Liam Collins
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Articles by Liam Collins
Shanghai, 1937: An Urban Warfare Project Case Study
One historian wrote that it “presaged urban combat as it was to be waged . . . throughout the remainder of the twentieth century.” A journalist said that it was “as though a Verdun had happened on the Seine” or “a Gettysburg was fought in Harlem.” International media compared the siege of one building where defenders made a desperate last stand to the Alamo. It isn’t the Battle of Stalingrad. It isn’t Manila, Hue, Mogadishu, or Grozny.
Urban Warfare Project Case Study #17: Battle of Shanghai
Liam Collins, Jayson Geroux, John Spencer, and Amanda Zhao | 10.28.26 The Battle of Shanghai occurred from August 13 to November 11, 1937, and was the first major battle of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945). Following Japan’s invasion of Manchuria in 1931, the two countries engaged in periodic skirmishes. The deadliest of these was 1932’s “Shanghai incident,” in which thousands of soldiers and ten thousand civilians lost their lives.
The Pentagon’s New ‘Distinguished Military Colleges’
Click below to continue reading this story, discover more Pentagon stories from over 25 years of RealClear archives, or follow this topic to stay in the know. Liam Collins • The Wall Street Journal Joshua Segal • RealClearDefense During his September 30, 2026, "State of the Force" address at Quantico, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth unveiled Project Meridian, Project Agincourt,...
The Pentagon’s New ‘Distinguished Military Colleges’
A promising program for encouraging the development of young officers. The Pentagon last month designated five institutions as distinguished military colleges. Hillsdale College, Liberty University, Louisiana State University, Mississippi State University and Tuskegee University join the six congressionally designated senior military colleges in what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is calling America’s Corps of Cadets.
India’s Drone Army
The Indian Army is Fast Tracking the Acquisition and Fielding of its Drone and Counter-drone capabilities Read Full Article » Show comments Hide Comments
India’s Drone Army
During a recent research trip to India, we met with senior military leaders, defense officials, and researchers to discuss the lessons of Operation Sindoor, India’s four-day military operation against Pakistan in May 2025. India and Pakistan both employed a wide variety of unmanned aerial vehicles during the short but intense conflict.
AI workspace for agents that know your work and ask first
Hey Product Hunt, I’m Melissanthi, Senior Product Engineer at Mindstone. We’re launching Rebel as a Fair Source AI desktop app for agentic work. The reason we’re doing this now is simple: AI work shouldn’t be trapped inside one closed platform or one model provider. Rebel is built as a desktop workspace that people can download, run locally, inspect, customise, and connect to their own tools through MCP.
Synthetic data-driven deep learning for label-free autonomous atomic force microscopy
Abstract Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a widely used tool for nanoscale characterization across materials science, energy research, and biology. However, its adoption in high-throughput materials discovery and statistically driven studies remains limited by a strong dependence on expert operator input and by the scarcity of annotated experimental AFM datasets needed to enable data-driven automation.
The Battle of Kyiv and Russia’s Dashed Hopes for a Short War
Four years ago today, on February 24, 2022, Russian forces launched the invasion of Ukraine that had been anticipated for weeks. The forty-eight months of grinding, attritional war that has occurred since the invasion was not in Russia’s design. The Kremlin sought a rapid victory in the form of an assault on Kyiv that would have served as a coup de main, after which the entire country’s defenses would have crumbled and Russia would have been able to declare victory.
Mumbai Under Siege: An Urban Warfare Project Case Study
Sixty hours. That’s how long ten members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist group effectively kept the Indian city of Mumbai under siege after they beached their boats on the evening of November 26, 2008 and began conducting a series of attacks. A combination of factors contributed to prolong the attacks. The terrorists were better armed and equipped than Indian security forces that initially responded.
Urban Warfare Project Case Study #16: Mumbai Terrorist Attacks
Liam Collins, Jayson Geroux, and John Spencer | 11.26.25 Authors’ note: Many of the details included in this case study were learned during a 2019 trip to Mumbai by two of the authors, Liam Collins and John Spencer, during which they had the opportunity to interview Indian government officials, military personnel, and witnesses to the terrorist attack and visit key sites involved in the attack. The Mumbai terrorist attacks occurred from November 26 to November 29, 2008.
