Recent Publications

The Military’s Role in Counterterrorism: Examples and Implications for Liberal Democracies
May 1, 2011 — Author: Dr Geraint Hughes The author examines historical and contemporary examples of military involvement in counterterrorism, outlining the specific roles which the armed forces of liberal democracies have performed in combating terrorism, both in a domestic and international context. He describes the political, strategic, conceptual, diplomatic,... MORE

Rebuilding Armed Forces: Learning from Iraq and Lebanon
May 1, 2011 — Author: Dr Florence Gaub Security Force Assistance becomes more and more important not only in the post-conflict reconstruction process, but also in a more general way in the foreign policy of the United States. Looking into the experience of both Iraq and Lebanon, this monograph offers useful insights for future military assistance programs and... MORE

Cyber Infrastructure Protection
May 1, 2011 — Author: COL Louis H Jordan Jr, Dr Tarek N Saadawi This book provides an integrated view and a comprehensive framework of the various issues relating to cyber infrastructure protection. It provides the foundation for long-term policy development, a roadmap for cyber security, and an analysis of technology challenges that impede cyber infrastructure... MORE

Central Asian Security Trends: Views from Europe and Russia
April 1, 2011 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank The war in Afghanistan has added considerably to the strategic significance of Central Asia due to its proximity to the conflict. Moreover, the continuation of the war increasingly involves the vital interests of many other actors other than the U.S. and NATO forces currently there. This monograph, taken from SSI's... MORE

Hard Power and Soft Power: The Utility of Military Force as an Instrument of Policy in the 21st Century
April 1, 2011 — Author: Dr Colin S Gray Power is one of the more contestable concepts in political theory. In recent decades, scholars and commentators have chosen to distinguish between two kinds of power, “hard” and “soft.” The former is achieved through military threat or use, and by means of economic menace or reward. The latter is the ability tohave influence... MORE

Resolving Ethical Challenges in an Era of Persistent Conflict
April 1, 2011 — Author: COL Tony Pfaff The character of irregular warfare has challenged the American “way of war” in a number of ways. Not only does it challenge how U.S. forces fight, it also brings into question the ethical norms that they employ to govern the fighting. The resulting confusion is especially evident in the public debate over the use of force in... MORE

Army Strong–Really?
April 1, 2011 — Author: COL Charles D Allen The author outlines the past, present, and future of the Profession of Arms.It would be easy to discount the conjecture that the U.S. Army is in trouble. After all, we are unmatched as a fighting force and were successful in conducting military operations for regime change in two countries in the space of 18 months. Our... MORE

Other People’s Wars: PLA Lessons from Foreign Conflicts
April 1, 2011 — Authors: Mr Daniel Alderman, Mr Joe Narus Key Insights:• The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has not fought in a major war since 1979, but has studied the lessons of modern foreign conflicts from throughout the world. In some cases, those lessons have resulted in observable changes to the PLA’s strategic, tactical, or operational posture.•... MORE

A Colloquium on U.S. National Security Policy, Military Strategy: Understanding the Environment for Contemporary Warfare
April 1, 2011 — Authors: Mr Dave Lewis, Dr Steve Maxner, Dr Dennis Patterson Key Insights from this colloquium are:• Establishing and continuing a collaborative dialogue between traditional academic institutions and disciplines and the nation’s next generation of senior officers is not just beneficial, it is essential to U.S. national security.• Scholars in... MORE

Improvised Explosive Devices in Iraq, 2003-09: A Case of Operational Surprise and Institutional Response
April 1, 2011 — Author: Brigadier Andrew SmithSurprise is a familiar term in military writings and is enshrined in most nations’ doctrine. Surprises that emerge in tactics, however, can also operate at the strategic and operational levels and are particularly dangerous because they can test the relevance and adaptability of military forces and the "institutional"... MORE

Reforming Military Command Arrangements: The Case of the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force
March 1, 2011 — Author: Mr Henrik Bliddal Our national security system turns our overall capabilities into active assets, protects us against the threats of an anarchic international system and makes it possible to exploit its opportunities. Today, however, the system is arguably in dire need of reform. Much remains in the dark about how the organizations that... MORE

Profession of Arms Study Trust Review
March 1, 2011 — Author: COL Charles D Allen Since trust is the coin of the realm for an Army in a democratic society, it is important that as the Profession of Arms study proceeds that it includes a broad exploration of just what exactly the Army as profession means by the concept of trust.Read Now MORE