Decisive Point Podcast

Decisive Point Podcast | Jan. 26, 2023

Parameters Spring 2023 Preview

In this episode, Parameters acting editor-in-chief offers a preview of the upcoming Parameters Spring demi-issue and touches on what the full Spring issue will include.

Decisive Point Podcast | Jan. 20, 2023

Why Do Senior Officers Sometimes Fail in Character? The Leaky Character ...

In this episode, the authors argue senior officers may fail in character because their rate of character development throughout their careers typically decreases as environmental stressors rise. They conceptualize character as an open system with

Decisive Point Podcast | Jan. 3, 2023

Leader Perspectives on Managing Suicide-related Events in Garrison

Leaders who have personally experienced the aftermath of a suicide-related event can provide important lessons and recommendations for military leadership and policymakers. This podcast executes a thematic analysis of interviews with leaders,

Decisive Point Podcast | Dec. 20, 2022

Security Force Assistance Brigades and US Indo-Pacific Command Multi-dom...

Security force assistance brigades can enable multi-domain convergence in competition in the US Indo-Pacific Command. Rather than focusing on conventional Joint force capabilities, this podcast analyzes recent US Army operational experience in

Decisive Point Podcast | Dec. 16, 2022

Planning for Positive Strategic Shock in the Department of Defense

A concept of positive strategic shock would benefit the US Department of Defense’s planning processes. Some US doctrine demonstrates awareness of the need to plan for negative strategic shocks but lacks consideration of positive strategic shock—any

Decisive Point Podcast | Dec. 15, 2022

Indian Perspectives: Insights for the Indo-American Partnership

To buttress stability in the Indo-Pacific, the United States must understand how India sees the region and the world. The theories and ideas of Kautilya, a leading but little-studied Indian philosopher, provide significant insight into Indian

Decisive Point Podcast | Dec. 9, 2022

Cognitive Performance Enhancement for Multi-domain Operations

Despite its desire to achieve cognitive dominance for multi-domain operations, the Army has yet to develop fully and adopt the concept of cognitive performance enhancement. This article provides a comprehensive assessment of the Army’s efforts in

Decisive Point Podcast | Dec. 5, 2022

What Ukraine Taught NATO about Hybrid Warfare

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has highlighted the long-term energy dependencies on Moscow that Europe will neither be able to resolve quickly nor without great sacrifice. Russia’s hybrid warfare—a combination of kinetic strikes against key

Decisive Point Podcast | Dec. 1, 2022

SRAD Director’s Corner: Preserving Taiwan as Strategic Imperative

In the fourth installment of the SRAD Director’s Corner, Shatzer focuses on the Taiwan/China relationship. He reviews The Trouble with Taiwan: History, the United States and a Rising China by Kerry Brown and Kalley Wu Tzu-hui and Taiwan Straits

Decisive Point Podcast | Nov. 4, 2022

Putin Chooses between a Series of Bad Options

Now that Vladimir Putin has chosen a path of escalation in his unnecessary war of aggression against Ukraine, it is imperative Western policymakers know the consequences and how he might escalate further. This podcast examines recent events on the

Decisive Point Podcast | Oct. 31, 2022

Coercing Fluently: The Grammar of Coercion in the Twenty-first Century

To illustrate the logic and grammar of coercion, this analysis relies on decision-theory methods, such as game theory, that examine the strategic decision-making process in interactions with adversaries and partners. The intent here is not to offer

Decisive Point Podcast | Oct. 28, 2022

Present Danger: Nuclear Power Plants in War

After Russia’s unprecedented seizure of Ukraine’s nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhya, the United States needs to adjust its military planning and policies to cope with hostile military forces’ targeting, seizure, and garrisoning of armed forces at large,

Decisive Point Podcast | Oct. 3, 2022

The Future of the Joint Warfighting Headquarters: An Alternative Approac...

The US military must create standing, numbered, and regionally aligned Joint warfighting headquarters— American Expeditionary Forces (AEFs)—around a command council and a staff organized into Joint centers and cells. Calls for standing Joint force

Decisive Point Podcast | Sept. 30, 2022

“Linking Trauma to the Prevalence of Civil War”

This podcast argues the more trauma endured by a population, the more civil war the country will experience in the future. Drawing on mental health, trauma, and neurobiological research, it builds a new theory of civil war that fills existing gaps in

Decisive Point Podcast | Sept. 23, 2022

“Assessing the Army’s Cyber Force Structure”

The skill and capacity of Army cyber forces have grown in the decade since their creation. This podcast focuses on needed structural changes to the Army’s portion of the Cyber Mission Forces that will enable their continued growth and maturity since

Decisive Point Podcast | Sept. 20, 2022

“Professionalizing Special Operations Forces”

The special operations community could best address the perceived ethical crisis it faces by professionalizing as an institution. While earlier assessments have attributed special operations forces’ ethical issues to a focus on mission accomplishment

Decisive Point Podcast | Sept. 19, 2022

“The Grand Strategy of Gertrude Bell: From the Arab Bureau to the Creati...

