Recent Publications

Added February 22, 2019

What Next for Russia’s Front-Line States?

Authored by Mr. Keir Giles.
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This Letort Paper examines the continuity and the changes in the foreign policy posture of Russia’s front-line states following intervention in Ukraine in 2014.
Added February 15, 2019

Implications of Service Cyberspace Component Commands for Army Cyberspace Operations

Authored by Mr. Jeffrey L. Caton.
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The first 7 years of U.S. Cyber Command operations are paved with milestones that mark the steady operationalization of modern cyberspace as the newest domain of military conflict as well as a realm of international power. The creation of the Cyber Mission Force and Joint Force Headquarters-Cyber are significant steps toward improving the timeliness and effectiveness of cyberspace operations that directly support combatant commands and the whole-of-government responses to cyberspace threats. It focuses on the central question: “What is the context in which different military services approach cyberspace component operations internally as well as with the Department of Defense?”
Added February 11, 2019

Contemporary Chemical Weapons Use in Syria and Iraq by the Assad Regime and the Islamic State

Authored by Dr. Robert J. Bunker.
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This monograph focuses on an understudied, yet a critically important and timely, component of land warfare related to the battlefield use of chemical weapons by contemporary threat forces. It provides an overview of the Assad Regime’s and the Islamic State’s chemical warfare capabilities and analyzes their respective use of chemical weapons in Syria and Iraq. It then provides lessons learned that will serve to influence U.S. Army policy and planning considerations vis-à-vis its support of Joint Force implementation of National Command Authority guidance.
Added January 31, 2019

Examining the Roles of Army Reserve Component Forces in Military Cyberspace Operations

Authored by Mr. Jeffrey L. Caton.
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Cyberspace operations have become pervasive in the United States, and they enable many aspects of modern life for the average citizen, such as entertainment, communication, education, transportation, banking, and voting. The continuing development of the U.S. Army and Department of Defense (DoD) Reserve component cyberspace units can leverage the capabilities and experience of industry and academia to help protect critical information infrastructure and enhance national security. What opportunities and challenges surround the integration of these forces into a still-evolving joint cyberspace force?
Added January 29, 2019

Scenario Planning and Strategy in the Pentagon

Authored by Dr. Michael Fitzsimmons.
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Scenario planning is an important tool for defense strategy and force development, but numerous conceptual and bureaucratic obstacles have limited its influence over time. This monograph examines the recent history and challenges of scenario planning in the Pentagon and offers recommendations to improve its effectiveness.
Added January 17, 2019

The U.S. Army in the Iraq War – Volume 1: Invasion – Insurgency – Civil War, 2003-2006

Edited by COL Joel D. Rayburn, COL Frank K. Sobchak.
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Originally commissioned by Chief of Staff of the Army General Raymond T. Odierno, The U.S. Army in the Iraq War is the Army’s interim examination of military operations in Iraq from 2003 to 2011. This study, published in two volumes, is a narrative history that tells the story of U.S. forces in Iraq, mainly from the perspective of the theater command in Baghdad and the operational commands immediately subordinate to it. It focuses at the operational level of war, exploring the decisions and intent of the senior three- and four-star commanders and how these decisions effected the course of the war over time. This work was built from over 30,000 pages of previously unavailable declassified documents and hundreds of hours of interviews with senior defense leaders. While the Army will eventually publish a comprehensive, official “Green Book” history that describes Operation IRAQI FREEDOM in greater depth, this study is being released now in order that key lessons, insights, and innovations from this period of the conflict are available to the next generation of Soldiers and leaders to study, learn from, and adapt to ensure the future readiness of our Army and the Joint Force.

Added January 17, 2019

The U.S. Army in the Iraq War – Volume 2: Surge and Withdrawal, 2007-2011

Edited by COL Joel D. Rayburn, COL Frank K. Sobchak.
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Originally commissioned by Chief of Staff of the Army General Raymond T. Odierno, The U.S. Army in the Iraq War is the Army’s interim examination of military operations in Iraq from 2003 to 2011. This study, published in two volumes, is a narrative history that tells the story of U.S. forces in Iraq, mainly from the perspective of the theater command in Baghdad and the operational commands immediately subordinate to it. It focuses at the operational level of war, exploring the decisions and intent of the senior three- and four-star commanders and how these decisions effected the course of the war over time. This work was built from over 30,000 pages of previously unavailable declassified documents and hundreds of hours of interviews with senior defense leaders. While the Army will eventually publish a comprehensive, official “Green Book” history that describes Operation IRAQI FREEDOM in greater depth, this study is being released now in order that key lessons, insights, and innovations from this period of the conflict are available to the next generation of Soldiers and leaders to study, learn from, and adapt to ensure the future readiness of our Army and the Joint Force.