Hierarchical Token Prepending: Enhancing Information Flow in Decoder-based LLM Embeddings
arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website. Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them. Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs.
Meet Catherine Connolly’s clan - Ireland’s new first family
Meet Catherine Connolly’s clan – Ireland’s new first family Galwegians are bringing a wide range of interests to Áras — from boats and keepie-uppies to rollerblading Catherine Connolly with her sons Stephen (left) and Brian Thomas, after her election as Mayor of Galway in June 2004 Will Catherine Connolly (68) be the first President of Ireland to be found rollerblading around the Áras?
Inside the Battle of Shusha: An Urban Warfare Project Case Study
In the summer of 2020, when Azerbaijan and Armenia went to war over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, few observers predicted that the war’s decisive battle would be for the city of Shusha. It wasn’t the region’s capital, an economic hub, or home to a significant military garrison. But looking beyond its small size—its prewar population was just over four thousand—indicators of its significance were there.
Urban Warfare Project Case Study #15: Battle of Shusha
Liam Collins, Jayson Geroux, and John Spencer | 09.26.25 Authors’ note: Many of the details included in this case study were learned during interviews with Azerbaijani soldiers during multiple research trips to the site of the battle. Also of note, many cities and villages in the Karabakh region have both Armenian and Azerbaijani names. The authors have chosen to use the Azerbaijani names since the international community recognizes the region as being part of Azerbaijan.
Operation Cast Lead: An Urban Warfare Project Case Study
In 2008, Israel’s government had a problem. Since the unilateral Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005, rocket first from Gaza into Israeli territory had steadily increased. In 2007, Read Full Article » Show comments Hide Comments Related Articles
Operation Cast Lead: An Urban Warfare Project Case Study
In 2008, Israel’s government had a problem. Since the unilateral Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005, rocket first from Gaza into Israeli territory had steadily increased. In 2007, the year after Hamas took control of Gaza, there were 1,276 rocket attacks.
Urban Warfare Project Case Study #14: Operation Cast Lead
Liam Collins and John Spencer | 09.11.25 Authors’ note: Some details included in this case study were learned during interviews. Those marked with an asterisk (*) came from interviews with Yoav Gallant, the commander of the operation. Those marked with a dagger (†) came from interviews with an Israeli military analyst and historian. The First Gaza War occurred between December 27, 2008, and January 18, 2009.
What Is Strategy in War?
In both popular discourse and professional military circles, few terms are more misused than “strategy.” It is invoked to describe everything from battlefield maneuvers to national policy, often without clarity or consistency. As military historian Hew Strachan warned in The Lost Meaning of Strategy, the word has become so elastic that it risks losing all analytical value. Too often, strategy is confused with a plan, a clever idea, or even just decisive action.
Week-ish notes: 2nd May 2025
Yes, I’ve been a bit rubbish with weeknotes that last couple of weeks. This is mostly because this phase of the service patterns project has been hurtling along at full pace, as it reaches its denouement, so I’ve not had any spare hours in the day! But again, they’re called week-ish notes for a reason (my ultimate get-out clause when I don’t write them for a couple of weeks).
How Israeli Military Technology Continues to Improve the US Military
After the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the US Department of Defense undertook an extensive evaluation of the conflict, commissioning no fewer than 37 separate studies, including a still-classified seven-volume report on weapon systems. American military personnel walked the battlefields alongside Israeli commanders who had fought there, analyzing the strategies and technologies that enabled Israel to prevail against overwhelming odds.
Nagorno-Karabakh and the Battle of Hadrut: An Urban Warfare Project Case Study
When the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War began with an Azerbaijani offensive in late September, 2020, Armenia’s defensive plan centered on the Ohanyan Barrier. This complex and formidable system sat along the line of contact that had separated Armenian and Azerbaijani forces since the end of th4e First Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1994 and consisted of trench lines, minefields, antitank ditches, and other obstacles.
