Publications

Over the years, HCSS has built up an extensive archive of reports, monitors, papers and other publications. We disseminate the results of our research as broadly as possible to benefit the public good. Use the advanced search functions below to browse through our research library, most of which is available as free PDF downloads.

Library

Date

2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008

Search

Research Topics

Lessons from land warfare: One year of war in Ukraine

20 Feb 2023

What preliminary lessons can we learn after one year of war in Ukraine? After the Russian invasion, a large-scale and even nuclear war in Europe is no longer unthinkable, but European countries are only at the beginning of a period of rearmament and reconstruction of their defence apparatus. HCSS has focused on the land combat in this first analysis. Because the Ukraine war obviously has many dimensions, but it is still mainly about defending, conquering and reconquering territory in which the Russian and Ukrainian armies play the leading role. In this first study, wemake a number of important observations.

De toekomstige Nationale Inzet van de Krijgsmacht

16 Feb 2023

Hoe zal de toekomstige invulling van de nationale inzet van de krijgsmacht er waarschijnlijk uit zien? En welke (aanvullende) capaciteiten heeft Defensie daarvoor nodig zodat zij tegelijk kan blijven voldoen aan internationale verplichtingen? Het klassieke beeld van verdediging van ‘het nationale territoir’ is volstrekt achterhaald. De mogelijke dreigingen die op ons land afkomen, vereisen een gelaagde aanpak waarin verschillende overheidsinstanties, bedrijven, maatschappelijke organisaties en burgers allen een rol spelen. De krijgsmacht vormt daarbij een structurele partner in de veiligheidsketen.

Defending the Digital Domain: The effort to build a cyber resilient India

15 Feb 2023

As the largest and most diverse democracy on earth the struggle to keep the India secure within cyberspace and all other domains is significant. India is currently undergoing efforts to digitise its economy and infrastructure. Consequently, the number of users to be safeguarded by securitisation of the cyber domain is rising rapidly. To become an economically developed digital nation, India must therefore also adopt a holistic approach in tackling challenges to its cybersecurity.

Resilient and Robust: Climate-Proofing the Military for Increased Military Effectiveness

15 Feb 2023

Since the Ukraine war, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of climate proofing the armed forces as a precondition for operational effectiveness, rather than as a positive side effect. Energy security is now a priority of NATO and the EU. This HCSS report shows how new technologies can help armed forces reduce their carbon and logistical footprint, while maintaining - or even strengthening - their operational effectiveness. Better incentives for green innovation can help to reduce costs and improve operational capability at the same time.

Cognitive Effects in Combined Arms: A Case Study of the Division 2025

10 Feb 2023

The use of information technology not only changes the way people communicate but also how they fight. This makes it necessary to more effectively integrate so-called information activities into military operations. This paper provides advice on how to adapt military command structures, using the German-Dutch Division 2025 project as a case study, to use communication capabilities and specialised staff as a military tool.

Alternative Options to Strengthen Small State Deterrence in the face of new Great Power Competition

26 Jan 2023

Deterring aggression is a constant challenge for both small states and their larger allies and partners. This paper asserts that traditional concepts for small states’ defence and deterrence, such as “deterrence by insurgency” and non-offensive defence, are insufficient, and that instead, small states should be encouraged and supported to build up sufficient military capability that allows them to hold adversaries at greater risk. The paper ends with some policy considerations tailored for small states in Southeast Asia, like the Philippines, facing particular deterrence challenges.

Lessen uit het Landgevecht: Eén jaar Oorlog in Oekraïne

19 Jan 2023

Welke voorlopige lessen kunnen we leren na één jaar oorlog in Oekraïne? Na de Russische inval is een grootschalige en zelfs nucleaire oorlog in Europa niet meer ondenkbaar, maar Europese landen staan aan het begin van een periode van herbewapening en wederopbouw van hun defensieapparaat. In deze eerste analyse, met een focus op het landgevecht, komen we tot een aantal belangrijke observaties.

Capability and Ambition Mismatch in the Indo-Pacific: A Middle Power Strategy for the EU

19 Jan 2023

How can a middle power strategy in the Indo-Pacific enable the EU to pursue greater strategic autonomy? This snapshot by assistant analyst Stella Kim and senior strategic analyst Paul van Hooft argues that by analysing the strategies of prevailing middle powers in the region, the EU can improve its own approach in the Indo-Pacific and settle on one better suited for its capabilities.

