Recent Publications

A Few Questions About China’s Air Defense Identification Zone and Its Aftermath
March 22, 2014 — China declared an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea on November 23, 2013 (See Figure 1). This move set off a security and political tsunami in the Western Pacific. The United States immediately denounced China’s sudden and unilateral act. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Australia, the European Union, and many... MORE

Op-Ed: Balancing The Joint Force: Defense and Military Challenges Through 2020
March 11, 2014 — Dr. John R. Deni As America’s involvement in large-scale combat operations in Afghanistan comes to an end this year, Washington’s attention, as well as its resources, will shift to address other pressing national security concerns. Some of the most likely security challenges that might threaten vital American interests over the next 5-7 years are... MORE

Russia’s Counterinsurgency in North Caucasus: Performance and Consequences
March 1, 2014 — Author: Dr Ariel CohenView the Executive Summary The North Caucasus region has been a source of instability for the past several centuries. Most recently, Chechen aspirations to achieve full independence after the break-up of the Soviet Union led to two disastrous wars. While the active phase of the Chechen conflict ended in 2000 – more than a... MORE

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Defense Planning for National Security: Navigation Aids for the Mystery Tour
March 1, 2014 — Author: Dr Colin S Gray View the Executive SummaryThe challenge that is defense planning includes: "educated futurology" and the humanities as methodological approaches; futurists and scenarios, trend spotting and defense analysis; the impossibility of science in studying the future; the impossibility of verification by empirical testing of... MORE

Cover for Defense Planning for National Security: Navigation Aids for the Mystery Tour

Turkey-Kurdish Regional Government Relations After the U.S. Withdrawal From Iraq: Putting the Kurds on the Map?
March 1, 2014 — Author: Mr Bill Park View the Executive SummaryThe withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Iraq at the end of 2011 left behind a set of unresolved problems in the relationship between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and the Federal Government in Baghdad—notably relating to the disputed boundaries of the KRG, and the extent of its autonomy... MORE

Cover for Turkey-Kurdish Regional Government Relations After the U.S. Withdrawal From Iraq: Putting the Kurds on the Map?

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army and Information Warfare
March 1, 2014 — Author: Dr Larry M Wortzel On November 23, 2013, the Chinese government announced plans to establish a new air defense intercept zone which will include the Diaoyu or Senkaku Islands, sovereignty over which is disputed by Japan, China, and Taiwan. Due to complaints of cyber penetrations attributed to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, U.S... MORE

Cover for The Chinese People's Liberation Army and Information Warfare

Legality in Cyberspace: An Adversary View
March 1, 2014 — Author: Mr Keir Giles, Dr Andrew MonaghanView the Executive Summary While conflict in cyberspace is not new, the legality of hostile cyber activity at a state level remains imperfectly defined. While there is broad agreement among the United States and its allies that cyber warfare would be governed by existing laws of armed conflict, with no need... MORE

Op-Ed: Not Your Grandfather’s Insurgency — Criminal, Spiritual, and Plutocratic
February 20, 2014 — Dr. Robert J. Bunker The U.S. Army is facing both ongoing and projected austere economic times with deep troop and budget cuts. As a result, a concomitant rise in soul searching over the Army’s “strategic Landpower” contribution to national defense is increasingly evident. This is a natural and expected occurrence for a Service that has been in the... MORE

Senior Officer Talent Management: Fostering Institutional Adaptability
February 1, 2014 — Author: LTC Michael J Colarusso, COL David S Lyle View the Executive SummaryThe Army has for years been successful at creating senior leaders adept in the art and science of land combat after honing their leadership at the direct and organizational levels. While those experiences remain invaluable, undue reliance upon them to create the Army's... MORE

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Op-Ed: Between Conflicts: An Army Role That Sticks
January 17, 2014 — Prof. William G. Braun, III When war is looming, U.S. civilian leaders intuitively recognize and appreciate the flexibility, scalability, and decisiveness inherent in Army formations. When confronted by lesser conflicts, national leaders eventually come to value the Army’s ability to operate in hostile environments, shape outcomes, and maintain... MORE

New Realities: Energy Security in the 2010s and Implications for the U.S. Military – Executive Summaries
January 1, 2014 — Author: Dr John R Deni The rapidly changing global energy supply situation, coupled with a host of social, political, and economic challenges facing consumer states, has significant implications for the United States generally and for the U.S. military specifically. The U.S. Army War College gathered experts from the policymaking community,... MORE

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Op-Ed: Can Sanctions Be More Effective Than Military Action In Iran?
December 7, 2012 — Dr. W. Andrew Terrill The United States and its allies are currently seeking to use international sanctions to prevent Iran from developing the technology leading to a nuclear weapons capability. It remains uncertain if the sanctions will be effective, and the U.S. leadership has correspondingly announced that all options—including military... MORE