Recent Publications

NATO Vilnius Summit could have been historic. Instead, it mostly kicked the can down the road.
July 14, 2023 — John R. Deni argues that at the NATO Summit, “there was little significant movement on several key issues, leaving much on the table for the alliance’s 75th birthday summit next year in Washington, DC.” With the Vilnius Summit concluded, NATO observers can take a breath — and take a step back to see what was really accomplished at the meeting,... MORE

NATO Vilnius Summit could have been historic. Instead, it mostly kicked the can down the road.
John R. Deni

We don’t really know which NATO allies are pulling their weight.
July 10, 2023 — Here’s how to fix that. John R. Deni The Defense Investment Pledge agreed to by NATO allies in 2014 is reaching its decade-long finish line. The Alliance’s own data indicate that not all allies will cross that line, as many still spend less than the equivalent of 2 percent of their gross domestic products on defense and several still devote less... MORE

Debate continues over whether to invite Ukraine to join NATO
July 10, 2023 — Podcast appearance. John R. Deni As leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, meet at the annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, the conversation continues over whether to invite Ukraine to join the alliance and if so, when.Here & Now‘s Celeste Headlee speaks with John Deni, research professor at the U.S. Army War College and a... MORE

Security Challenges in the Caribbean: Threats, Migration, and International Cooperation
July 6, 2023 — R. Evan Ellis The Caribbean faces growing security challenges, ranging from geopolitical tensions to armed violence and the gang epidemic, exacerbated by drug trafficking and competition for drug routes. The region has also been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, mass migration, and money laundering. Caribbean countries require integrated solutions... MORE

Security Challenges in the Caribbean: Threats, Migration, and International Cooperation, R. Evan Ellis, SSI Worldwide

“Understanding the Adversary: Strategic Empathy and Perspective Taking in National Security”
July 5, 2023 — National security practitioners need to understand the motives, mindsets, and intentions of adversaries to anticipate and respond to their actions effectively. Although some authors have argued empathy helps build an understanding of the adversary, research points to its cognitive component of perspective taking as the more appropriate skill for national security practitioners to have. In this podcast, Dr. Allison Abbe synthesizes previous research on the development and application of perspective taking in analysis and decision making and recommends four ways strategists and practitioners can enhance their ability to gain insight into adversaries... MORE

“Geniuses Dare to Ride Their Luck: Clausewitz's Card Game Analogies”
June 30, 2023 — Scholars have been using the wrong card games to analyze Carl von Clausewitz’s analogies in On War, which has led to errors in understanding his ideas. This podcast identifies the games Clausewitz discusses, allowing for a more accurate interpretation of his original meaning for the study of war. Since Clausewitz’s ideas underpin strategy development within service education systems, it is critical his ideas are fully understood in context. ... MORE

AI: Centaurs Versus Minotaurs—Who Is in Charge?
June 28, 2023 — Who is in charge when it comes to AI? People or machines? In this episode, Paul Scharre, author of the books Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War and the award-winning Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, and Robert Sparrow, coauthor with Adam Henschke of “Minotaurs, Not Centaurs: The Future of Manned-Unmanned Teaming”... MORE

Trusting AI: Integrating Artificial Intelligence into the Army’s Professional Expert Knowledge
June 22, 2023 — Integrating artificially intelligent technologies for military purposes poses a special challenge. In previous arms races, such as the race to atomic bomb technology during World War II, expertise resided within the Department of Defense. But in the artificial intelligence (AI) arms race, expertise dwells mostly within industry and academia. Also, unlike the development of the bomb, effective employment of AI... MORE

The Weaponisation of Everything: A Field Guide to the New Way of War
June 21, 2023 — Technology and War Book Review: The Weaponisation of Everything: A Field Guide to the New Way of War Robert J. Bunker Author: Mark Galeottii | Reviewed by Dr. Robert J. Bunker, director of research and analysis, managing partner, C/O Futures LLC | In this field guide, Galeotti departs from his customary focus on Russia and covers a broad area of... MORE

Technology and War – Book Review: The Weaponisation of Everything: A Field Guide to the New Way of War
Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Military Virtues
June 21, 2023 — Strategic Leadership Book Review: Military Virtues George J. Fust Editors: Michael Skerker, David Whetham, and Don Carrick | Reviewed by Major George J. Fust, active-duty US Army officer | Filling the gap between theoretical and practical application, this collection of essays by leading scholars and practitioners revitalizes the application of... MORE

Military History – Book Review: Managing Sex in the U.S. Military: Gender, Identity, and Behavior
Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

The Age of AI and Our Human Future
June 21, 2023 — Technology and War Book Review: The Age of AI and Our Human Future Russell W. Glenn Authors: Henry A. Kissinger, Eric Schmidt, and Daniel Huttenlocher | Reviewed by Dr. Russell W. Glenn, principal, Innovative Defense Research LLC | Notable for its authoritative arguments and analysis of the nature and potential impact of artificial intelligence... MORE

Brazil and the Illiberal Anti-U.S. Alliance
June 20, 2023 — R. Evan EllisDuring World War II, Brazil contributed to the security of allied trans-Atlantic shipping routes and sent a division-sized expeditionary force to Italy to help liberate Europe from Hitler and Mussolini’s murderous dictatorships. In 1985, Brazilians rallied around Tancredo Neves and José Sarney to end undemocratic military rule... MORE

Brazil and the Illiberal Anti-U.S. Alliance
Jun 20, 2023 | China, R. Evan Ellis, South & Latin America, SSI Worldwide