forces with land armies as part of joint warfare is a key aspect of effective power projection; airlift and sealift capabilities facilitate the deployment of soldiers and weapons to a distant theater of war. The aircraft carrier strike group, strategic bomber, ballistic missile submarine, and strategic airlifter are all examples of power projection platforms. Military units designed to be light and mobile, such as airborne forces (paratroopers and air assault forces) and amphibious assault forces, are utilized in power projection. Forward basing is another method of power projection, which, by pre-positioning military units or stockpiles of arms at strategically located military bases outside a country's territory, reduces the time and distance needed to mobilize them. Types Scholars have disaggregated military power projection into nine different categories based on political goals and level of force. Four of these employ "soft" military power (securing sea lanes of communication, non-combatant evacuation, humanitarian response, and peacekeeping) and the rest are primarily concerned with "hard" military power (show the flag, compellence/deterrence, punishment, armed intervention, and conquest). There is a § continuum in these capabilities. Soft power Examples of soft power projection include: Securing sea lanes of communication: the protection of shipping lanes from attack by hostile states or irregular threats. Non-combatant evacuation operations: the evacuation of citizens or friendly third-country civilians from a foreign country when they are endangered by war or civil unrest. Humanitarian response: the use of military forces abroad to assist in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Peacekeeping: military operations designed to support diplomatic efforts to reach a long-term political settlement to an ongoing dispute. Establishing trust, as the basis of cooperation among allies and partners Gray zone competition This section has been split from US Army Futures Command § Other armies The gray zone between cooperation and conflict has expanded due to the competition between the power projection capabilities of the world's armies, as well as the economic power of its nations. The US, Russia, China, Britain, and France have renounced the use of nuclear weapons in 2022, and going forward. However, in the face of threats of nuclear war (say from Russia, as threatened during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine), NATO keeps about 100 B61 nuclear bombs in storage in Europe. The British Army is investigating innovations, such as robots and drones, including 70 technologies funded by the £800 million (US$1 billion) Defence Innovation Fund launched in 2016.