Army War College - SSI News

Taking a Toll: How Allowing Iran to Charge for Transit in the Strait of Hormuz Could Undermine US Strategy in the Pacific and Beyond

Daphné Richemond-Barak and Jacob Stoil — Mon, 11 May 2026 13:59:00 GMT

In April, Iran began charging ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz a “toll” for safe passage. By itself, this represents a dangerous new dynamic in the Middle East that may have begun with the Houthis in Yemen as early as 2024, wherein parties extort international commerce by imposing fees in exchange for safe transit as part of their war effort. Although some countries have agreed to pay Iran’s fees, many countries such as the United Kingdom as well as organizations, including one representing the majority of tanker firms, have condemned it.

Is there still a Path for an International Security Force in Gaza

Dr. Jacob Stoil — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 18:30:00 GMT

The US twenty-point peace plan that marked the end of Gaza War created an opportunity to break the

If China Attacks Taiwan: Beijing Risks Social Instability in a Conflict

Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Dr. Jake Rinaldi, and Bonnie Glaser — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 15:43:00 GMT

A conversation between Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Dr. Jake Rinaldi, and Bonnie Glaser on the risk of domestic social instability for Beijing if China attacked Taiwan. A podcast from The German Marshall Fund of the United States.

Can the 15th Five-Year Plan Fix the People’s Liberation Army’s Procurement Bottlenecks?

Pentagon News — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 16:01:00 GMT

China’s newly released 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030) proposal, unveiled after the Fourth Party Plenum in October 2025, not only marks Beijing’s quest to achieve the People’s Liberation Army’s goal of building a so-called world-class military by 2049. As the last major planning cycle before the 2035 benchmark for “basically achieving full modernization,” the plan also reaffirms General Secretary Xi Jinping’s core priorities: operational efficiency, technological self-reliance, and the Chinese Communist Party’s absolute command.

If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of "Minor Conflict" and "Major War" Scenarios

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 17:50:00 GMT

Introduction by Bonnie S. Glaser: Research on the possibility and likely outcome of a conflict in

How Maduro’s capture went down – a military strategist explains what goes into a successful special op

Dr. R. Evan Ellis — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 17:52:00 GMT

The predawn seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3, 2026 was a complicated affair.

China’s Foreign Police Training: A Global Footprint

Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Isaac B. Kardon, and Cameron Waltz — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 18:00:00 GMT

New data reveal how China’s foreign police training programs have become an integral part of Beijing’s strategy to remake global security.

Forecasting the PRC’s Next Global Initiative

Kyle Marcrum — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 17:00:00 GMT

Executive Summary: • Xi Jinping could unveil a “global environmental initiative” as soon as mid-November 2025, at the COP31 summit in Brazil. This would align with previous initiatives that have been announced at international forums. • This new initiative would complete a set of five that matches the five strands in the initial rubric of the “Community of Common Destiny” concept, Beijing’s framework for a new approach to global governance. • The PRC will likely leverage a global environmental initiative and its significant economic advantages in green energy to expand international acceptance of their alternative global governance model.

The PLA’s Progress toward World-Class Ground Force Capabilities

Joshua Arostegui and Jake Vartanian — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 18:12:00 GMT

This essay examines Xi Jinping’s dictum of creating a world-class military by 2049 and assesses the progress of the PLA ground forces toward achieving that notional benchmark.

Preparing for PRC Military Actions in Latin America in the Context of a War in the Indo-Pacific

Dr. Evan Ellis — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 19:40:00 GMT

Within the new book by the U.S. Military Academy Modern Warfare Institute, “Expecting the Unexpected: Essays on Strategic Surprise in the 21st Century” comes a chapter from Dr. R. Evan Ellis: “Preparing for PRC Military Actions in Latin America in the Context of a War in the Indo-Pacific.”

Peru’s Complex Security Challenges and the Government Response

Dr. Evan Ellis — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 19:47:00 GMT

"From September 13 through 21, 2025, the author traveled to Lima, Peru for an event bring them together faculty from the US Army War College and it’s alumni from Peru and across the region. There, he spoke to a wide range of Peruvian security experts about the country’s challenges and the response of its government and security forces. This work relays the insights from those conversations."

Global Public Security with Chinese Characteristics

Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 20:50:00 GMT

A conversation between Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens and Bonnie Glaser on China's Global Security Initiative.

Adapting to Future Wars: The Reorganization of the PLA Army’s Special Operations Forces and the Move toward Professionalization

Joshua Arostegui — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 14:48:00 GMT

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) implemented major changes to the organization, accession, and training of its army’s special operations forces (SOF) beginning in 2017, including the creation of a 12-man SOF team and establishment of a probable national-level army-subordinate counterterrorism unit. Beginning in 2025, the PLA introduced several changes to improve officer accession and noncommissioned officer retention in its special operations community. This article assesses observed changes since 2017 designed to improve the PLA’s command and control of its army’s SOF units and to set the foundation for China’s elite forces becoming world-class by 2049.

Loyal Paraguay: The Peña Government’s Strategic Choice to Stay with Taiwan

Dr. R. Evan Ellis — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 19:13:00 GMT

From August 11-15, 2025, the author was in Asuncion, Paraguay, in an International Republican

From the Last Frontier to the Final Frontier: The Polar Regions and Space Security

Dr. Michael Lynch — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 17:19:00 GMT

This article examines the intersection of Arctic geopolitics and space security amid intensifying

The Economic Argument for Keeping US Forces in Europe

Dr. John R. Deni — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 16:33:00 GMT

NATO’s Hague summit earlier this summer has generally been viewed as a qualified success, despite —

A New World Cop on the Beat? China’s Internal Security Outreach Under the Global Security Initiative

Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Isaac B. Kardon, and Cameron Waltz — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 17:02:00 GMT

Global outreach by China’s internal security agencies is expanding. This nonmilitary security

Election, Crisis, and U.S. Opportunity in Bolivia

Dr. R. Evan Ellis — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 14:41:00 GMT

Bolivia, strategically at the center of South America, faces a critical election that will define

Assessing the PLA’s Strengths and Weaknesses for Achieving the PRC’s Goals

Dennis J. Blasko and Rick Gunnell — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 15:50:00 GMT

This chapter examines the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) within the context of its modernization process and argues that the persistence of shortcomings may undercut the confidence senior leaders would prefer to have before deciding to initiate major combat.

Ecuador’s Incoming Government Faces Difficult Choices Regarding China

Dr. Evan Ellis, PhD — Thu, 08 May 2025 18:27:00 GMT

With Daniel Noboa returning to the presidency and a new Chinese ambassador on the way, China-Ecuador