Urban Warfare Project Case Study #13: Battle of Hadrut
Liam Collins and John Spencer | 04.25.25 Authors’ note: Many of the details included in this case study are drawn from interviews with Azerbaijani soldiers conducted during a research trip to the site of the battle in March 2025. Also of note, while many towns and villages in the Karabakh region have both Armenian and Azerbaijani names, the authors have chosen to use the Azerbaijani names since the international community recognizes the region as being part of Azerbaijan.
Week-ish notes: 18th April 2025
Not much to report this week — I was only in for one day! But, pretty big news all the same: after a successful interview, I’ve been promoted to Senior Interaction Designer at the Centre for Digital Public Services. Yay for me! I’ve been a designer a long time, but this is technically this is the first time I’ve had ‘senior’ in front of my title.
Week-ish notes: 21st Feb 2025
Liam Collins · Follow 4 min read · -- Absolutely LOADS going on this week. Progressing the two projects we’re working on —exploring service patterns, and improvements to the CDPS website, speaking at the Leading Modern Public Services course, lots of learning and developing my knowledge in accessible design.
Urban Warfare Project Case Study #12: Battle of Kyiv
Liam Collins and John Spencer | 02.21.25 Authors’ note: Some details included in this case study were learned during interviews with Ukrainian soldiers and others directly involved in the Battle of Kyiv, including during five research trips to the country in 2022 and 2023. Those details are marked throughout the case study, attributed to interviews with soldiers (*), civilians (†), and senior military, police, political, and civil society leaders (‡).
The Aga Khan and Ireland – billionaire royal who loved the sport of kings
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Widower of RTÉ broadcaster Marian Finucane who led a life of drama, love and tragedy
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Week-ish notes: 7th Feb 2025
Liam Collins · Follow 3 min read · -- Hello there. Or maybe “Hello, world!” is more fitting — just like young Liam used to type while first learning to code. (I studied Graphic Design from 2004 to 2007, so I rode the wild-west wave of web design and learned several coding languages🤘). As fun as that era was, thankfully, things have evolved.
Taxing Master with a love of military memorabilia, history and venerable buildings
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‘It was glamorous, and we thought it would last forever’ – curtain falls on Paddy Cole, king of the swingers
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Morphological Characterization of Uranyl Fluoride Particles via Atomic Force Microscopy
Abstract Uranium hexafluoride (UF6) undergoes a rapid hydrolysis reaction when exposed to atmospheric water. In addition to producing hazardous HF gas, the hydrolysis reaction produces uranyl fluoride (UO2F2), a radioactive solid phase particulate material. Because of the technological utility of UF6 in the nuclear fuel cycle, understanding the transport properties of UO2F2 aerosol produced via UF6 hydrolysis is important for accident scenarios.
Paddy MacEntee, well-known, talented and feared barrister who skilfully defended those accused of the most heinous crimes in the State
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Paddy MacEntee, well-known, talented and feared barrister who skilfully defended those accused of the most heinous crimes in the State
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How a colourful Irish film director spotted the hidden talents of iconic James Bond star
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Sadr City, 2008: An Urban Warfare Project Case Study
In 2008, a surge in violence from an Iraqi militia called the Jaysh al-Mahdi—better known to coalition forces as JAM—broke out in Baghdad. It was, in part, a response to an Iraqi military offensive against the group’s fighters in the southern city of Basra. For months, attacks with improvised explosive devices and other weapons had dropped precipitously in the Iraqi capital.
Liam Collins Archives - New Eastern Europe
Text resize: A A Change contrast Terms of Use | Cookie policy | Copyryight 2024 Kolegium Europy Wschodniej im. Jana Nowaka-Jeziorańskiego 31-153 Kraków Agencja digital: hauerpower studio krakow.
The Second Battle of Fallujah, Twenty Years On
Twenty years ago today, on the evening of November 7, 2004, a small task force entered the city of Fallujah. Composed of a US Marine reconnaissance company, a Marine infantry company, a US Army mechanized infantry company, and an Iraqi commando battalion, the task force quickly secured a hospital and two nearby bridges spanning the Euphrates River.