The remarkable life of early-twentieth-century British adventurer Gertrude Bell has been well documented through her numerous travel books and biographies. Bell’s role as a grand strategist for the British government in the Middle East during World

Decisive Point Podcast | Sept. 14, 2022

“The Cuban Missile Crisis: Miscalculation, Nuclear Risks, and the Human ...

Decisive Point Podcast, Dr. Arthur I. Cyr, leadership, deterrence, Cuba, nuclear weapons, missile crisis

Decisive Point Podcast | Aug. 31, 2022

Enabling a More Externally Focused and Operational PLA – 2020 PLA Confer...

Although the People’s Liberation Army is not yet a global expeditionary force on par with the US military, the former has nevertheless significantly expanded its ability to operate abroad. Through enhanced technological capabilities, robust

Decisive Point Podcast | Aug. 25, 2022

“SRAD Director’s Corner: Understanding North Korea and Key to Security i...

In this episode, Colonel George Shatzer focuses on North Korea and the Kim family regime. He reviews Becoming Kim Jong Un: A Former CIA Officer’s Insights into North Korea’s Enigmatic Young Dictator by Jung H. Pak and Rationality in the North Korean

Decisive Point Podcast | Aug. 18, 2022

“Sino-Russian Relations and the War in Ukraine”

Claims that China has taken “Russia’s side” in the Ukrainian War oversimplify Sino-Russian relations. Garcia and Modlin contend Sino-Russian relations are a narrow partnership centered on accelerating the emergence of a multipolar order to reduce

Decisive Point Podcast | Aug. 10, 2022

“Why America’s Army Can’t Win America’s Wars”

Since achieving victory in World War II, the United States military has a less than enviable combat record in irregular warfare. Through a detailed historical analysis, this article provides perspective on where past decisions and doctrines have led

Decisive Point Podcast | Aug. 8, 2022

Framing the Future of the US Military Profession

The military profession needs to be redefined by examination of its expertise and jurisdictions of practice, whereas previously the focus was on securing its professional identity. Twenty years ago, the original Future of the Army Profession research

Decisive Point Podcast | July 5, 2022

“Character Traits Strategic Leaders Need”

Strategic leaders must possess a range of skills to work successfully in complex environments. To use those skills to best effect, they rely on character traits that enhance the likelihood of their effectiveness as leaders and maximize their success

Decisive Point Podcast | June 30, 2022

“Tomorrow’s Wars and the Media”

Distilling lessons from the author’s book, The Media Offensive: How the Press and Public Opinion Shaped Allied Strategy during World War II, this podcast provides applicable suggestions for the US military today. As in World War II, the press is both

Decisive Point Podcast | June 23, 2022

“InfoSwarms: Drone Swarms and Information Warfare”

This podcast discusses drone swarms, which can be used at sea, on land, in the air, and even in space, are fundamentally information-dependent weapons. No study to date has examined drone swarms in the context of information warfare writ large. This

Decisive Point Podcast | June 17, 2022

“Defining and Deterring Faits Accomplis”

This podcast examines faits accomplis—how states attempt to seize disputed territory using military force, hoping to avoid war in the process—and offers suggestions for how to deter them. Since 1945, faits accomplis have become the most common means

Decisive Point Podcast | June 15, 2022

“Strengthen Arctic Governance to Stop Russian and Chinese Overreach”

This podcast argues shortfalls in the international institutions governing the Arctic have allowed Russia and China to expand control over the region. It provides an overview of regional governance and power dynamics, outlines a three-part approach

Decisive Point Podcast | June 7, 2022

“Economic Statecraft and US-Russian Policy”

This podcast assesses the American-Russian economic relationship, identifying how Russia exploits strategic asymmetries to gain advantage in the space below armed conflict and how the United States can modernize its economic statecraft. It draws upon

Decisive Point Podcast | June 1, 2022

“SRAD Director’s Corner: Russia’s Strategy and Its War on Ukraine”

In this podcast, Colonel George Shatzer, director of the Strategy Research and Analysis Department of the Strategic Studies Institute at the US Army War College, discusses books of relevance to US Joint planners and strategists, as well as those of

Decisive Point Podcast | May 26, 2022

“Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine in 2022: Implications for Strategic Studies”

