Russia is continuing a slow but steady military buildup near its border with Ukraine as satellite imagery shows a 17 percent increase in the number of military structures used for storage and billeting troops outside the Russian town of Yelnya. Russia’s buildup comes on the heels of a spike in hostilities between Ukraine and Russian-backed rebels and is not tied to a military exercise—causing concern in Washington and some European capitals.

SOURCE: "Moscow’s Continuing Ukrainian Buildup" by CSIS's Seth Jones, Michelle Macander, and Joseph Bermudez Jr.

Since completing the construction of its artificial island outposts in the Spratly Islands in 2016, China has shifted its focus toward asserting control over peacetime activity across the South China Sea through use of its maritime militia—a force of vessels ostensibly engaged in commercial fishing but which in fact operate alongside Chinese law enforcement and military to achieve political objectives in disputed waters. Roughly 300 militia vessels are active in the Spratly Islands on any given day.

SOURCE: "Pulling Back the Curtain on China’s Maritime Militia" by CSIS's Gregory Poling and Harrison Prétat, China Ocean Institute's Tabitha Grace Mallory, and the Center for Advanced Defense Studies.

The European Union is facing a crisis on its border with Belarus as migrants, primarily from the Middle East, seek to enter the bloc outside formal crossing points with the help of Belarusian authorities. Nearly 4,000 people are living in makeshift camps near the Kuźnica-Bruzgi crossing point amid freezing temperatures and several deaths have been reported as a result of hypothermia.

SOURCE: "Lukashenko’s Failed Gambit" by CSIS's Andrew Lohsen.

The Marine Corps continues a major restructuring to develop capabilities for great power conflict in the Pacific after two decades of conducting counterinsurgency operations ashore. To pay for new capabilities and accommodate a flat budget top line, the Marine Corps cuts active-duty end strength on a path to about 172,000, the level before the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

SOURCE: "U.S. Military Forces in FY 2022: Marine Corps" by CSIS's Mark Cancian.