Added November 15, 2018

Maneuvering the Saudi-Iranian Rivalry in the Middle East: How the United States Can Preserve and Protect Its Long-Term Interests in the Region

Authored by Mr. Gregory Aftandilian.
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This monograph examines the conflicts in the Middle East region between Saudi Arabia and Iran and the so-called proxy wars that are being fought between them, and discusses ways that the United States needs to maneuver carefully in this struggle to preserve its long-term interests in the area. Although Washington has political, economic, and strategic equities with Riyadh, it needs to think carefully about being perceived as engaging in sectarian strife that would alienate Shia allies in Iraq, show bias in its human rights policy, and anger millions of Iranian young people who want better relations with the United States.

Added November 05, 2018

Creating Great Expectations: Strategic Communications and American Airpower

Authored by Dr. Conrad C. Crane.
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Americans have always been uniquely attracted to airpower, a fact that has been successfully exploited by generations of U.S. Air Force leaders in information campaigns. But as a result, the nation has often entered conflicts with exorbitant expectations about what airpower could actually accomplish, creating unique challenges in strategic communications when promises did not match reality, especially in recent conflicts. Adaptive enemies have also become very adept at using their own carefully crafted information campaigns to counter what is America’s greatest asymmetric advantage on the battlefield.

Added October 23, 2018

Silent Partners: Organized Crime, Irregular Groups, and Nation-States

Authored by Dr. Shima D. Keene.
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This monograph provides an assessment of the threat posed by the partnership between criminal organizations, irregular groups, and nation-states to U.S. national security interests, and recommends ways in which it can be countered by the U.S. Army.

Added October 18, 2018

Assessing the Collective Security Treaty Organization: Capabilities and Vulnerabilities

Authored by Dr. Richard Weitz.
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The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has become the most important multilateral defense structure in the former Soviet Union and is an essential instrument in Russia’s resurgence. CSTO has expanded its missions, authorities, and capabilities. However, it faces both internal and external challenges, especially debilitating divisions among its members.

Added October 03, 2018

Maintaining Information Dominance in Complex Environments

Authored by Dr. John A. S. Ardis, Dr. Shima D. Keene.
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The monograph suggests a risk-based approach to developing an advanced information warfare capability for the U.S. Army. It also proposes that complexity and uncertainty in the information environment be exploited rather than considered a barrier. The authors recommend the development of a series of operational architectures and categories, which abandon the conventional single-outcome strategies of current military deception and embrace complex engagements in a connected and dynamic battlespace.

Added September 27, 2018

The Relevance of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for the United States in the 21st Century

Authored by Dr. Joel R. Hillison.
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The “America First” approach to foreign policy seems to call into question the value of institutions like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU). However, in a more competitive and uncertain strategic environment, NATO and the EU remain vital to promoting U.S. interests.

Added September 25, 2018

Exit Strategy: Rule of Law and the U.S. Army

Authored by Dr. Shima D. Keene.
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This monograph highlights the importance of establishing effective and sustainable rule of law institutions and practices in post-conflict states, and describes how the U.S. Army could better achieve that goal as part of its strategy for withdrawal from conflict.

Added September 24, 2018

A Security Role for the United States in a Post-ISIS Syria?

Authored by Mr. Gregory Aftandilian.
Syria has become one of the most vexing and complex problems for U.S. strategic planners in recent times. Currently, the United States has about 2,000 troops in the northeastern part of the country whose primary mission has been to aid the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), made up primarily of Kurds and some Arab tribesmen, to fight ISIS. The near total defeat of ISIS in Syria, especially with the fall of its so-called caliphate capital in Raqqa in October 2017, might seem to suggest that the military mission is coming to an end and, therefore, the United States should pull out its troops. Indeed, President Donald Trump stated publicly in late March 2018, that he wanted these troops to come home “very soon.” However, since that time, the U.S. President has backtracked from this statement after receiving advice from several of his top military advisers, including Defense Secretary James Mattis, some foreign leaders like French President Emanuel Macron and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and influential members of Congress, such as Senator Lindsey Graham, all of whom have recommended that the President keep these troops in Syria.