This podcast examines critical issues for the field of strategic studies raised by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including the waning of major war, strategic coercion, and “War Amongst the People.” Drawing on previous scholarship and current events,

Decisive Point Podcast | May 23, 2022

“Information Warfare: Lessons in Inoculation to Disinformation”

While propaganda and disinformation have been used to destabilize opposing forces throughout history, the US military remains unprepared for the way these methods have been adapted to the Internet era. This article explores the modern history of

Decisive Point Podcast | May 16, 2022

“A Failure to Innovate: The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War”

The root cause for the defeat of the Armenian forces in the second Nagorno-Karabakh War was flawed military doctrine inherited from the Soviet Union. This article analyzes the major problems faced by Armenia, uncovers the main reasons for

Decisive Point Podcast | May 6, 2022

Civil-Military Relations: Guidelines in Politically Charged Societies

Current events warrant a review of US civil-military relations doctrine. This article examines eight principles of military subordination to elected civilian officials and addresses the fundamental question at the heart of civil-military relations

Decisive Point Podcast | May 5, 2022

Underestimated Our Not So Peaceful Nuclear Future

Does it matter if more countries have nuclear weapons? Will the weaponization of space make nuclear weapons less of a threat or even obsolete? In this podcast, author Henry D. Sokolski gives an overview of his monograph, Underestimated: Our Not So

Decisive Point Podcast | April 27, 2022

Developing Strategic Lieutenants in the Canadian Army

This Canadian contribution to Parameters’ Strategic Lieutenant series shows how domestic context creates the conditions for professional military education reform to a greater extent than the global strategic context. The podcast assesses the junior

Decisive Point Podcast | April 26, 2022

“Contested Deployment"

Early in academic year 2018, a group of US Army War College faculty and students came together in pursuit of an integrated research project devoted to an examination of contested deployment and the growing realization the US homeland can no longer be

Decisive Point Podcast | April 26, 2022

Counterinsurgency Lessons for Cyber Conflict”

The lessons of counterinsurgency have deeper implications for cyber conflict than previous research has identified. Two decades of experience in Iraq and Afghanistan provide insights into the cyber strategy of defending forward including treating

Decisive Point Podcast | April 25, 2022

“Water Wars of the Future – Myth or Reality”

This article provides background and context for regional trends and historic agreements focused on the Nile River Basin, offers a comprehensive assessment of security challenges, and presents focus areas for future investment and cooperation. The

Decisive Point Podcast | April 19, 2022

“Rethinking Female Urinary Devices for the US Army”

As women assume more combat roles in the US military and continue to operate in austere environments with varied mission sets, the Department of Defense must rethink its approach to equipment and uniform development to accommodate female anatomical

Decisive Point Podcast | April 18, 2022

“Air Littoral – Another Look” Revisited

In this podcast, COL Maximilian K. Bremer and Dr. Kelly A. Grieco apply concepts from their 2021 article “Air Littoral: Another Look” to current events in Russia and Ukraine.

Decisive Point Podcast | April 14, 2022

“Russian Special Operations Forces in Crimea and Donbas”

In this podcast, Tor Bukkvoll revisits his 2016 Parameters, article and examines Russian Special Forces and their potential use in Ukraine today.

Decisive Point Podcast | April 13, 2022

“Chinese and Western Ways of War and Their Ethics”

In this podcast, Pfaff argues understanding the ethical logic available to one’s adversaries will allow US leaders and planners to leverage China’s behavior and optimally shape US policies and actions.

Decisive Point Podcast | April 8, 2022

“Multidimensionality – Rethinking Power Projection for the 21st Century”

In this podcast, strategist David Katz argues American military strategists must incorporate multidimensional power projection into their planning processes to counter adversarial actions by gray-zone actors. By developing a more complete concept of

Decisive Point Podcast | April 5, 2022

“China’s Global Monopoly on Rare-Earth Elements”

This article delivers a novel economic analysis of US dependence on China for rare-earth elements and sheds light on how Western nations may exploit the limitations of limit pricing to break China’s global monopoly in rare-earth element production

Decisive Point Podcast | April 4, 2022

“Interrupting Bias in Army Talent Management”

This article addresses the impact of diversity, equity, and inclusion on talent management. It explains how systemic bias impairs the US Army’s ability to harness cognitive diversity. It stresses the value of cognitive diversity among teams and

Decisive Point Podcast | March 30, 2022

On “The Alt-Right Movement and US National Security” Review and Reply

This commentary responds to Matthew Valasik and Shannon E. Reid’s article “The Alt-Right Movement and US National Security” published in the Autumn 2021 issue of Parameters (vol. 51, no. 3).

Decisive Point Podcast | Feb. 8, 2022

“Air Littoral- Another Look”

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,