SSI is the U.S. Army’s institute for geostrategic
and national security research and analysis.
Of Interest
FORUMS AND INFLUENCE: CHINESE COMPETITIVE STRATEGY AND MULTILATERAL ORGANIZATIONS IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
The recent Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles was Washington’s big push to showcase the importance of multilateral forums in Latin America and the Caribbean as a shaping tool for developing a regional agenda and fostering coordination. Of course, the administration of President Joe Biden did not extend an invitation to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), but China was on everyone’s mind. “It’s much better for us ....
Review of “What Went Wrong in Afghanistan?”
by Todd Greentree, Parameters 51:4 (2021)
Among the many competing schools of thought within the field of counterinsurgency, perhaps no debates are as acrimonious as those between advocates of large-footprint and small-footprint troop presence. The writing team for the 2006 edition of FM 3-24 Counterinsurgency engaged in much discussion about whether there was some minimum recommended troop density required for effective COIN operations. ...
Russian Gas, Green Technology, and the Great Sacrifice
This article argues that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has highlighted the long-term energy dependencies on Moscow that Europe’s fledgling green technology will not be able to fix in the short term. While the crisis does have the power to speed their development, many renewables are not yet cyber-secured and leave even more vulnerabilities for Moscow to exploit. Europe’s late awakening to the geopolitical ramifications of its decades-long dependencies could provide hope for long-term energy source diversification ...
Toward a New Normal in Transatlantic Collective Defense
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in its third month, it is already possible to draw some important lessons from the most serious security crisis in Europe in decades. It has fundamentally altered security on the continent, prompting a reappraisal of where and how NATO allies ensure their security and stability. But there are many uncertainties head as to how the transatlantic community will make the dramatic changes ...
Yes, the United States Should Weaken Russia
Following a recent visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the United States wanted “to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can’t do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine.” Later, U.S. officials made clear that this didn’t reflect a policy shift.
China, Europe, and the Pandemic Recession:
Beijing’s Investments and Transatlantic Security
Given the depth and breadth of the pandemic-induced recession in Europe, private companies in need of capital and governments looking to shed state-owned enterprises may be tempted to sell shares, assets, or outright ownership to investors with liquidity to spare. Of greatest concern is the role that China might play in Europe, building Beijing’s soft power, ...
FORUMS AND INFLUENCE: CHINESE COMPETITIVE STRATEGY AND MULTILATERAL ORGANIZATIONS IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
The recent Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles was Washington’s big push to showcase the importance of multilateral forums in Latin America and the Caribbean as a shaping tool for developing a regional agenda and fostering coordination. Of course, the administration of President Joe Biden did not extend an invitation to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), but China was on everyone’s mind. “It’s much better for us ....
Review of “What Went Wrong in Afghanistan?”
by Todd Greentree, Parameters 51:4 (2021)
Among the many competing schools of thought within the field of counterinsurgency, perhaps no debates are as acrimonious as those between advocates of large-footprint and small-footprint troop presence. The writing team for the 2006 edition of FM 3-24 Counterinsurgency engaged in much discussion about whether there was some minimum recommended troop density required for effective COIN operations. ...
Russian Gas, Green Technology, and the Great Sacrifice
This article argues that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has highlighted the long-term energy dependencies on Moscow that Europe’s fledgling green technology will not be able to fix in the short term. While the crisis does have the power to speed their development, many renewables are not yet cyber-secured and leave even more vulnerabilities for Moscow to exploit. Europe’s late awakening to the geopolitical ramifications of its decades-long dependencies could provide hope for long-term energy source diversification ...
Toward a New Normal in Transatlantic Collective Defense
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in its third month, it is already possible to draw some important lessons from the most serious security crisis in Europe in decades. It has fundamentally altered security on the continent, prompting a reappraisal of where and how NATO allies ensure their security and stability. But there are many uncertainties head as to how the transatlantic community will make the dramatic changes ...
Yes, the United States Should Weaken Russia
Following a recent visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the United States wanted “to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can’t do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine.” Later, U.S. officials made clear that this didn’t reflect a policy shift.
China, Europe, and the Pandemic Recession: Beijing’s Investments and Transatlantic Security
Given the depth and breadth of the pandemic-induced recession in Europe, private companies in need of capital and governments looking to shed state-owned enterprises may be tempted to sell shares, assets, or outright ownership to investors with liquidity to spare. Of greatest concern is the role that China might play in Europe, building Beijing’s soft power, ...
Trending Today
Sten Rynning, 2017
This article discusses the role of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s policy of “Protection of Civilians” in directing international efforts to counter adversaries who blur the boundaries of war during armed conflict. When the North Atlantic Treaty Organization commanded the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan
from 2003 to 2014, NATO allies and partners learned that protecting civilians was a key parameter of both operational and strategic success. Continue reading >>>
Maximilian K. Bremer and Kelly A. Grieco, 2021
Assessing threats to the air littoral, the airspace between ground forces and high-end fighters and bombers, requires a paradigm change in American military thinking about verticality. This article explores the consequences of domain convergence, specifically for the Army and Air Force’s different concepts of control. It will assist US military and policy practitioners in conceptualizing the air littoral and in thinking more vertically about the air and land domains and the challenges of domain convergence. Continue reading >>>
Robert F. Hahn II and Bonnie Jezior, 1999
Panama City, Kuwait City, Mogadishu, Port-au-Prince, Grozny, Sarajevo, Kinshasa, Baghdad. For the past decade, newspaper headlines have proclaimed the news of wars and peacekeeping operations in distant cities, while TV screens have flashed vivid depictions of brutal combat in city streets around the world. Images of dead American soldiers being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu and beheaded Russian soldiers in Chechnya have provided a marked contrast to the almost sterile video of precision-guided munitions finding their mark against tanks arrayed …
Continue reading >>>
Andrew Bell, 2020
Dr. Michael Desch, 2019
In the past half-century, the classic military conflict of armies maneuvering in the field has been replaced by conflicts that center on, rather than avoid, heavily populated areas. Modern military conflict more frequently is not just a fight to control villages or cities, but a variation on the timeless wish to control populations and the hearts of nations. The hardware and mass orientation of the levee en masse and industrial-age armies is being replaced by sophisticated terrorists, information warfare, and the politics of mass persuasion. These are reshaping the face of warfare. …
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Keir Giles and Mathieu Boulegue, 2019
This article discusses the myths surrounding Russia’s A2/AD capabilities and the risks associated with the current counter A2/AD efforts among NATO countries. It offers recommendations for investing in a stronger defense of the Baltic states and Eastern Europe.
