Recent Publications

Forging the Anglo-American Alliance: The British and American Armies, 1917–1941
January 17, 2024 — Book Review: Forging the Anglo-American Alliance: The British and American Armies, 1917–1941Author: Tyler R. Bamford | Reviewed by Dr. Dean Nowowiejski, professor and Ike Skelton Distinguished Chair for the Art of War, US Army Command and General Staff College | Professor and historian Dean Nowowiejski presents a thoughtful review of historian... MORE

Professor and historian Dean Nowowiejski presents a thoughtful review of historian Tyler R. Bamford’s study on the “long-term impact of the interwar relationship between army officers” of the United States and Great Britain, which “endured despite tensions” and “despite the absence of guidance and in advance of the political approval that would later lead to the formal alliance.” Nowowiejski highlights Bamford’s emphasis on military exchanges, mechanization, military attachés, and intelligence sharing and notes the refreshing significance of the book’s focus on army—rather than navy or executive-level—relationships, which makes this title of particular value.

Author: Tyler R. Bamford

Reviewed by Dr. Dean Nowowiejski, professor and Ike Skelton Distinguished Chair for the Art of War, US Army Command and General Staff College

Read Now: https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters_bookshelf/34

Keywords: World War I, Great Britain, interwar years, mechanization, military attachés

Boots and Suits: Historical Cases and Contemporary Lessons in Military Diplomacy
January 17, 2024 — Book Review: Boots and Suits: Historical Cases and Contemporary Lessons in Military Diplomacy Author: Philip S. Kosnett (editor) | Reviewed by Kenneth Weisbrode, assistant professor of history, Bilkent University | Historian and professor Kenneth Weisbrode reviews retired US ambassador Philip S. Kosnett’s anthology on “just how contested, and how... MORE

Book Review: Boots and Suits: Historical Cases and Contemporary Lessons in Military Diplomacy
https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters_bookshelf/33

Deterrence Gap: Avoiding War in the Taiwan Strait
January 16, 2024 — The likelihood China will attack Taiwan in the next decade is high and will continue to be so, unless Taipei and Washington take urgent steps to restore deterrence across the Taiwan Strait. This podcast introduces the concept of interlocking deterrents, explains why deterrents lose their potency with the passage of time, and provides concrete... MORE

SSI Live 106 – Dr. Chris Mason on the Study of Internal Conflict
January 10, 2024 — Clear, Hold, [and don’t] Build? The Study of Internal Conflict – Although strategic competition has placed China and Russia at the center of American security policy, internal conflicts in places like Iraq, Kosovo, Syria, and Yemen continue to demand the attention of policymakers. SSI’s Dr. Chris Mason has examined these and dozens of others through his multi-year Study of Internal Conflict... MORE

Deterrence Gap: Avoiding War in the Taiwan Strait
January 5, 2024 — The likelihood China will attack Taiwan in the next decade is high and will continue to be so, unless Taipei and Washington take urgent steps to restore deterrence across the Taiwan Strait. This monograph introduces the concept of interlocking deterrents, explains why deterrents lose their potency with the passage of time, and provides concrete... MORE

The likelihood China will attack Taiwan in the next decade is high and will continue to be so, unless Taipei and Washington take urgent steps to restore deterrence across the Taiwan Strait. This monograph introduces the concept of interlocking deterrents, explains why deterrents lose their potency with the passage of time, and provides concrete recommendations for how Taiwan, the United States, and other regional powers can develop multiple, interlocking deterrents that will ensure Taiwanese security in the short and longer terms. By joining deterrence theory with an empirical analysis of Taiwanese, Chinese, and US policies, the monograph provides US military and policy practitioners new insights into ways to deter the People’s Republic of China from invading Taiwan without relying exclusively on the threat of great-power war.
Jared M. McKinney and Peter Harris
Keywords
Taiwan, China, deterrence, cross-strait relations, Indo-Pacific, East Asia, US foreign policy, international security

Disciplines
Defense and Security Studies

https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/964

China’s Growing Strategic Position in Nicaragua
December 21, 2023 — R. Evan Ellis | The October 2023 announcement of multiple major infrastructure projects to be performed by Chinese companies in Nicaragua highlights China’s deepening strategic position in that country, with significant implications for the United States and the region. Nicaragua’s December 2021 recognition of China and its corresponding... MORE

China’s Growing Strategic Position in Nicaragua – R. Evan Ellis in The Diplomat
https://thediplomat.com/2023/12/chinas-growing-strategic-position-in-nicaragua/

On Today's Recruiting Crisis
December 21, 2023 — Dr. Conrad C. Crane and Dr. Brian McAllister Linn address the Army’s recruiting crisis—especially for combat arms. Talent management was identified as an issue for the Army in 1907 in a General Staff report and continues to be a challenge. The results of the President’s Commission on an All-Volunteer Force in 1970 may have complicated matters further... MORE

Is the Baltic Sea a NATO Lake?
December 20, 2023 — John R. Deni | This article is part of the Baltic Sea Region Security Initiative developed by the Carnegie Endowment’s Europe Program. | With the addition of Finland and soon Sweden into the NATO fold, nearly all of the Baltic Sea littoral states will be alliance members. This has prompted some observers to label the Baltic Sea a kind of “NATO... MORE

Is the Baltic Sea a NATO Lake?
John R. Deni

Military Dogs of World War II Wylie W. Johnson
December 20, 2023 — Book Review: Military Dogs of World War II Wylie W. Johnson Author: Susan Bulanda | Reviewed by Reverend Dr. Wylie W. Johnson, chaplain (retired), US Army War College class of 2010 |In total war, the nation calls on everyone to direct all resources toward victory—during World War II, that call extended to man’s best friend. Retired military... MORE

Book Review: Military Dogs of World War II
Wylie W. Johnson
Author: Susan Bulanda
Reviewed by Reverend Dr. Wylie W. Johnson, chaplain (retired), US Army War College class of 2010

Number One Realist: Bernard Fall and Vietnamese Revolutionary Warfare
December 20, 2023 — Book Review: Number One Realist: Bernard Fall and Vietnamese Revolutionary Warfare Author: Nathaniel L. Moir | Reviewed by John A. Nagl, professor of warfighting studies, US Army War College | Counterinsurgency expert John A. Nagl reviews the “long-overdue” biography of the American political scientist Bernard Fall who, as Nagl writes, was “always... MORE

Book Review: Number One Realist: Bernard Fall and Vietnamese Revolutionary Warfare
Author: Nathaniel L. Moir
Reviewed by John A. Nagl, professor of warfighting studies, US Army War College

“Ambivalent Balancer in the Middle East and Beyond”
December 15, 2023 — This podcast enters the debate on American grand strategy by questioning the logic underpinning offshore balancing. It concludes that the United States is an ambivalent balancer due to the stopping power of water. It builds on the relevant literature in international relations, producing a novel set of theoretical propositions that are applied to the contemporary Middle East. There and elsewhere,... MORE

SSI Live 105 – The Dragon and the Bear in Africa
December 14, 2023 — Much is made of the ‘axis of authoritarianism’ emerging between Moscow and Beijing, and it’s clear the PRC is playing an important if only implicit role in supporting Russia’s war on Ukraine. But how do these two strategic actors collaborate in other regions? SSI’s Dr. Bob Hamilton spoke to SSI Live host Dr. John R. Deni to discuss his latest research on whether and how China and Russia interact... MORE