Recent Publications

Key Strategic Issues List (KSIL) 2021-2022
July 7, 2020 — Editor: COL Steve Cunningham, USAWC Strategic Studies InstituteNew for Academic Years 2021-2022, the USAWC has published an updated Key Strategic Issues List (KSIL). The KSIL informs students, faculty, and external research associates of strategic topics requiring research and analysis. The USAWC in coordination with Headquarters Department of the... MORE

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Striking the Balance: US Army Force Posture in Europe, 2028—A Study Sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of the Army
June 24, 2020 — Authors: J.P. Clark and C. Anthony PfaffWithin the context of Europe, the US Army must develop a force posture that best navigates the tensions between deterring or defeating armed conflict at acceptable cost, successfully competing below armed conflict, and maintaining global responsiveness and institutional flexibility through the global... MORE

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Future Warfare: Weaponizing Critical Infrastructure
June 7, 2020 — Dr. Carol V. Evans, 2020Adversaries are actively targeting US and NATO critical infrastructure, particularly energy, transportation, information, communications, and the defense industrial base sectors to undermine military capability, readiness, and force projection. In some cases, adversaries are penetrating the critical infrastructure of the... MORE

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Russia’s War in Syria: Assessing Russian Military Capabilities and Lessons Learned
June 1, 2020 — Robert E. Hamilton, 2020, the Foreign Policy Research InstituteThis edited volume, Russia’s War in Syria: Assessing Russian Military Capabilities and Lessons Learned, published by the Foreign Policy Research Institute, sets out to examine the Russian Federation’s way of war in Syria. It consists of seven chapters, authored by nine subject-matter... MORE

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Natural Gas in the Black Sea: Strengthening Cooperation and Balancing Power
May 27, 2020 — Robert E. Hamilton, Anna Mikulska, 2020Heterogenous, varied, diverse – few other words can concisely describe the Black Sea region. Beyond their obvious geographical proximity, there is little that unites these countries. Wedged between different continents, religions, and cultures, they also vary in size, economic prowess, and geopolitical... MORE

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The Compound Security Dilemma: Threats at the Nexus of War and Peace
May 15, 2020 — Isaiah Wilson III, Scott A. Smitson, 2020The United States faces compound security threats today reflecting a paradigm shift in the character of global geopolitical competition. Arraying these threats against liabilities in strategic and policy frameworks poses a significant, unacknowledged challenge: a new compound security dilemma. This compound... MORE

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Military Ethics below the Threshold of War
May 15, 2020 — Dr. C. Anthony Pfaff, 2020The future of military ethics will be profoundly affected by competition below the level of war. Such competition de-emphasizes military force while expanding permissions on the ways and means militaries employ to shape enemy interests. This resulting new ethic will introduce norms associated with escalation, reprisal, and... MORE

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Commentary on “The US Army in Multi-Domain Operations 2028”
April 3, 2020 — Author: Huba Wass de CzegeDoes The US Army in Multi-Domain Operations 2028 lack a clear theory of victory? A comparative analysis of the development of MDO and the historical concepts of Active Defense and AirLand Battle reveals the necessity of greater insight into sources of Russian and Chinese behavior and countering mechanisms, what constitutes... MORE

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Senior Conference 55—The Emerging Environment in the Indo-Pacific Region: Drivers, Directions, and Decisions
March 4, 2020 — Editors: Dr Terry Babcock-Lumish, COL Tania Chacho, MAJ Tom Fox, MAJ Zachary Griffiths As the Indo-Pacific region enters a period of uncertainty, this monograph details the proceedings of West Point’s 2019 Senior Conference 55. Scholars and practitioners convened to discuss and debate strategic changes, and experts shared thoughts during keynote... MORE

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Nonstate Actors and Anti-Access/Area Denial Strategies: The Coming Challenge
February 6, 2020 — Author: Dr. Jean-Loup SamaanThis monograph explores the emerging challenge of nonstate actors’ anti-access and area denial (A2/AD) strategies and their implications for the United States and its allies by looking at two regions, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, with case studies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis... MORE

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Professionalizing the Iraqi Army: US Engagement after the Islamic State
January 28, 2020 — Author: Dr. C. Anthony PfaffSecurity cooperation with Iraq remains a critical component of the US-Iraq relationship. Despite neighboring Iran's ability to limit US political and economic engagement, Iraq still seeks US assistance to develop its military and to combat resurgent terrorist organizations. This monograph provides a historical and... MORE

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Turkey and the United States on the Brink: Implications for NATO and the US-Turkish Strategic and Military Partnership
January 8, 2020 — Author: Kamal A. Beyoghlow, PhDThis monograph analyzes the current political tensions between the United States and Turkey and suggests ways to manage them. The two countries have been strategic allies since at least the end of World War II—Turkey became a North Atlantic Treaty Organization member and participated with its military forces in the... MORE