Cross Country: Waunakee girls place 12th at State meet
The Warrior girls finished twelfth at the State Cross Country Championships this past weekend at the Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids. Neenah won the race, with Wauwatosa East finishing second and Slinger third. “The girls narrowly missed qualifying for state last season, so they set the goal to qualify as a team this year. They committed themselves to working hard during the offseason and made that goal a reality,” said head coach Heather Raffel. kAm“%96 8:C=D 4@>A6E65 92C5 2== D62D@?
Warrior girls win conference meet, boys place fifth
The Warrior girls won the Badger Large Conference meet in dominating style this past Saturday at Beaver Dam High School. The girls put all eight runners in the top twelve, easily defeating last year’s champion Monona Grove with a score of 27 points (score determined by adding the places of a team’s top 5 runners). Monona Grove finished second with 52 points and was followed by Fort Atkinson (60), Oregon (125), DeForest (153), Beaver Dam (172), Watertown (192), and Milton (214).
How Australia’s ‘most wanted man’ fled to Ireland and caused diplomatic mayhem
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Cross country: Berger sets new school record at Nightfall Classic
Under the lights on a cool October evening this past Friday, junior Emily Berger set the school record for girls' cross country at the Nightfall Classic in Lake Mills. Her time of 18:39.5 in the 5k race bested the previous school record, set by Reagan Hoopes in 2018, by two seconds. “It was really for a fun race. It was an energetic environment,” said Berger, after competing in her first ever cross country race at night.
MWI Podcast: October 1993
On October 3, 1993, US special operations forces launched a mission in Mogadishu. It was part of Operation Gothic Serpent, which was aimed at capturing Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. The mission was intended to be of a short duration. But things changed when, shortly after members of Task Force Ranger launched from their base, fighters on the ground began firing on US aircraft.
Council Post: The Bet On Open-Source AI: What Business Leaders Should Know
Liam Collins is the CEO and Co-Founder of Proxis, a cloud provider of cheap, fine-tuned Llama models. We are in the throes of a foundational model AI arms race, with the closed-source community dominating to date and Anthropic and OpenAI leading the charge. But in March 2023, something happened that shifted some of this momentum into the hands of the open-source community: Meta’s Llama LLM was leaked.
Cross country: Midwest and Portage Invitationals
Cross country split the team this past week, with half of the team racing at the Midwest Invitational in Janesville on Saturday and the other half racing at the Portage Invitational at Wyocena on Tuesday. At the Midwest invitational, the varsity girls placed eighth out of 46 teams, while the boys placed 33rd out of 52 teams. kAm“%9:D :D AC@323=J E96 =2C86DE >66E :? E96 DE2E6[” D2:5 9625 4@249 w62E96C #2776=] “(:E9 ce\da E62>D :?
Waunakee girls finish second, boys finish 10th in Smiley Invite
Despite what Warriors cross country coach Heather Raffel called “not our best performance,” the girls cross country team still finished second at the Smiley Invitational in Wausau on Saturday, Sep. 21. “We did not have our best performance this weekend, but we did well considering some tougher practices this past week,” said Raffel. “The fact that we still placed second shows the great depth we have on this team.
ESMA Call For Evidence On The Eligible Assets Directive
The European Commission ("Commission") has mandated the European Securities and Markets Authority ("ESMA") to provide technical advice on the review of the UCITS Eligible Assets Directive ("EAD"). ESMA has been requested to carry out an assessment of the implementation of the UCITS EAD in the member states, to analyse whether any divergences have arisen and to provide a set of recommendations on how the EAD should be revised to keep it in line with market developments.
AIFMD 2.0 And UCITS - ESMA Consults On Level 2 Measures And Guidance
The European Securities and Markets Authority ("ESMA") has issued consultations on draft guidelines and technical standards under the revised Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive ("AIFMD") and the Undertakings Collective Investment in Transferable Securities ("UCITS") Directive. Recent amendments to these directives aim, inter alia, to mitigate potential financial stability risks and promote harmonisation in liquidity risk management in the investment funds sector.
Using ESG or Sustainability-related Terms in Funds' Names: ESMA's Guidelines - May 2024
Following an 18 month wait since the publication of the European Securities and Markets Authority's ("ESMA") consultation on funds' names using ESG or sustainability-related terms, we now have ESMA's final report containing the applicable guidelines ("Guidelines").
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