Recent Publications

Leaderless Organizations and the Strategic Value of Airstrikes in Syria
December 29, 2014 — Lieutenant Colonel Michael A. Adelberg After more than three years of war in Syria, which has seen more than one million refugees, more than a quarter million dead, the use of chemical weapons, and dozens of atrocities on all sides, the United States finally became involved. On September 22, 2014 the United States and a coalition of Arab states... MORE

Regionalizing East Mediterranean Gas: Energy Security, Stability, and the U.S. Role
December 19, 2014 — Author: Ms Laura El-Katiri, Dr Mohammed El-KatiriView the Executive SummaryThe East Mediterranean has been witnessing an unparalleled natural resource boom since the late-2000s, when Israel, followed by Cyprus, made its first significant offshore hydrocarbon discoveries in many years. These discoveries have since proven to be substantially larger... MORE

Operationalizing Counter Threat Finance Strategies
December 15, 2014 — Author: Dr Shima D KeeneView the Executive Summary This Letort Paper describes effective Counter Threat Finance strategies as a specific area where the capability of U.S. and allied militaries can be augmented for the purpose of targeted action against adversaries. With appropriate analysis and exploitation, financial data can be used to reveal... MORE

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What the President’s ISIL Strategy Means to the Army
December 11, 2014 — Lieutenant Colonel Michael A. Adelberg When President Barack Obama gave his speech outlining his strategy to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on September 10, 2014, he was very clear that he would not send U.S. troops into Iraq with a ground combat mission. The United States will “degrade and ultimately destroy” ISIL though... MORE

Strategic Insights: The Landpower Robot Revolution Is Coming
December 10, 2014 — Dr. Steven Metz **Click here for a PDF version of the article** Military technical revolutions have a distinct pattern. When new technology becomes available, it initially is used to augment existing operational methods and tactics. In Europe, for instance, the first firearms were used to give formations of pikemen more punch. On the battlefields... MORE

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Strategic Insights: The Strategic Relevance of Latin America for the United States
December 8, 2014 — Dr. R. Evan Ellis From October 12-14, 2014, the city of Arequipa, Peru, was host to this year’s largest unnoticed meeting of senior government officials from across the Western Hemisphere: the 11th annual Defense Ministerial Summit of the Americas. The meeting brought together Ministers of Defense and their equivalents from 34 nations from the... MORE

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American Grand Strategy and the Future of U.S. Landpower
December 5, 2014 — Authors: Major Joseph V Da Silva, Dr Hugh P Liebert, Prof Isaiah Wilson IIIView the Executive Summary The U.S. military faces a dramatic rebalancing among its services. As the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have waned, an era of budget austerity has emerged and the U.S. strategic focus has shifted toward the Pacific, American air and sea power have... MORE

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Government Contracting Should be a Core Competence for U.S. Military Personnel
December 1, 2014 — Author: Prof Katherine E WhiteView the Executive Summary During Operations Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Enduring Freedom (OEF), more than half of the U.S. personnel on the ground were civilian contractors. Unfortunately, lack of contractor oversight led to significant levels of waste, fraud, and abuse. To address these concerns, Congress created the... MORE

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Re-examining the Roles of Landpower in the 21st Century and Their Implications
November 26, 2014 — Author: Dr William T Johnsen View the Executive SummaryAfter 13 years of prolonged ground combat, a weary American public is leery of further interventions requiring land forces. Shifting geostrategic conditions, such as a revanchist Russia and a rising China, reinforce this reluctance. At the same time, technological innovation once more offers... MORE

Central Asia’s Shrinking Connectivity Gap: Implications for U.S. Strategy
November 20, 2014 — Author: Mr Roman Muzalevsky View the Executive SummaryThe United States is witnessing a transformation of Central Asia—a critical yet highly understudied and misunderstood area of the world, which is seeing growing influence of China, India, and Russia. The agendas of these actors, as well as the United States, Japan, the EU, Turkey, and Iran,... MORE

Creating an Effective Regional Alignment Strategy for the U.S. Army
November 19, 2014 — Authors: Major Raven Bukowski, Major John Childress, LTC Michael J Colarusso, COL David S Lyle View the Executive SummaryAs the war in Afghanistan draws to a close, the Army increasingly is focused upon “regionally aligning” its forces. To do so effectively, however, it must undertake several initiatives. First, the Army must acknowledge and... MORE

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Tribal Militias: An Effective Tool to Counter Al-Qaida and Its Affiliates?
November 18, 2014 — Author: Dr Norman Cigar View the Executive SummaryDespite over a decade of open war, dealing with Al-Qaida and its affiliates in the Middle East is likely to remain a concern for the foreseeable future and will pose a challenge requiring the use of any tool that is likely to be effective in meeting the threat. Developing effective tools to counter... MORE