WORLD WAR 3 RISK INDEX i

Global security dynamics this period feature heightened operational friction across key maritime chokepoints, critical energy infrastructure, and inter-regional defense alliances. Multi-theater linkages are visibly active: North Korean short-range ballistic missiles are once again deployed by Russian forces in Ukraine, while a new trilateral defense coordination mechanism bridges Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. Concurrently, regional disputes continue to threaten strategic maritime transit and energy nodes spanning the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, and the Black Sea, alongside persistent military posturing in the Taiwan Strait and on the Korean Peninsula.