Added September 20, 2018

The Dual-System Problem in Complex Conflicts

Authored by Dr. Robert D. Lamb, Ms. Melissa R. Gregg.
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Conflict and fragile environments are increasingly complex and unpredictable, but the U.S. policy system itself is much more complex and unpredictable than most leaders appreciate. In this monograph, the authors argue that until we get a grasp on this “dual-system problem,” the United States will fall further and further behind in its strategic ambitions.

Added September 05, 2018

Impacts of Anti-Access/Area Denial Measures on Space Systems: Issues and Implications for Army and Joint Forces

Authored by Mr. Jeffrey L. Caton.
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The 2018 National Defense Strategy and National Space Strategy both reaffirm the vital interests that the United States has in the domain of space. However, space remains an inherently hostile environment that has become congested, contested, and competitive among the nations. What are ways for the U.S. Army to assure the success of its space-dependent warfighting functions in an anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) environment where space systems are degraded for significant periods of time?

Added August 22, 2018

Underestimated: Our Not So Peaceful Nuclear Future, Second Edition

Authored by Mr. Henry D. Sokolski.
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Underestimated: Our Not So Peaceful Nuclear Future, Second Edition explores what nuclear future we may face over the next 3 decades and how we currently think about this future. Will nuclear weapons spread in the next 20 years to more nations than just North Korea and possibly Iran? How dire will the consequences be? What might help us avoid the worst?

Added August 20, 2018

2018-20 Key Strategic Issues List

Edited by LTC Charles A. Carlton.
For over a decade, the USAWC has published the Key Strategic Issues List (KSIL) to inform students, faculty, and external research associates of strategic topics requiring research and analysis. A subset of these topics, designated as Chief of Staff of the Army special interest topics, consists of those which demand special attention. The USAWC will address these as Integrated Research Projects and other research efforts. The USAWC in coordination with Headquarters Department of the Army (HQDA), major commands throughout the Army, and the joint and interagency community have developed the remaining Army Priorities for Strategic Analysis. The KSIL will help prioritize strategic research and analysis that USAWC students and faculty, USAWC Fellows, and external researchers conduct to link their research efforts and results more effectively to the Army's highest priority topics.

Added August 08, 2018

Radical Islamist English-Language Online Magazines: Research Guide, Strategic Insights, and Policy Response

Authored by Dr. Robert J. Bunker, Pamela Ligouri Bunker.
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This Strategic Studies Institute book provides a comprehensive research guide to radical Islamist English-language online magazines, eBooks, and assorted radical Islamist news magazines, reports, and pocketbooks published between April-May 2007 and November 2016, and generates strategic insights and policy response options.

Added July 27, 2018

Current Russia Military Affairs: Assessing and Countering Russian Strategy, Operational Planning, and Modernization

Edited by Dr. John R. Deni.
What are the key strategic objectives, operational planning tenets, and force modernization goals of the Russian Federation? This collection of short essays includes the key insights and recommendations presented by featured speakers during a one-day, invite-only workshop conducted in Washington, DC on May 1, 2018 in support of U.S. European Command.

Added July 26, 2018

New Directions in Just-War Theory

Authored by Dr. J. Toby Reiner.
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One of the major developments in international law since World War II is the growth of human rights law dedicated to ensuring the protection of individuals from violence wherever they are, including from their own state. Tracking such changes, in recent decades, just-war theory has evolved from its traditional focus on state sovereignty in the direction of a rights-based approach that treats just wars as a form of global law enforcement. This monograph provides a survey of these developments, focusing on the increased scope for humanitarian intervention, principles of justice after war, and on the question of the responsibility of combatants for assessing the justice of their military's cause. It concludes by considering the call for strengthening international institutions and training programs in military ethics.

