Recent Publications

Terrorist and Insurgent Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Use, Potentials, and Military Implications
August 27, 2015 — Author: Dr Robert J BunkerView the Executive Summary This manuscript focuses on the present threat posed by terrorist and insurgent use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as well as associated future threat potentials. This work presents a counterintuitive analysis in the sense that armed drones are typically viewed as a component of America’s... MORE

Using Target Audience Analysis to Aid Strategic Level Decisionmaking
August 25, 2015 — Author: Dr Steve TathamView the Executive Summary The author explains how sophisticated social science research and behavioral profiling can be used to warn us of impeding issues and how that information might be used by senior strategy makers as a tool for testing and refining strategy. He makes a compelling case that the science of Target... MORE

Colloquium Brief: Robotics and Military Operations - Kingston Conference on International Security
August 14, 2015 — Dr. Robert J. Bunker Key Insights: A number of definitions for autonomous systems exist. One of the working definitions used at the colloquium was that in which their key feature is viewed as the ability of a given system to perform certain functions independently. Autonomous systems can support military operations by contributing to force... MORE

Duffer’s Shoal: A Strategic Dream of the Pacific Command Area of Responsibility
August 11, 2015 — Authors: COL Russell N Bailey, LTC Bob Dixon, Ms Laura McAleer, LTC Derek J O'Malley, COL (NZ) Christopher J Parsons, COL Elizabeth R SmithView the Executive Summary This strategic assessment seeks to go beyond a traditional comparative analysis of the military, technological, political, cultural, and economic factors governing the relationships... MORE

Mastering the Gray Zone: Understanding a Changing Era of Conflict

A Shared Burden: The Military and Civilian Consequences of Army Pain Management Since 2001
August 4, 2015 — Author: COL Craig TrebilcockView the Executive Summary The Army has an opioid drug problem that is not going away under current personnel policies and medical practices. The survey results recorded here indicate that senior officers attending the U.S. Army War College recognize that the opioid problem is distinct in nature and origin from those of... MORE

The Army War College Review Vol. 1 No. 3
August 1, 2015 — Author: Dr Larry D Miller The Army War College Review, a refereed publication of student work, is produced under the purview of the Strategic Studies Institute and the United States Army War College. An electronic quarterly, The AWC Review connects student intellectual work with professionals invested in U.S. national security, Landpower, strategic... MORE

The Limits of Military Officers’ Duty to Obey Civilian Orders: A Neo-Classical Perspective
July 30, 2015 — Author: Mr Robert E Atkinson, JrView the Executive SummaryThis monograph offers a neo-classically republican perspective on a perennial problem of civilian/military relations: limitations on military officers’ obligation to obey civilian authorities. All commentators agree that military officers are generally obliged—morally, professionally, and... MORE

Reassessing the Barriers to Islamic Radicalization in Kazakhstan
July 29, 2015 — Authors: Ms Zhulduz Baizakova, Mr Roger N McDermott View the Executive SummaryCentral Asia has been experiencing an increase or activation of radical Islamic movements over the last decade or so. These complex processes include increasing urbanization, institutional and individual corruption, the growing gap between rich and poor, the inability of... MORE

China's Rise and Reconfiguration of Central Asia's Geopolitics: A Case for U.S. "Pivot" to Eurasia
July 29, 2015 — Author: Mr Roman Muzalevsky View the Executive SummaryChina’s emergence as a global actor has questioned the position of the United States as the strongest power and the future of the Washington-led global order. To achieve the status of a truly global player wielding influence in all dimensions of power would require China to leverage its regional... MORE

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army in 2025
July 28, 2015 — Editors: Mr Roy Kamphausen, Dr David LaiView the Executive SummaryThis volume is of special relevance in light of the profound changes occurring within the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). China’s desire to develop a military commensurate with its diverse interests is both legitimate and understandable. The challenge for U.S. Pacific Command... MORE

Strategic Insights: Fragile States Cannot Be Fixed With State-Building
July 27, 2015 — Dr. Robert D. LambThe problem with the way the international community thinks about and responds to fragile states is not that we do not understand “fragility,” its causes, and its cures, but that we think of them as “states,” as coherent units of analysis. As a result of this strategic level mistake, efforts to build state capacity to contain... MORE

A Hard Look at Hard Power: Assessing the Defense Capabilities of Key U.S. Allies and Security Partners
July 22, 2015 — Author: Mr Gary J Schmitt View the Executive SummarySince World War II, a key element of America’s grand strategy has been its worldwide network of strategic allies and partners. The network has provided the United States an invaluable global presence, enhanced deterrence against adversaries and, when called upon, provided men and materiel to help... MORE