Source Files · Files collected October 26 to November 1, 2026
This edition spans the spectrum from algorithmic power to boots on the ground: RAND's warning on AI's disruptive governance challenge opens the issue, followed by a maritime hybrid-warfare threat hiding in plain sight. From there we move to the human and institutional edges of strategic competition, private forces quietly filling gaps for USSOCOM, China hedging its bets in a live South Asian crisis, Russia's adaptive and brutal military culture, and India's concrete answer to contested mountains.
1. Settlement and Governance Behind the AI Frontier
RAND Corporation · 46 pages · AI and national security
A RAND perspective paper by former Navy Secretary Richard Danzig on the societal and governance implications of advanced AI. It frames AI's machine characteristics and the AGI race as sources of potential 'wonder weapons' and enduring strategic advantage. Headline finding: The pursuit of Artificial General Intelligence and Recursive Self-Improvement is framed as a race for strategic advantage that could yield wonder weapons and global dominance. (p. 26)
Library page · Original source
2. Emerging Maritime Threats in Global Geopolitics: GPS Spoofing as a Tool of Hybrid Warfare in Strategic Maritime Chokepoints
Research Square · 21 pages · Mar 19, 2026 · Maritime hybrid warfare
A study documenting GPS spoofing attacks by state actors against civilian maritime targets in strategic chokepoints. Spoofing sophistication and frequency have risen sharply, signaling systematic state investment in electronic warfare against global shipping. Headline finding: The sophistication and frequency of GPS spoofing attacks have dramatically increased, indicating systematic investment in advanced electronic warfare capabilities. (p. 16)
Library page · Original source
The two files above are free. The next four are where this week gets interesting.
3. ACCEPTABILITY OF USSOCOM EMPLOYMENT OF PRIVATE FORCE IN STRATEGIC COMPETITION (Nps Calhoun). Who gets to wear the uniform when the mission can't officially exist?
4. “STRATEGIC BROTHERHOOD IN CRISIS: CHINA'S DIPLOMATIC, ECONOMIC, AND MILITARY POSTURE IN THE PAKISTAN-INDIA CONFLICT (2025) (Policyrj). How much does $30 billion in debt buy you in a shooting war?
5. European Political and Law Discourse (2025), 12, 6 (EPPD). What happens to an army when hazing becomes a management system?
6. Border Security and Strategic Infrastructure: National Defence in High-Altitude Conflict Zones with Special Reference to India (Gengpi Journal). Can a tunnel do the work of a treaty?