Recent Publications

Chinese Energy Security: The Myth of the PLAN’s Frontline Status
August 1, 2010 — Author: Dr Ryan Clarke This monograph examines the dynamics of China’s energy security dilemma and the role of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Following this, PLAN development is discussed and its future role in regional security is hypothesized. This report argues that it is domestic market inefficiencies and poor management practices... MORE

Cover for An Army Transformed: The U.S. Army's Post-Vietnam Recovery and the Dynamics of Change in Military Organizations

Defense Energy Resilience: Lessons from Ecology
August 1, 2010 — Authors: Mr David Kerner, Dr Scott Thomas Energy security is a fundamental requirement for national security, and global energy competition threatens to make Department of Defense (DoD) missions increasingly vulnerable to the whims of energy suppliers. DoD’s approach to energy security must accommodate a highly uncertain outlook for energy resource... MORE

Dilemmas of Brazilian Grand Strategy
August 1, 2010 — Author: Dr Hal Brands This monograph analyzes Brazilian grand strategy under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. During Lula’s nearly 8 years in office, he has pursued a multi-tiered grand strategy aimed at hastening the transition from unipolarity to a multipolar order in which international rules, norms, and institutions are more favorable to... MORE

U.S. Army War College Guide to National Security Issues, Vol I: Theory of War and Strategy, 4th Edition
July 1, 2010 — Author: Dr J Boone Bartholomees Jr This edition of the U. S. Army War College Guide to National Security Policy and Strategy continues to reflect the structure and approach of the core national security strategy and policy curriculum at the War College. The fourth edition is published in two volumes that correspond roughly to the Department of... MORE

The Russian Military Today and Tomorrow: Essays in Memory of Mary Fitzgerald
July 1, 2010 — Authors: Dr Stephen J Blank, Dr Richard Weitz Given the stakes involved in achieving a correct understanding of Russian and Chinese defense policies and military developments, the magnitude of Mary Fitzgerald’s enlightening accomplishments in this regard becomes clear. However, the problems that we have outlined in this volume were not unfamiliar... MORE

Enter the Era of Persistent Competition for Talent
July 1, 2010 — Author: COL Carolyn F Kleiner Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the July 2010 newsletter.Read Now MORE

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Project on National Security Reform: Vision Working Group Report and Scenarios
July 1, 2010 — Author: Dr Sheila R Ronis The Project on National Security Reform submitted its 2-year study of the national security system, Forging a New Shield, to the President, President-elect, and Congress on November 26, 2008. Before the Project finalized the report’s recommendations, its Vision Working Group tested the findings against a diverse set of... MORE

China’s Role in the Stabilization of Afghanistan
July 1, 2010 — Author: Col Greg Kleponis China's recent 3.5 billion dollar contract bid for the Aynak Copper Field in Afghanistan is the single largest foreign investment in Afghanistan to date. Critics contend that China is getting a free-ride on the coat tails of U.S.-coalition stabilization efforts. However, the author argues that any economic stimulus,... MORE

Who Won The Cold War?
July 1, 2010 — Author: Mr Thomas F Berner The role of George Kennan's Containment strategy in securing a U.S. victory in the Cold War has been overstated by both the right and the left. While its attributes render it an acceptable and honorable path to victory, Containment's efficacy is undermined by military and diplomatic conflict, which yielded a change in... MORE

U.S. Army War College Guide to National Security Issues, Vol II: National Security Policy and Strategy, 4th Edition
July 1, 2010 — Author: Dr J Boone Bartholomees Jr This edition of the U. S. Army War College Guide to National Security Policy and Strategy continues to reflect the structure and approach of the core national security strategy and policy curriculum at the War College. The fourth edition is published in two volumes that correspond roughly to the Department of... MORE

Got Vision? Unity of Vision in Policy and Strategy: What It Is and Why We Need It
July 1, 2010 — Author: Dr Anna Simons Moving beyond “unity of effort” and “unity of command,” this monograph identifies an overarching need for “unity of vision.” Without someone at the helm who has a certain kind--not turn, not frame, but kind--of mind, asymmetric confrontations will be hard (if not impossible) to win. If visionary generals can be said to... MORE

2010 Key Strategic Issues List (KSIL)
July 1, 2010 — Author: Dr Antulio J Echevarria II Unlike other lists that generally reflect issues which are operational or tactical in nature, the focus of the Key Strategic Issues List is strategic. The spotlight is, in other words, on those items that senior Army and Department of Defense leaders should consider in providing military advice and formulating... MORE