Recent Publications

Understanding the PRC’s Selective Use of Military Hotlines
October 4, 2024 — Executive Summary: The PRC’s strategic use of and reluctance to establish military hotlines reflect a calculated approach to escalation risk, which can be seen in crises ranging from the accidental bombing of its embassy in Belgrade in 1999 to the present day. There is a recognition that hotlines offer tactical benefits, but they are not viewed as a solution... MORE

The PRC’s strategic use of and reluctance to establish military hotlines reflect a calculated approach to escalation risk, which can be seen in crises ranging from the accidental bombing of its embassy in Belgrade in 1999 to the present day. There is a recognition that hotlines offer tactical benefits, but they are not viewed as a solution to

2024 Annual Estimate of the Strategic Security Environment (Podcast)
October 2, 2024 — In this episode of Conversations on Strategy, Dr. C. Anthony Pfaff, Dr. Brian Carlson, Dr. Michael Lynch, Dr. John Deni, and analyze the 2024 Annual Estimate of the Strategic Security Environment, led by Major Brennan Deveraux. The discussion covers the narrative’s impact on understanding military challenges, with regional perspectives from Carlson on the US-China rivalry, Deni on the Russia-Ukraine War’s... MORE

COVER Conversations on Strategy Podcast – Ep 49 – Darrin L. Frye – “Nanoweaponry and the Resolution Revolution: Making Danger Invisible”

Book Review: The Ballad of Roy Benavidez: The Life and Times of America’s Most Famous Hispanic War Hero
October 2, 2024 — As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, Dr. Wylie W. Johnson presents a review of a recent publication on one of the most celebrated Hispanic war heroes in US history—Medal of Honor recipient Roy Benavidez. Johnson overviews author William Sturkey’s biography of Benavidez, which discusses Benavidez’s “perseverance against racial prejudice, poverty, substandard education, bureaucratic inertia, popular bias against patriotism, anti-military sentiment, and physical disabilities” and also his heroism in the Vietnam War and his lifetime of service afterward. Johnson recommends the book as “military leaders need to be reminded about our heroes and honor the examples they set.”... MORE

Cover for The Ballad of Roy Benavidez: The Life and Times of America’s Most Famous Hispanic War Hero

“Introduction to the US Army War College Civil-Military Relations Center”
October 1, 2024 — The United States is experiencing an era characterized by civil-military tension and conflict. From the increasing politicization of the military, to declining public trust in the military and the recruiting crisis, to the erosion of norms meant to protect civilian control to a perceived lack of accountability within the profession, healthy civil-military relations in America today are under assault... MORE

Carrie A. Lee – “Introduction to the US Army War College Civil-Military Relations Center”

Review Essay: Exploring Strategy in India
September 25, 2024 — Dr. Vinay Kaura reviews two similarly named books that Kaura writes will be “an indispensable reference for South Asian security for years to come.” He praises Rajesh Basrur’s Subcontinental Drift for “incorporating domestic factors to explain Indian’s foreign policy” and provides a helpful overview of Basrur’s three case studies and “policy drift.” Kaura also overviews Feroz Hassan Khan’s book, centered on how India and Pakistan “are shaping the political order in South Asia”... MORE

Cover from the Review Essay: Exploring Strategy in India: Rajesh Basrur's Subcontinental Drift: Domestic Politics and India’s Foreign Policy and Feroz Hassan Khan's Subcontinent Adrift: Strategic Futures of South Asia

Book Review: The Melting Point: High Command and War in the 21st Century
September 25, 2024 — Dr. Thomas Spahr presents a compelling review of General Kenneth McKenzie’s The Melting Point, providing an overview of the book’s three main points and its unique scope compared to other generals’ memoirs. Spahr praises McKenzie’s writing on Afghanistan, in particular, calling it “the best [description] I have read of the strategic events that led to that dramatic end.” Spahr presents a compelling case for why the book “should be required reading at senior levels... MORE

cover of The Melting Point: High Command and War in the 21st Century

Book Review: The Making of a Leader: The Formative Years of George C. Marshall
September 25, 2024 — Dr. Wylie Johnson provides a thoughtful review of Rhodes Scholar Josiah Bunting’s new book on the early life and career of General George Marshall. As Johnson notes, there are many books about Marshall, and Johnson highlights the value of Bunting’s book, which contextualizes Marshall’s early career—from experience as a staff officer (rather than leading troops in combat), to having authority in overseas assignments, to recreation. Johnson notes... MORE

cover of The Making of a Leader: The Formative Years of George C. Marshall

Book Review: Unwinnable Wars: Afghanistan and the Future of American Armed Statebuilding
September 25, 2024 — Dr. Erik Goepner reviews analyst Adam Wunische’s Unwinnable Wars, which, according to Gopener, offers a “timeless reminder—American power has limits.” Goepner provides a helpful outline of Wunische’s four “major preexisting conditions that severely limit the success of armed state-building efforts.” Wunische argues that preexisting conditions are “beyond the control of the intervening power” and “often foreordain the failure of such missions”... MORE

Cover of Unwinnable Wars: Afghanistan and the Future of American Armed Statebuilding

Book Review: The New Makers of Modern Strategy: From the Ancient World to the Digital Age
September 25, 2024 — John Erickson and John Nagl provide a useful overview of the latest (third) edition of Princeton University Press’s anthologies on modern strategy, directing readers to the most salient chapters of the book and giving insight into why “this third edition is the most interesting yet” and “are of immeasurable importance for students, practitioners, and scholars alike.” Erickson and Nagl write that “[the] essays provide excellent starting points for research on almost any... MORE

cover of The New Makers of Modern Strategy: From the Ancient World to the Digital Age

Book Review: War in Ukraine: Conflict, Strategy, and the Return of a Fractured World
September 25, 2024 — John Erickson and John Nagl review Hal Brands’s 2024 anthology on the Russia-Ukraine War, including a thorough and helpful overview of the parts and chapters. They supplement the review with a contextualization of the war and its significance for the rest of the world. They call Brands’s book, “a scholarly appraisal of the Russian invasion of Ukraine that may mark the first blows of World War III.”... MORE

cover of War in Ukraine: Conflict, Strategy, and the Return of a Fractured World

Book Review: Putin’s War on Ukraine: Russia’s Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution
September 25, 2024 — Senior Russia analyst Dr. Lionel M. Beehner provides thoughtful praise and critiques on Samuel Ramani’s 2023 book, Putin’s War on Ukraine, calling it “a must-read for diplomats and defense experts.” According to Beehner, Ramani provides “a front-row seat to the war,” helpfully “recalls incidents that may be buried in readers’ minds,” and “masterfully shows the chaos within Russian leadership circles near the invasion.” Beehner also distills and explains Ramani’s main point... MORE

cover of Putin’s War on Ukraine: Russia’s Campaign for Global Counter-Revolution

“A Baseline Assessment of the PLA Army's Border Reinforcement Operations in the Aksai Chin”
September 24, 2024 — In episode 18 of CLSC Dialogues, Josh Arostegui interviews prominent China expert Dennis Blasko on his analysis of PLA Army and Boader Defense Unit activity along the Line of Actual Control between China and India. He describes the development of infrastructure that allows the PLA to maintain a more robust forward presence. He further describes... MORE

CLSC Dialogues Ep 18 – Josh Arostegui and Dennis Blasko – “A Baseline Assessment of the PLA Army's Border Reinforcement Operations in the Aksai Chin”