Added May 23, 2018

Friendly Force Dilemmas in Europe: Challenges Within and Among Intergovernmental Organizations and the Implications for the U.S. Army

Authored by Colonel Jose Luis Calvo Albero, Colonel Kirk Gallinger, Lieutenant Colonel Klaus Klingenschmid, Lieutenant Colonel Jose De Meer Madrid, Colonel Angus McAfee, Colonel Stefano Messina, Lieutenant Colonel Markus Meyer, Colonel Michael Mineni, Colonel Darryl Rupp.
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The transatlantic community is facing a vast array of security challenges in Europe. The principal intergovernmental organizations—the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)—responsible for rising to these challenges face a number of hurdles. This monograph takes a unique perspective—that of European partners and allies—in suggesting to U.S. policymakers how Washington ought to consider adjusting its approach in Europe and beyond, as a means of helping NATO and the EU to provide credible and sustainable collective security and defense.

Added May 22, 2018

Robotics and Military Operations

Edited by Prof. William G. Braun, III, Dr. Stéfanie von Hlatky, Dr. Kim Richard Nossal.
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This monograph examines the current state of robotics technology, the trajectory for future robotics and autonomous systems use, and the ethical implications of military robotics in the context national security. This monograph offers policy recommendations, explains investment strategy drivers, and examines the ethical implications of robotics and autonomous systems on the modern battlefield.

Added March 27, 2018

The Land, Space, and Cyberspace Nexus: Evolution of the Oldest Military Operations in the Newest Military Domains

Authored by Mr. Jeffrey L. Caton.
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By their very nature, military doctrine and operations are works in progress. How are U.S. military operations in the newest domains of space and cyberspace being integrated with operations in the traditional domain of land? Do joint forces in these three domains have existing means available to facilitate cross-domain synergy?

Added February 16, 2018

USAWC Research Plan AY 2018

Edited by COL Todd E. Key, LTC Charles A. Carlton.
The USAWC Research Plan is one part of a research program cycle that incorporates three interrelated documents: the KSIL, the USAWC Annual Research Plan and the USAWC Annual Research Report. While the KSIL drives USAWC research, the Research Plan describes how directed resources will answer many of the questions posed in the KSIL. The Research Report serves as a compendium of research completed and a means to identify unanswered questions from the current KSIL, to assist in the next cycle’s KSIL formulation.

Added February 06, 2018

Avoiding the Trap: U.S. Strategy and Policy for Competing in the Asia-Pacific Beyond the Rebalance

Edited by Dr. David Lai, Professor John F. Troxell, Mr. Frederick J. Gellert.
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The Trump administration has recently called for a free and open Indo-Pacific, essentially replacing the Obama-era “Rebalance.” This U.S. Army War College report provides prescient analysis and policy recommendations on how to proceed down the path while simultaneously managing the rise of China.

Added December 15, 2017

Still Soldiers and Scholars? An Analysis of Army Officer Testing

Authored by Dr. Arthur T. Coumbe, Steven J. Condly, Lieutenant Colonel William L. Skimmyhorn.
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Still Soldiers and Scholars? provides important evidence and advice for the Army as it seeks to sustain and improve the performance of its officer corps. This book adeptly reviews the key developments, assumptions, and forces that have guided and shaped Army officer testing over the years. It then provides thoughtful and practical recommendations regarding how the Army might ensure a more solid intellectual base on which to build its officer corps.

Added November 14, 2017

Armed Robotic Systems Emergence: Weapons Systems Life Cycles Analysis and New Strategic Realities

Authored by Dr. Robert J. Bunker.
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This monograph analyzes the historical weapons systems life cycles of the early 9th through the mid-16th-century knight, the mid-19th through the later 20th-century battleship, and the early 20th through the early 21st-century tank. Next, it applies the knowledge gained to provide strategic context and governmental guidance concerning the emergence of armed robotic systems—drones and droids—on the modern battlefield.

Added November 02, 2017

Evaluation of the 2015 DoD Cyber Strategy: Mild Progress in a Complex and Dynamic Military Domain

Authored by Mr. Jeffrey L. Caton.
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In April 2015, the Department of Defense (DoD) released its second official strategy for cyberspace. How does the new strategy compare to the 2011 Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace? Does it provide an appropriate and actionable path forward for military operations in the rapidly evolving cyberspace domain?