Energy trade in the Netherlands | Past, present and future

17 Jan 2023

What does it take to be an energy trade hub? Using publicly available data, this HCSS report sheds light on the role of the Netherlands as an international energy trade hub. It looks back at the country’s development as an hub for oil and natural gas, and forward at the main characteristics of emerging commodity markets.

Emerging Disruptive Technologies in an Era of Great Power Competition

16 Jan 2023

While emerging (and) disruptive technologies (EDTs) play a critical role in generating economic prosperity, they also generate a bevy of challenges, posing both risks and opportunities. In the current competitive global environment, Dutch policymakers should seek to reduce the Dutch innovation ecosystem’s vulnerability to techno-nationalist practices and to improve its ability to compete internationally, while simultaneously seeking international cooperation to regulate the societal impact of EDTs. This report offers recommendations to policymakers of what can be envisaged as possible solutions.

Strategic raw materials for defence | Mapping European industry needs

10 Jan 2023

What raw materials are used to build next-gen aircraft fighters, tanks and corvettes? What is the supply chain risk of these materials? This new HCSS report looks at military applications and their components to map out the European defence industry’s raw materials dependence, as well as uncover the vulnerability of supply.

Hoe moet Rusland worden afgeschrikt?

3 Jan 2023

Om te begrijpen hoe Rusland kan worden afgeschrikt is het noodzakelijk om inzichten en concepten uit de Koude Oorlog opnieuw te bezien, in het licht van de huidige tijd met zowel duidelijke vergelijkbare als echt andere kenmerken. In deze HCSS studie trachten Rob de Wijk, Frank Bekkers en Tim Sweijs een antwoord te geven op de vraag hoe we met die nieuwe én tegelijkertijd oude dreiging moeten omgaan. Daarbij staat oorlogsvoorkoming door afschrikking centraal.

Maritime Road to 2030: EU’s Indo-Pacific Footprint and India

20 Dec 2022

Europe’s role in the Indo-Pacific has become a matter of strategic importance in global politics. China’s disruptive role in the region, especially with its hardening stance towards Taiwan and burgeoning relations with Russia, have forced a shift in the European Union’s (EU) outlook towards the Indo-Pacific. This policy paper by Jagannath Panda looks at the EU’s policy frameworks – like the MSS, Strategic Compass and the Indo-Pacific strategy – to understand their complementarities and impact on its presence in the Indo-Pacific domain.

Campusbeheerders en de Wet VIFO: Invulling van de wet veiligheidstoets investeringen, fusies en overnames voor campusorganisaties

19 Dec 2022

Een nieuwe stap in de wetgeving rond kennisveiligheid en strategische autonomie, de Wet VIFO is uitgebreid naar campusbeheerders. Wat voor effect heeft dit op de kennisveiligheid van Nederland? Birch en HCSS ontwikkelden een toetsingskader voor campusbeheerders.

Factsheet | Wiens open strategische autonomie? Verschillende perspectieven in EU-lidstaten

15 Dec 2022

HCSS analist Paul van Hooft gaf op 14 december 2022 een briefing aan de vaste commissie voor Buitenlandse Zaken over open strategische autonomie. Ter voorbereiding van deze sessie schreef hij de Factsheet “Wiens open strategische autonomie? Verschillende perspectieven in EU-lidstaten”.

HCSS Annual Report 2022

14 Dec 2022

As we find ourselves on the threshold of 2023, you might look back and assess the past year as being stressful and disrupting. If that’s the case, it is time to brace yourself. Our balancing act towards a multipolar order is going to become even more precarious and nerve-racking. This HCSS Annual Report contains food for thought, as we focus on some of the highlights of 2022 and on future developments. Through this we hope to look ahead to a brighter future beyond the gloom of the daily headlines.

Not one without the other: realigning deterrence and arms control in a European quest for strategic stability

6 Dec 2022

Neither arms control nor deterrence can be considered without the other; they are separated yet two sides of the same coin, Paul van Hooft and Lotje Boswinkel write in a new HCSS policy brief. The Ukraine war has put deterrence-by-denial and deterrence-by-punishment firmly back on the agenda, and it’s key for Europe to seek the right mix of deterrence, arms control & non-proliferation measures.