References to Russia’s anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) capabilities are now standard in assessments of America’s ability to protect its allies and its interests in Europe. Unclassified briefings on European military security now …
Continue reading >>>
Dr. Stephen J. Blank, 2019
American Foreign Policy Council
Wherever one looks, Russia is carrying out aggressive military and informational attacks against the West in Europe, North and South America, the Arctic, and the Middle East. This “war against the West” actually began over a decade ago, but its most jarring and shocking event, the one that started to focus Western minds on Russia, was the invasion of Ukraine in 2014. Given this pattern, the National Security Council (NSC) in 2014 invited Stephen Blank to organize a conference on the Russian military. We were able to launch the conference in 2016 and bring together a distinguished international group of experts on the Russian military to produce … Continue reading >>>
Keir Giles, 2019
This article presents five scenarios that might result from a Russian coup de main in the Baltic region. The author argues the North Atlantic Treaty Organization should analyze force capabilities further to ensure Alliance nations can adequately respond if Russia attacks across its border with Estonia and Latvia.
Russia’s annexation of Crimea, involvement in Donbas, and support of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria have strained the country’s relations with the West …
Continue reading >>>
Jared M. McKinney and Peter Harris, 2021
Deterring a Chinese invasion of Taiwan without recklessly threatening a great-power war is both possible and necessary through a tailored deterrence package that goes beyond either fighting over Taiwan or abandoning it. This article joins cutting-edge understandings of deterrence with empirical evidence of Chinese strategic thinking and culture to build such a strategy. Continue reading >>>
Dr. John R. Deni, 2022
Negotiations between Russia and the United States, NATO, and the OSCE regarding the situation in/around Ukraine begin this week. How should the West approach those negotiations? SSI Live host Dr. John R. Deni argues the West should strike a hard bargain, even if it risks war in Ukraine. Listen to the podcast.
Looking Back
Dr. John R. Deni, 2017
The Army’s force posture is out of balance, with a greater percentage of troops stationed in the United States than at any time since the late 1940s. This has forced an over-reliance on lengthy, continuous rotational deployments to achieve deterrence and assurance in theaters such as northeast Asia and Europe. This finding is based on a 9-month study assessing the costs and benefits of rotational deployments and forward stationing. The analysis reveals that in terms of fiscal cost, training readiness, morale and family readiness, and diplomatic factors, the United States could likely achieve deterrence and assurance objectives more efficiently and more effectively with increased forward stationing…
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T. S. Allen and A. J. Moore, 2018
This article argues Russian information operations are a decisive tool of state power rather than a supporting element. Uniquely, Russian leaders are significantly more likely to employ diplomatic, military, and economic tools in pursuit of informational objectives than other states’ leaders. Russia is a resurgent geopolitical actor that the United States identified as a major competitor in the 2017 National Security Strategy. Russia has maintained its position as a great power… Continue reading >>>
Dr. Ariel Cohen and Ivan Benovic, 2015
Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, a number of gas disputes between Russia and Central and Eastern European countries have unveiled the strategic dependence of Europe on Russian piped gas. The recent Ukrainian crisis demonstrated that Europe has a desperate need to improve the security of its gas supply. The United States is interested in the economic stability and growth of Europe, because the European Union (EU) is its principal and largest economic partner. The United States and the EU enjoy the largest trade and investment relationship in the world, which should not be jeopardized by disruptive, anti-status-quo powers. …
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T. S. Allen and A. J. Moore, 2018
Some American readers may wonder if this article is a caricature of the Russians, thinking that surely no one would still talk like this. Likewise, some might wonder if this really represents the views of the “man in the street” in St. Petersburg or Irkutsk or Khabarovsk. In fact, it does not represent the concerns of the average Russian citizen. However, it is important to note that for at least the last 1000 years, the views of the man in the street have counted for little with those who actually make and implement Russian policy. In the fictional monologue that follows, every effort has been made to portray accurately, based on official and other statements, the views of many of the senior decisionmakers … Continue reading >>>
Introducing Conversations on Strategy,
a subseries of Decisive Point Podcast
Integrated Research Projects (IRPs)
Every academic year (AY), the Commandant of the US Army War College commissions Integrated Research Projects (IRPs) to conduct intensive study on the Army’s top priority strategic issues. An IRP research team consists of subject matter expert faculty members and select resident students who engage in strategic research and analysis on each issue.
Employment & Research Opportunities
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“Tactics teaches the use of armed forces in the engagement; strategy, the use of engagements for the object of the war.”
– CARL VON CLAUSEWITZ
