970s. The number of people paying the higher rate of income tax will reach 7.8 million, or a fifth of taxpayers, by 2027-28, including more than one in eight nurses, and one in four teachers.
A think tank, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), has suggested that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, fabricated a press request regarding an alleged plot involving Russian President Vladimir Putin and a Russian official seeking to undermine Wagner. The ISW believes Prigozhin likely did it to bolster his own reputation and to further "the next evolution" of his "campaign against the Russian military establishment." Prigozhin has become a recognized figure in the war in Ukraine, and his forces were said to help Russia make battlefield advances.