THeMIS firing, the UGV is armed with a .50 machine gun. Action photo taken during the live fire exercise in Bergen-Hohne, 2022.

Robotic and Autonomous Systems: From design to development and use in military operations

29 Nov 2022

Though long seen as the future of warfare, the application of Robots and Autonomous Systems (RAS) is relatively new and experimental in most militaries, including in the Dutch Armed Forces. In 2018, the Royal Netherlands Army established an experimental unit to explore the use of RAS and research key topics on the application of such systems by militaries. This article is a summary of the army's Concept Development & Experimentation (CD&E) plan and its research on RAS for Military use.

The EU Taxonomy explained

28 Nov 2022

The EU taxonomy for sustainable activities is a vital instrument in implementing the Green Deal. By establishing a common framework for identifying sustainable activities, the taxonomy can facilitate the scale-up and acceleration of green investments. This short explainer sheds light on the purpose and structure of the EU Taxonomy, and provides concrete examples of economic activities that make a substantial contribution to the six environmental objectives.

Position Paper: Chips, kritieke grondstoffen en Nederlands-Europese economische veiligheid

24 Nov 2022

HCSS China analist Joris Teer spreekt op 19 oktober bij de China Ronde Tafel van Commissie Buitenlandse Zaken van de Tweede Kamer, waar deze position paper zal worden behandeld.

The Hydrogen Accelerator Workshop | HCSS, VOTOB & VNO-NCW

15 Nov 2022

Green hydrogen is one of the key energy sources that will enable the Netherlands to reach net zero by 2050. In October 2022, VOTOB, HCSS and VNO-NCW brought together stakeholders of the emerging hydrogen supply chains. The Hydrogen Accelerator workshop aimed to facilitate dialogue and to speed up action.

Notitie: De Nationale Politie, gezagdragers en de wijkagent

14 Nov 2022

Het gebiedsgebonden werken komt bij de Nationale Politie steeds meer ter discussie te staan. Een belangrijke reden is dat lokale gezagdragers zich hebben moeten schikken naar de eisen die het beheer stelt, terwijl normaliter het beheer het gezag volgt. Daarnaast is er een structureel tekort aan wijkagenten. Beide kunnen het vertrouwen in de democratische rechtstaat ondermijnen. Deze notitie door Pieter van Vollenhoven pleit daarom voor een versterking van het gezag en de zichtbaarheid van de politie in de wijk.

Global Center on Adaptation | State and Trends in Adaptation Report 2022

11 Nov 2022

The Global Center on Adaptation "State and Trends in Adaptation Report 2022" offers comprehensive recommendations for action, based on new evidence that Africa faces a serious shortfall in funding for climate adaptation, even as costs of delayed action rise. HCSS senior strategic analyst Laura Birkman contributed to the report, as co-author of the Security chapter.

The parallel front | An analysis of the military use of information in the first seven months of the war in Ukraine

31 Oct 2022

The first 7 months of the war in Ukraine have reaffirmed that warfare does not only take place in the physical realm. Rather, in modern high-intensity warfare, an ongoing informational battle interacts with and impacts the behaviour of people on the ground. This paper looks at 7 case studies to map the ways in which Ukrainian and Russian narratives developed and interacted. In doing so, we attempt to disentangle the various information influencing tactics employed in the war thus far, as well as draw out key conclusions that must be learnt.

GDPR Consent

Your privacy is important to us. Here you can set which consent you are allowing us with regards to the collection of general information, the placing of cookies of the collection of personal information. You can click 'Forget my settings' at the bottom of this form to revoke all given consents.

Privacy policy | Close

Settings

GDPR Consent Settings

Your privacy is important to us. Here you can set which consent you are allowing us with regards to the collection of general information, the placing of cookies of the collection of personal information. You can click 'Forget my settings' at the bottom of this form to revoke all given consents.

Website Statistics

Website statistics collect anonymized information about how the site is used. This information is used to optimize the website and to ensure an optimal user experience.

View details

Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to ensure the website works properly and are neccessary to make the site function. These cookies do not collect any personal data.

View details

Forget my settings Deleted!